“This new way of working will undoubtedly affect us well into the future”

Like many businesses, we initially faced some operational challenges due to the restrictions on movement. As an organic certifier, the Government restrictions meant that we were unable to continue to undertake the legally required annual physical inspections. However, we are continuing to ensure oversight through these exceptional times by means of an extensive questionnaire that is reviewed by our inspection team before being returned to our certification team. This will then be followed up as soon as possible, once restrictions are lifted, by a physical inspection. Fundamentally the processes and criteria remain the same, albeit via a different format.

Our annual on-farm event – National Organic Combinable Crops (NOCC) - which takes place every July will be digital this year. Rather than taking place at our organic licensee, John Pawsey’s farm in Suffolk as originally planned, we’ll host a series of virtual events over the summer instead. These will take the form of webinars, crop tours and podcasts.

Potentially, the move to the digital sphere will mean that we’re able to reach a wider audience, particularly as each online event will be free to register. Covid-19 has meant we have had to adapt to the new virtual world of meetings, events and conferences. This new way of working will undoubtedly affect how we work well into the future. 

In a broader context, there will be many long-term impacts as the world recovers from the pandemic – especially in terms of addressing sustainability within our food production and supply chains. One of the first noticeable impacts of the coronavirus that most people saw was the panic-buying and empty food shelves fuelled by fears of shortages. This crisis should prompt profound reflection on the relationship with our food and what we should be eating when it’s all over; as well as where it comes from. The need to support local food systems alongside the major high street supermarkets must be a key aspect of making our food supply more resilient. It is critical that coming out of this Government reviews its policies around public procurement, competition and farm support to support food sustainability in the broadest sense. Government should encourage and support farms and businesses that work within local food networks and encourage resilient food production that minimises the impact on the environment like organic farming.