THE North-East's developing organic farming industry has received a boost with the launch of an advice service.

Money from the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs' (Defra) Rural Enterprise Scheme has been awarded to the Soil Association to launch the support, advice and information service to help the sector develop.

Designed to help deliver the aims of the Northern Organic Development Strategy, which forms part of the Government's Sustainable Farming and Food Strategy, the service will help producers, processors, retailers, public caterers and associated agricultural trades.

Among its aims are to encourage collaboration between businesses, help improve their marketing to raise awareness of the industry and to support training. An organic development officer and a part-time producer group co-ordinator will be appointed by the Soil Association to work with the Northumbria Organic Producers Group, a co-operative organisation formed by farmers in 2000 to encourage increased trade.

Robert Aubrook, rural development advisor at Defra's Rural Development Service North-East, said the organics market was growing in the region, with 73 organic producers.

He said the project would be an important part of the Northern Organic Development Strategy and the Government's Sustainable Food and Farming Strategy in the region.

"It will help raise awareness of organic production and processing," he said.

However, the launch comes after serious fears were raised about the future of Britain's organic farming industry.

A survey conducted by Organic Farmers and Growers, one of the UK's leading organic certification bodies, showed that 63 per cent of farmers rated their profitability as low or borderline. Another 12 per cent said their business was no longer viable at current prices.

The survey was based on 1,144 replies from farmers around the UK and although 90 per cent said they expected to be farming organically in a year's time, 30 per cent were undecided about whether that would be the case in five years.

l The Northumbria Organic Producers Group has a website set up with support from Defra, on www.nop-organic.net