Bunns sell a variety of fertilisers that have been approved for use in organic crop production systems provided certain conditions are met and with the permission of the Soil Association. Those fertilisers are listed in the 'Related Articles' box on the right.

Organic Fertilisers

All of the farms certified by the soil association must have production systems which are planned to minimise the need for any brought-in nutrients but with permission, farmers can use:

• natural rock phosphate
• calcined aluminium phosphate, where the soil pH is greater than 7.5

Again, with permission supplementary potassium (potash) can be used, but only where soil analysis has shown severe deficiencies.

Soil Association rules list minor minerals that can be used by farmers if they get our permission provided there is suitable justification for their use.

If the farmer finds severe deficiencies, with permission they can use the following supplementary nutrients:

• Sulphur
• The trace elements boron, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, cobalt, selenium, zinc, sodium (in the form of granular rock salt)
• Basic slag

Farmers cannot use meat, blood, bone, hoof and horn meals on the land, but they can add it to compost for use in pots to grow plants from seeds. However this can only be used on farms where there are no cattle or sheep.

The following are not allowed by the Soil Association

• Sewage sludge, effluents or sludge-based composts cannot be used.
• Farms cannot use residues or manure from livestock systems that do not meet our standards.
• Artificial fertilisers, not on the approved list,

Conservation Grade Fertilisers

In the early 1990's we produced a range of Conservation Grade fertilisers, now discontinued. At the time, Conservation-grade status was a halfway-house to Organic farming.

Nowadays, Conservation Grade uses some conventional agricultural fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, but it ensures that they are applied in such a way as to ensure that they do not have an adverse effect on the health of the wildlife on farms.

Organic Conversion

DEFRA publishes a leaflet about converting land to organic production here