The Organic Research Centre (ORC), widely regarded as the foremost research authority on organic farming and low-input farming practices, will become part of the agricultural and environmental consultancy ADAS, effective from today (1 September 2025).
Retaining the ORC brand, ORC will be a stand-alone business within the ADAS group of companies and will continue to be managed by current CEO Lucy MacLennan. The move of ORC research staff and ongoing ORC projects to ADAS will allow both organisations to benefit from shared resources and complementary applied research expertise.
Lucy MacLennan said: “The move of ORC to ADAS not only safeguards the future of ORC and our work advocating organic and low-input farming principles, it also means we can evolve and expand our research into new areas. The ORC has a long and accomplished history, and we want to reassure our supporters that our strategic research aims remain the same as when we were founded – to protect the environment and to enhance biodiversity by means of independent applied organic research and to communicate our research findings widely so as to encourage change throughout the British agricultural sector.”
Prior to the move, ORC formed part of the Progressive Farming Trust charity, which also maintains the Agricology knowledge platform. The Progressive Farming Trust and Agricology will remain separate entities, and their activities will continue unchanged.
Jackie Evans, managing director of ADAS Group, said: “This move signals the start of an exciting new chapter for ORC and ADAS. ADAS has an excellent track record of delivering independent applied research to support sustainable, resilient and profitable farming systems. With ORC’s agroecological expertise now in-house, we can pool our knowledge to deliver complex, multifaceted agricultural projects, and ensure we continue to deliver the best possible environmental outcomes. Our aim is to add to our portfolio of research and advice, and create a centre of excellence for organic agricultural research.”
“We are delighted to welcome ORC and its staff to ADAS, and we look forward to working together to drive research and innovation in organic, agroecological, and regenerative farming systems.”
ORC’s chair, Donald Peck, added: “In ADAS, we are very pleased to have found a partner which both respects our history and shares our values. We are excited about the future of independent organic research and the opportunities this partnership will bring to continue this work while Progressive Farming Trust makes its own separate impact.”
Lawrence Woodward OBE – who co-founded ORC as the Elm Farm Research Centre in 1980 – said: “The need for organic farming research is as pressing now, as it was when we started. Our vision was to change agriculture, and through the work of the organisation over the years many of our radical concepts, such as intercropping, agroforestry, evolutionary plant breeding and participatory research have come more into the mainstream. However, challenges remain, and I am hopeful that the move to ADAS will strengthen the capacity and impact of UK organic research to change farming for the better.”
Helen Browning OBE, chief executive of the Soil Association: “The Soil Association welcomes the news that ORC’s future has been assured through joining ADAS. We have a long history of working together and acknowledge the huge contribution that ORC has made to the organic farming movement over the last 45 years. We need a strong organic research capacity to support the sector going forward to give farmers and growers the confidence to transition to better farming systems, backed up by robust science and reliable advice.”
Image: Organic Research Centre