The grass and small seeds manager at Cope Seeds, Simon Travers, gives his expert insight into the impact grass seed shortages will have on mixtures in 2020.

“Due to the potential shortage of organic grass seed, the organic certifying bodies, in association with Defra have issued a temporary change to the organic inclusion rate in grass seed mixtures from now until December 2020.

At least 50% (by weight) of grass and forage seed mixes must be organic. Producers using a mix containing at least 50% organic seed will not need to apply for approval prior to purchase. This is down from the normal inclusion figure of 70%.

This may not affect the price of grass seed due to the increased value of non-organic seed but it may mean that it will be easier to get approval for more diverse grass seed mixtures which include species that are not normally available organically.

For more information, contact the Cope Seeds team.