Organic farmers now have access to a website which provides them with information on the availability of organic seeds within the UK. The website is called OrganicXseeds and can be found at: www.organicXseeds.co.uk

OrganicXSeeds is the UK database required by a European Commission Regulation on the use of organic seeds and propagating material. It is funded by Defra and managed by the Soil Association, with support from NIAB. The main features of the website are:

• live information from seed companies on availability of organic seed;

• history of availability of a particular seed variety; and

• online application for derogations to your organic certification body if organic seed is not available for those certification bodies using this aspect of the website.

The European Council Regulation on organic agriculture requires the use of organic seed where it is available. If organic seed of a particular variety is not available, growers may use untreated non-organic seed, provided they have permission from their organic certification body.

To improve the transparency of this system, the Commission Regulation required each Member State to set up a database showing the availability of organic seed. Defra considered that a website offered the best way to make up-to-date information on organic seeds widely available to growers within the UK.

Growers must look at the website to check whether the variety of seed they want to use is available organically. If it is not, they can apply to their certification body for a derogation to use non-organic seed. People without internet access can either call their certification body or the Soil Association, as manager of the database (0117 914 2400), to request a search of the database to be undertaken on their behalf.

To support the further use and development of organic seed, Defra will also provide funding to the Centre for Organic Seed Information (COSI) for another 3 years. The COSI website (www.cosi.org.uk) will complement the OrganicXSeeds website by providing more detailed background information on a number of organic seed issues including:

• the latest variety trials;

• UK variety performance data for different crops;

• information on Regulations affecting the use of seed;

• minutes from the seed working groups run by the Soil Association and funded by Defra;

• questionnaire for growers to record their experiences with organic seed.

BACKGROUND

Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2092/91 on organic production of agricultural products, as amended, requires the use of organic seeds, where they are available, but allowed for untreated conventional (non-organic) seed to be used until 31 December 2003 if a grower could demonstrate to their organic certification body that they were unable to obtain organic seeds.

Commission Regulation (EC) No. 1452/2003 maintained the derogation beyond the date of 31 December 2003, because there would not have been sufficient amounts of organically produced seed for certain species. Regulation 1452/2003 required a database showing the availability of organic seed to be set up by each Member State. OrganicXSeeds is the UK database.

The Centre of Organic Seed Information is a research project being funded by Defra to promote the dissemination of information on organic seed within the organic industry.