Welcome to the final newsletter of 2017. I hope you have had a prosperous year and that organic food and farming continues to be successful and enjoyable for you. We started 2017 with the good news that sales of organic food in Scotland had grown by nearly 20%, reaching £70m. Correspondingly SOPA membership grew 7% in 2017 and it is a welcome return to growth in the sector that I expect to continue into 2018. We close the year with strong prices and steady demand which brings a different set of

challenges in ensuring we meet that demand with organic food produced and processed in Scotland and the UK. 2018 is a celebratory year for SOPA, as we celebrate our 30th Birthday. We are planning a number of events throughout the year and I invite you to come along to any of these, indeed please get involved in any way you are able to. On behalf of the SOPA Board and staff and the OF&G (Scotland) team I would like to wish you a Happy Christmas and all the very best for 2018.

Christmas & New Year Office Opening TimesThe office will be closed from 1pm on Friday 22 December until 9am Tuesday 2 January. The emergency contact number for Wednesday 27, Thursday 28 and Friday 29 December between 9am and 4pm is 0131 335 6635. For emergencies only outside of these hours the person to contact is Stephen Clarkson, SOPA Certification & Compliance Manager, on 07929 623118.

Debs

December 2017

CERTIFICATION NEWS

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New Organic Regulation Adopted

Suspension of Bolicert & Egyptian Center of Organic Agriculture Defra’s Organic Team have notified all UK Organic Certification Bodies that from the 5th December the Bolivian Certification Body Bolicert have had their organic certification accreditation suspended. As a result, any organic certificates issued by Bolicert are now invalid and products detailed can only be sold as non-organic.Plus, the Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle GmbH (DAkkS), the national accreditation body for the Federal Republic of Germany, have notified the Commission of the suspension of the organic certification accreditation of the Egyptian Centre of Organic Agriculture (ECOA) from 9th October 2017. As such the ECOA have been removed

from the list of recognised organic control bodies and control authorities and any Certificate of Inspection (COI’s) issued from 9th October onwards must be treated as suspicious and the products subject to high risk control measures.If you have concerns about either of the above please contact your Processing Certification Officer without delay. Note for processors: any new supplier certificates must be submitted, along with updated SIPS & MIPS (SOPA Processing Record Sheet 1 & 2), to your Processing Certification Officer.

CONTENTSCertification NewsNew Organic Regulation Adopted, Copper as a fungicide, Winter Feed Supplied, Suspension of Bolicert & Egyptian Center of Organic Agriculture, Non-organic pullets and 5% non-organic feed derogation, TRACES.

Scottish Newsincl SOPA Board Update, Organic Payment Land Category Descriptions, 2017 AECS Application Results, Brexit Survey, SOPA Standards Review, 2018 AECS Funding for organic conversion & maintenance.

Marts NewsEventsClassifieds

Copper as a fungicideThe temporary derogation granted in 2017 for potatoes has now ended. There is no confirmed derogation in place for 2018 but we are vigorously lobbying to get something in place as a matter of priority for SOPA’s potato producers. A derogation for copper in 2018 is not definite but rest assured we will keep you updated.

It would help us if we had some facts to hand, in particular we are seeking the annual volume of production

and the Gross Value Added (GVA) figure in pounds. If you produce potatoes and have a view on the use of copper for treating blight, please email debs.roberts@sopa.org.

uk with your annual production (tonnes) and the estimated total farm gate value (£) of crop produced. We will aggregate these figures to help influence decision makers about

the significance of the crop and why copper is so important to organic potato producers.

The trilogue agreement for a new organic regulation reached last June was adopted by the Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA) on Monday 20 November and by the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture (AGRI) on Wednesday 22 November.

The next step is the sign off in the Parliament's plenary and the Council of Agriculture Ministers.

There has been a huge effort by the EU Institutions to improve the text from its initial draft and a number of concerns have been taken into consideration and some improvements have been made. The recent legal check has also solved some of the inconsistencies previously highlighted.

Nevertheless, the lack of a strong majority in both the SCA and the AGRI Committee has shown the fragility of this text. Countries like Austria (biggest share of organic land) and Germany (biggest EU market) did not endorse the text as it still includes a number of inconsistencies and mistakes that will make the practical implementation very difficult.

Eduardo Cuoco, IFOAM EU Director: "The organic sector continues to grow - currently with 800,000 hectares per year in the last 2

years and a market yearly growth of 12.6%. The organic movement has an ambitious vision and demands a regulation that can support its development whilst keeping consumers’ trust in organic products.

Although improvements have been made compared to the initial proposal of 2014 and many recommendations have been taken up in the final text, it is still far from an ideal text.

We therefore call for a strong commitment by the EU institutions and by the Member States to work together to immediately address the important weaknesses that still exist."

The new regulation is currently anticipated to come into effect in January 2021. How this will affect the UK has still to be decided as clearly this is after it is currently anticipated that the UK will have left the EU although this may still fall within a proposed two year transitional arrangement; the details of which remain unclear. We will keep you posted.

Reminder:-Winter Feed SuppliesFollowing on from the ‘Forage stocks reminder’ in the October newsletter, have you made an assessment of your winter feed supplies? If you feel that you are going to run short of home grown organic feeds please contact your Certification Officer in good time (this means months or weeks rather than days) to discuss your circumstances and options available. Do not let your supplies get to critical levels. If we find at your annual farm inspection that you have fed a non-organic feedstuff to livestock, OF&G (Scotland) will have no choice but todecertify all livestock fed non-organic feed.The SOPA classified, updated regularly on the SOPA website - www.sopa.org.uk/classifieds - are a good place to start to check what other organic producers might be offering for sale. Plus, it is always worth contacting Joanna in SOPA Member Services as she may be able to link you up with another organic producer who is looking to sell or source a commodity you might be looking for.

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Non-organic pullets and 5% non-organic feed derogations ExtensionIn response to industry calls for legal certainty for the organic poultry and pig sector, the European Union Commission has taken the necessary steps to adopt an implementing regulation that extends referred derogations until 31 December 2018.

As we reported previously the organic feed derogation for organic pigs and poultry was due to expire at the end of this year. However due to continued restriction on supplies of organic protein we joined a call for the existing rules to be extended while work continues across the industry on looking for viable solutions.

Organic farmers are currently allowed to feed their pig and poultry up to 5% non-organic protein, as laid down in Article 43 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 889/2008. As there is insufficient protein of the necessary quality available to organic pig and poultry farmers there were genuine concerns that withdrawal of the ability to feed this 5% allowance would have had significant welfare implications, particularly in the case of poultry.

Likewise, due to the current limitations of the availability of organically certified point of lay pullets the derogation allowance for non-organic pullets has been extended to the end of 2018. Please be mindful that all requests to bring in non-organic birds have to be passed to Defra’s organic team for approval prior to the birds being brought onto farm and we recommend you apply sooner rather than later if needs be to avoid delays. SOPA Derogation Form – Derogation Form for Poultry must be completed and returned to your Certification Officer when applying for a derogation to bring in non-organic chicks and/or part-organic pullets. It is still the case that in the first instance you must look for an organic source of pullets. Please see suggested list of suppliers in the SOPA Guidance Note on Poultry.

The organic regulation is currently undergoing reform and under this reform the new EU organic regulation would continue to allow for a derogation, under certain conditions, related to the use of non-organic protein feed in the nutrition of poultry and pigs, plus non-

organic pullets under control circumstances. It envisaged that this would then be reviewed five years after the implementation of the new regulation in January 2021.

The new reform does, however, strengthen the previous requirements related to feed coming from the farm itself and other sources for livestock: “Feed for livestock shall be obtained primarily from the agricultural holding where the animals are kept or from organic or in-conversion production units of other holdings in the same region.”

The new regulation is also tighter in terms of the percentage of feed coming from the farm itself: for the nutrition of ruminants and equine animals, this inclusion would increase from 60% to 70% two years after January 2021; for poultry and pigs, it would increase from 20% to 30%.

We will keep you informed when there are any further updates on this issue.

Derogation froms can be downloaded from the members area of the SOPA website.

News for Organic Importers: registering on the TRACES websiteOn 19th October the TRACES Electronic Certificate of Inspection (e-CoI) system was fully introduced for all products being imported into the European Union. If you are bringing organic products into the EU from a Third Country you will now need to register your business to TRACES NT (https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/tracesnt/login) and complete an e-CoI using this system.

To set up your initial login you will need to sign up for Traces via the EU Login portal at:

https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/cas/eim/external/register.cgi.

Further guidance on setting up a new EU Login account can be found at https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/cfcas3/tracesnt-webhelp/Content/C_EU%20login/create-a-new-EU-login-account.htm.

Once you have registered, OF&G (Scotland) need to formally validate your registration to confirm that your business is certified to the SOPA Processing Standards to trade organic

products before you will be able to create the e-CoI for imports. The system is still very new, so if you do experience problems you should report this to TRACES using the reporting function within the website.

If you are not registered on TRACES NT it is likely that the port authorities will not permit your products to enter the UK.

If you wish to discuss this further please contact your Processing Certification Officer.

Certification Correspondence Address ReminderTo avoid any unnecessary delays in our response time please ensure that you return correspondence relating to your organic certification (e.g. corrective action following inspection/audit, derogation/approval requests, updated livestock management/health plans, MIPS, SIPS, certificate update requests) marked for the attention of your designated Certification Officer to either;

POST: OF&G (Scotland), Old Estate Yard, Shrewsbury Rd, Albrighton, Shrewsbury, SY4 3AG

EMAIL: certification@sopa.org.uk FAX: 01939 291250

SCOTTISH NEWS

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We would like to take this opportunity to inform you of a few changes amongst SOPA’s Board of Directors. Since 2015 Alexander Brewster of Rotmell Farm near Dunkeld has been in the SOPA Chair. However, Alex has recently opted to take a sabbatical from his position to concentrate on his Nuffield Scholarship commitments.

As a result, Edward Smith is stepping up from Vice-Chair into the role of Chairman and board member Gordon Whiteford will be taking on the position of Vice-Chair. To give you some background to both;

Outside of SOPA, Edward Smith is the Managing Director of Norvite, leading supplier to the Scottish livestock industry and specialists in animal nutrition.

Edward is a farmer's’ son from North Yorkshire with a passion for agriculture and country pursuits. He began his career in the animal feed industry as a nutritionist for a North East England based cooperative before moving to Aberdeenshire in 1998 to work for Norvite, where he held various positions before leading a management buyout of the business in 2005.

The business has undergone a period of significant investment and development, and now encompasses three manufacturing sites and three retail stores, employing over 70 staff.

Norvite has been certified by SOPA for 15 years and is a key supplier to the organic livestock sector is Scotland. Edward has been a SOPA board member for 4 years and with Norvite hosting a tour of their Insch site for the 2014 SOPA AGM those of you who attended will have met him there.

Originally brought up on a dairy farm in Ayrshire, new vice-chair Gordon Whiteford is now a first-generation farmer on Fochabers Estate. Gordon took his first venture into organics in 2005 by renting a field in Ardersier, near Inverness, to establish an organic poultry enterprise. He now has two flocks of 2,000 British Black Tails for organic egg production.

In 2012, Gordon was fortunate to gain tenancy of a 52 hectare farm at Lower Mill of Tynet, where he initially set up a free-range laying hen enterprise, and as of 2016 the farm entered conversion to organic production with a mix of enterprises, including the

laying hens, as well as the addition of sheep and cattle, along with supporting arable. He is also a Nuffield scholar. Likewise, for those of you who attended the 2016 SOPA AGM and LILIS conference you will have met Gordon as he was our host farmer.

SOPA board Chair Edward Smith had the following to say about the changes:

“It’s a great privilege to be able to step up into the role of SOPA Board Chair. I look forward to continuing the fantastic job set by Alex Brewster, and we wish him all the best with his Nuffield scholarship.”

If you wish to contact Ed the email address is chairman@sopa.org.uk

SOPA Board Update

Organic Payment Land Category Descriptions - Fruit and Veg Ruling As we explained in the October newsletter we are aware of a number of members who have been affected by SGRPID’s interpretation of the land category definitions for fruit & vegetable and arable. In particular, the fruit & vegetable definition has been changed since 2017 AECS applications were submitted. Collaboratively, with representatives of the Scottish Organic Forum (SOF), we wrote to the Rural Economy Cabinet Secretary Fergus Ewing to bring this issue to his attention and to raise our concerns about the new definition being retrospectively applied to organic conversion and maintenance applications submitted earlier in the year and how the new definition clashes with aspects of the organic standards.

We received a reply from Mr Ewing mid-November. Unfortunately, our appeal against the change to the fruit and vegetable land category description was unsuccessful. However, Mr Ewing reaffirmed the Scottish Government's continued support for the Scottish Organic sector and confirmed that those

applicants who applied in 2017 with fields now deemed ineligible for the fruit and vegetable payment rate are to be offered the improved grassland rate as a compromise. Mr Ewing states:

‘I have asked officials to ensure current applicants are not unfairly penalised over confusion with application guidance. I am happy to offer all affected applicants the

opportunity to put the areas in question forward into contracts at the improved grassland rate provided they meet all other eligibility criteria and their application is approved.’

This is not the outcome we had hoped for, but for those who applied in 2017 least affected fields should qualify for the improved grassland organic payment rate instead of

being withdrawn from applications all together. If you have been affected by this, we urge you to check over any documents SGRPID have issued relating to your application and raise any queries with your local area office without delay.

Full guidance on the AECS organic Land Category Descriptions can be found on the Rural Payments website at -

https://tinyurl.com/ybh3g6yh

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2018 AECS funding for organic conversion and maintenanceLikewise, Scottish Government have confirmed that there will be an Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS) application round in 2018, but as of yet there has been no confirmation of the application window dates. The funding options for organic maintenance and conversion are included within AECS.

In previous years applications have opened in January and closed March/April, so with a new AECS round predicted to open in early 2018, this is a crucial time for farmers and food producers interested in organic farming to be exploring how reducing pesticides, cutting the use of artificial fertilisers, and a full exemption on all Greening requirements can all bring premium prices for farm gate produce.

It is important to discuss conversion planning and decide on the best start date for conversion. This will depend on individual holding and livestock set-up to work out the optimal time period in which to be able to start selling organic produce. There are specific rules on crops, beef, dairy and sheep, so SOPA recommend getting in touch with them for advice before you officially start.

The 2018 AECS round is also important for any SOPA members whose organic conversion or maintenance contracts expire in 2018. To reapply, you should be making an application in 2018 for a new 5-year contract to commence in January 2019. This means you will continue with no break in funding.

If you need any help SOPA can act as your agent and complete your online applications for you. Now is the time to be getting prepared, so do get in touch with SOPA Member Services on 0131 335 6635.

We have recently been notified by the Scottish Government that assessments of AECS funding applications submitted earlier this year are close to being finalised and it is aimed for results to be announced before the end of the year. This is linked to the announcement of the Scottish Budget due late December. All applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application i.e. successful or unsuccessful, by SGRPID as soon as the results are finalised.

Please take the time to ensure the funding contract papers issued to you by SGRPID are correct before signing and returning within the timescale specified. Points to check are field areas (SGRPID use the same approach to check land eligibility for payment as for the Basic Payment Scheme) and land type definitions (e.g. arable, improved grassland, unimproved grassland/rough grazing or fruit & veg) are correctly assigned to each field.

As funding contracts are made directly between SGRPID and each applicant we are not notified of the individual outcomes. If you are successful in gaining a 5-year organic conversion funding contract, you need to contact OF&G (Scotland) immediately to let us know that you wish to go ahead with converting your holding and associated enterprises to organic management. It is vitally important that you discuss your plans for starting conversion. You can do this by telephone 01939 291800 or by email to certification@sopa.org.uk to establish a dialogue with your designated SOPA Producer Certification Officer.

You will need to submit a full organic CONVERSION PLAN to your Certification Officer for consideration and in return receive written confirmation from them that your plan, along with your conversion type and start date for conversion, have been granted approval. Conversion to organic management can not officially commence until these details are signed off. The plan is a more detailed version

of the Organic Viability Proposal (OVP) submitted as supporting evidence with your AECS Organic Conversion application. This applies to both SOPA members starting conversion for the first time and existing organic

producers who may be converting an area of additional land.

As part of SOPA’s Support & Development Member Service, Debs and Joanna are also on hand if you require assistance during your conversion planning process (t: 0131 335 6635 or e: info@sopa.org.uk).

Please be aware that the Scottish Government rules for organic conversion and maintenance funding are separate to the SOPA Organic Standards. For example, the chosen conversion start date must comply with the funding rule requirements as well as ensuring it suits the enterprises you have. If you accept your organic conversion funding contract from SGRPID this is a 5 year commitment and subject to continued compliance with the organic standards for this time period also.

2017 AECS Application Results

You may remember we surveyed the SOPA membership in 2017 and we are currently running a similar survey for your current views on Brexit. We want to check whether your views have changed over the past twelve months and if we need to be updating our SOPA policy position. It is a very quick survey of the same 9 questions we asked you last year, plus an additional question to gauge how you feel Brexit has impacted your business so far. The survey shouldn’t take more than ten minutes to complete

at most and we urge to let us know your thoughts. More than 70% of SOPA members are signed up for paperless communications and have received a email link to the online survey but if you are only signed up for postal communications you should have received a paper copy of the survey with the October newsletter. If not, or you would like a paper copy instead, please contact Member Services.

The survey can be found here -

http://tinyurl.com/ycbl7zhp

Brexit Survey SOPA Standards Review We are in the process of updating both the SOPA producer and processor standards. We expect the producer standards to be

issued to all producer members early in 2018 and the processor standards to

follow later in the year.

The updates will bring together all of the changes that have been noted in the SOPA newsletters since the last

standards were issued so don’t worry you won’t be seeing any changes we

haven’t previously informed you about. Look out for your copy of the standards

in 2018.

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MARTS NEWS

2018 Spring Organic Mart Sale Dates* C & D Auction Marts Ltd - Dumfries Mart - Monday 2 April 2018 Huntingdon Road, Dumfries, DG1 1NF Annual Spring sale of Organic Store Cattle. For all enquiries and to book entries contact auctioneer Harry Begg on 01387 279495 or 07713 569 593, alternatively email: dumfries@auctionmarts.com. For additional sale information http://www.cdauctionmarts.co.uk/dumfries/index.html

* Aberdeen & Northern Marts - Thainstone Centre - Tuesday 17th April 2018Inverurie, AB51 5XZ. Annual Spring sale of Organic Store Cattle. For all enquiries contact to Jenny Paterson on 01467 623715 or email jenny.paterson@anmgroup.co.uk. For additional sale information see http://www.anmarts.co.uk/events.cfm

Sale Report: Aberdeen & Northern Marts.Store cattle sale held at Thainstone Mart on Friday 17 November included a consignment of Organic Stores from Orkney.

Organic prices maintained those achieved at autumn sales, remaining up on the year, with average p per kg for bullocks and heifers continuing to retain price premium over non-organic stores.

Organic Store CattleOrganic bullocks (11)averaged 273.5p (+/-p) to 289.3p per kg from a pair of 356kg Stabilisers and £1,090 gross for a 410kg Stabiliser from New Holland, HolmOrganic heifers (13)averaged 274.7p (+/-p) to 276.2p per kg for a pen of four 362kg Stabilisers and £1,050 gross for a pen of five 384kg Stabilisers from New Holland.

Leading prices per head and kgOrganic Bullocksup to 300kg – New Holland £780, 261.7p;351-400kg – New Holland £1,030, 277.8p; and401-450kg – New Holland £1,070, 265.9p.Organic Heifersup to 400kg – New Holland £1,000, 274.7p.

Full sale report available from Aberdeen & Northern Marts website

C & D Auction Marts Ltd - Dumfries Mart, Aberdeen & Northern Marts - Thainstone Mart

and United Auctions - Huntly Martare all certified to the SOPA Auction Mart Standards to sell

Organic Cattle & Sheep.

* United Auctions - Huntly Mart - Thursday 19th April 2018The Ward, Huntly, AB54 4QU. Annual Spring sale of Organic Store Cattle. For all entries or queries contact Huntly Mart on 01466 792148 or email: huntly@uagroup.co.uk. For additional sale information http://www.uagroup.co.uk/auction-sales/huntly

Image © jcomp/Freepik

0131 335 6606

www.sopa.org.uk

@ScottishOrganic

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EVENTS

Save the Date - The SOPA AGM will be held on Friday 15 June 2018 in conjunction with our third Livestock In Low Input Systems (LILIS) discussion event. More details to following in the coming months along with our plans to celebrate SOPA’s 30th birthday throughout 2018 which we hope you will all get involved in.

30 years!

Organic Producers represented at AgriScot 2017

We had a fantastic time at this year’s AgriScot event, and we particularly enjoyed seeing some of our members and other organic producers on the shortlist for the 2017 AgriScot awards!

Scotch Beef Farm of the Year – SOPA member Pitgaveny Farm managed by SOPA Board Director Martin Birse was amongst the three finalists this year. Pitgaveny is a split unit having both organic and non-organic land and enterprises and is owned by Conan Dunbar and Rebecca Russell, family of Col. Dunbar. As such the estate runs an organic and non-organic herd.

The organic herd is approx. 60 head of AAX cows producing finished cattle and all calved outside and outwintered apart from finishers. The non-organic herd is comprised of approx. 200 SIM cows.

The winner and nominees for the AgriScot 2017 Scottish Beef Farm of the Year Award: Martin Birse third from right.

Product Innovation Award – Animal nutrition company Norvite, whose Managing Director is SOPA Board Director Ed Smith were in the running for the Product Innovation Award.

A leading supplier to the Scottish livestock industry, Norvite have built a solid reputation for the supply of quality products and service. The company is proud to hold a Royal Warrant from HM Queen Elizabeth II as manufacturers of specialist animal feeds and supplements.

Headquarters at Insch, in the heart of Aberdeenshire, the company employs over 70 staff and has three manufacturing sites – a mineral plant at Insch (it is one of only two mineral manufacturers in Scotland, which enables it to ensure a consistently high quality of output) and two blending plants, one in Ayrshire and the other at Oldmeldrum.

Unfortunately, Norvite missed out on the Product Innovation title this year, with the award going to Herdwatch, a farm management app.

Scottish Sheep Farm of the Year – OF&G certified producers Barnside Farm, Abbey Saint Bathans, Duns took home the title of the 2017 AgriScot Scottish Sheep Farm of the Year.

Husband and wife team Charley and Andrea Walker run 840 Easycare ewes and 220 hoggs, as well as 90 Welsh Black beef cows.

Congratulations to all the winners, and those nominated too. It’s brilliant to see so many organic farms and businesses being recognised for their contribution to the industry.

Kilwaughter Minerals Ltd now Members of the SOPA

Evaluation Scheme

Kilwaughter Minerals Ltd have become the newest members of SOPA’s product approval scheme. Their G-Lime – granulated lime product has been reviewed in terms of its suitability for use in organic farming systems as a soil conditioner by SOPA Evaluation scheme Certification Officer, Thomas Powell Jones.

We are pleased to confirm that G-Lime granular lime now carries SOPA Approved product status.

G-Lime is a pelletised form of limestone that is fast acting as a soil conditioner for managing soil pH in the horticultural and agricultural industries. It is manufactured in a purpose-built plant by adding organic binders to fine limestone particles and rotating the mix in a pan until a uniform round pellet is produced. These are dried and screened before being packed and shipped to the customer.

Please note this approval is for standard granular G-Lime whereas variations of G-Lime containing additional ingredients, such as trace elements, will need to be discussed in advance with your Certification Officer prior to purchase/application to organic land. If you do not check the product is permitted to use, you risk decertification of the land and the crop.

If you would like further information on the product please contact Kevin Havekes, MBPR (agric.), on Tel: 028 2826 2132 or e-mail: kevin.havekes@kilwaughter.com.

For any approved or restricted products for your records please remember to obtain the manufacturer/suppliers certificate of approval which will list the products that are approved (or restricted) for use in organic systems.

Always ensure that the product you are interested in is listed on the certificate.

Double check with your Certification Officer if you are unsure.

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OF&G (Scotland) and SOPAhave made every effort to ensure that the information contained in this Newsletter is accurate.

No legal responsibnility is accepted for errors, omissions or misleading statements that are caused by negligence or otherwise. No responsibility is accepted in regard to the standing of any firms, companies or individuals mentioned in this newsletter.

FOR SALELivestock & GrazingNorth of England Mule Ewe LambsContact Ray Calvert, Richmond, North Yorkshire (OF&G certified producer) on 01748 886412.LleynX and TexelX Ewe Lambs60 fully Organic LleynX and TexelX ewe lambs. Contact Rowan & Marguerite Osborne, Kinclune Farm, Angus (SOPA 888) Tel: 01575 574710 or email kinclunefarm@gmail.com

ForageHay Bales2017 made, 4x3x8 square bales of Organic Hay available Northumberland. Excellent quality, made in dry conditions & stored inside. Contact John Gray, Unthank Farm (SOPA 970) on 07860 215 249 or email unthank.out@btinternet.com4x4 high density round bales of Organic Hay stored inside on pallets. Contact Colin Nicolson (SOPA 1051), Nairn on 07730306275 or email glenfernessfarm@btconnect.comApprox. 100 round bales Organic Hay available. Contact Robert Warnock, Dechmont, West Lothian (SOPA 794) on 07970 640957 or email bankheadbb@aol.com

17 round bales of Organic available Aberdeenshire. Stored inside. Contact James Norrie, Cairnhill Farm (SOPA 143) on 07767 456337 or email jamesnorrie444@gmail.comHaylage bales130 bales of good quality organic haylage for sale. Can load without piercing. Phone John Skea, Dundee (SOPA 134) on 07711 807786 or email john@skea.co.ukSilage BalesApprox. 200 bales Organic silage available, Kelso. Contact Andrena & Robert Shanks (SOPA 878) on 07787 576952/07974 968150 or email queenscairn3@btconnect.comFeeding Straw160 round bales of Organic oat feeding straw available Aberdeenshire. Fine & dry, stored inside. Contact James Norrie, Cairnhill Farm (SOPA 143) on 07767 456337 or email jamesnorrie444@gmail.com Approx. 80 round bales of Organic Oat or Wheat straw available Midlothian. Contact Andrew Lorrain-Smith, Gorebridge (SOPA 365) on 07775 692 146 or email lorrainsmith@aol.com

KEY CONTACTSAll certification queries:Telephone 01939 291800 or email certification@sopa.org.ukSupport and development queries Telephone Joanna on 0131 335 6635 DD or email joanna.sinclair@sopa.org.ukOrganic policy queries Telephone Debs Roberts on 07733228701 or email debs.roberts@sopa.org.uk

Cereals WheatApprox. 20T Organic Wheat available Kirriemuir area. Contact John Skea 07711 807 786 or email john@skea.co.ukOrganic Feed Barley, Oats & WheatContact Billy Fotheringham, Forteviot, Perth (SOPA 956) on 07831 889525 or email billy06@btconnect.com

WinteringOrganic Lamb WinteringOrganic lamb/hog Wintering available. Please contact John Skea, Auchterhouse (SOPA 134) on 07711807786 or email john@skea.co.ukCattle Accommodation Winter 2017/18Winter housing available for approximately 20 cattle. Near Kendal, Cumbria. For more details contact Steven Gunn (OF&G certified producer) on 07776 382375.

Poultry Manure6T Organic poultry manure available per week. For more details contact James Potter, Ripon, N Yorks (OF&G certified producer) on 01845 578376.

WANTEDLivestockOrganic Cattle & Lambs SoughtStore & finished Organic Cattle and Organic Lambs required on a regular basis. For finished animals on-spec carcasses will achieve the best price. Farm Stock Scotland are contracted on behalf of Caledonian Organics to offer trade and procurement services for Organic Cattle and Sheep. Contact David Marshall of Farm Stock 07808 329 719 or email farmstock@farmstock.org.uk

Hay/Silage, Straw or CerealsIf you have any surplus bales or of feed grain for sale please contact Joanna Sinclair, SOPA Membership Support on 0131 335 6635 or email joanna.sinclair@sopa.org.ukLooking for approx. 15-20 bales of Organic Hay in Aberfeldy area. Contact Hannah Fleming on 01896 751300 or email h.wilson@edwin-thompson.co.ukW.N. Lindsay are keenly seeking Organic cereals and pulses from certified Scottish growers. Please contact Roger Baird on 07976 696 264.

WinteringOrganic Wintering 2018-19Additional winter grazing required for 380 Blackface hoggs from Aberfeldy area from Oct 2018 to March 2019. If you have surplus grazing available please contact Hannah Wilson on 01896 751300 or email h.wilson@edwin-thompson.co.uk

Organic foggage for sheep required. Perth/Central/Fife/Edinburgh areas. Tel Allan Wright 07771 871338

Seed GrowersScottish Organic Seed GrowersCope Seeds & Cope Grain are looking for Organically Certified Experienced Seed Growers in Scotland who can either supply the As Grown material for further processing by Cope or have the facilities to process and certify the seed on farm. Cope can offer a £25 per tonne premium on seed for seed crops compared to growing a feed crop and guarantee the C1 stock seed needed for sowing is no more than what would be expected to pay for organic C2 Seed. If you would like to discuss this opportunity in more detail please contact Gemma Clarke on 01529 421081/07792 600310 or email: gemma@copeseeds.co.uk

The SOPA classifieds are particularly busy at the moment so it is also worth keeping an eye on the classifieds section of SOPA website www.sopa.org.uk/classifieds which are updated on a regular basis, daily at the moment. SOPA members can post adverts for free. Please contact the advertiser directly and ALWAYS ask for their Organic Certificate. If you wish to check the organic status of a genuine buyer or seller, use the Search facility at: www.bioc.info

*Offer ends 28 February 2018www.copeseeds.co.uk