The Organic Action Plan for this region will be launched soon.

The North West region covers an area of 14,165 km2, of which almost 80% is considered rural. The region has three distinct areas: the uplands of Cumbria and the Pennines, the lowland plains of west Lancashire, Cheshire and parts of Cumbria, and the urban fringes of Greater Manchester, Merseyside and other industrial towns. Dairy farming dominates in Cheshire, arable and horticulture in south west Lancashire, and beef and sheep farming in the upland areas of north Lancashire and Cumbria. The region also has 28% of land classified as 'grazing livestock (Less Favoured Area)', more than any other English region (Defra, 2004).

The agricultural sector of the North West has over 22,000 farm businesses, employing some 40,000 people. However, the sector contributes less than 1% of the region's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) although this figure hides agriculture's contribution to the local economy in rural areas like Cumbria, where it is significantly higher than 1%. The food and drink chain in the North West is a major employer, employing some 370,000 people. According to the Government Office for the North West, in total the combined contribution of the agricultural and food sectors to the region's economy is £9.5 billion or 12% of GDP.

In terms of organic significance the North West region accounts for approximately 4% (170) of all UK organic producers (4,343), while the organic land area in the North West is 22,104 hectares (ha), 3.5% of a total of 631,144ha in the UK (Defra, 2006).

Further information:

» North West Organic Centre was established in 2004 and covers Cheshire, Cumbria, and Lancashire
» Organic action plan consultation meeting - North West provisional outcomes [PDF, 83 KB]
» The state of the organic sector in the North West [PDF, 317 KB]
» Organic statistics in the North West 2007 [PDF, 3.3 MB]
» Organic statistics in the North West 2006 [PDF, 3.3 MB]