OPINION: How organic crop growth benefits people and animals

And drinking that beer made from the natural ingredients of malt, hops, yeast and water surely must be supporting the farming that maintains the countryside and a healthy environment?

Well, yes… and no. As with all perceived wisdom, look closer and the picture begins to get fuzzy.

An astonishing 83% of residents in this country live in urban areas so it’s easy to accept people are losing connection with the natural world.

While campaigns have focused on encouraging consumers to consider where their food comes from, drink has been generally ignored. Yet, it has just as much of an impact on the environment and the countryside as any vegetable crop.

No residues in soil

Stroud Brewery is now one of eight dedicated organic breweries in the UK but, in the beginning, we didn’t intend to be solely organic. Using local ingredients as much as possible was the priority: barley is a major crop in the Cotswolds around us, and supplies 60% of our malt. However, as we began to understand how barley growing impacts the environment, and its interconnectedness with the landscape, we made the switch to organic.

As organic growing restricts the use of chemicals, there are no herbicides or pesticides building up as residues in the soil or leaching into the groundwater or our rivers – the latter two providing a goodly proportion of our own drinking water.

Once conventional barley has been harvested, the field is dug over in preparation for a further crop and artificial fertilisers are spread over the soil. These fertilisers may be rich in nitrates and phosphates but they don’t contain the range of trace elements or nutrients that are needed to make healthy, well-rounded soil. Organic barley, by comparison, is fertilised naturally because it’s grown in the same field as other plants that fix nitrogen and regenerate the soil.

There’s also a significant benefit for wildlife: studies have found a richer complex of species with up to 30% more plants, insects and birds living on organic farms compared to conventional ones. And a healthy complex of wildlife helps our farmers – think of all those pollinators (and bees aren’t the only ones) – which then spills out to repopulate the wider area including our towns and cities.

How much does it brighten our day and replenish the soul to hear birdsong around us and have butterflies decorating our day-to-day world?

Organic September

We’re now gearing up for Organic September, the annual celebration of all things organic and the many benefits it offers to people as well as the environment.

This year, there’s a particular emphasis on the hospitality sector as it has the potential to have a significant impact given the scale.

Stroud Brewery is delighted to have teamed up with Nicholson’s Pubs to give its customers the opportunity to sample an organic beer.

We’ll be supplying its 88 pubs with a collaboration beer: Gaia, a 4.2% ABV pale ale and a 100% organic beer.

Offering your customers an organic beer is an straight-forward way to meet consumer demand for purchasing with purpose, and positively support the countryside and the farmers who help maintain a thriving countryside that everyone can enjoy.

Just get in touch with the organic brewery closest to you and order a cask. It’s that simple. And then register your pub on the map: https://www.soilassociation.org/certification/marketing-organic/organic-september/organic-tap-takeover​