If current growth rates continue, 30 per cent of agricultural land in the EU will be farmed organically by 2010. The Danes have a target of 50 per cent within 10 years.

In Sweden, McDonald's uses organic coffee and milk in all its outlets. Organic milk production is undergoing rapid growth, and generates a higher margin for producers compared to most organic products.

In 1987, the British market for organic food was £40 million sterling based on retail sales. Within a decade the equivalent figure was £267 million. Some projections say the £1 billion mark will be broken next year.

British, and to a lesser extent Irish, supermarkets are experiencing an unprecedented demand for organic food. Sainsbury stocked 40 organic lines in 1997, it now has 440.

The Soil Association, which oversees the organics sector in Britain, is at present drawing up stringent standards and certification for products, particularly health and beauty products, that are claimed to be "organic".

The potential for organic food sales in Britain is indicated by a statistic which shows that 70 per cent of organic food consumed in Britain has to be imported.