Soil Association Scotland Organic Producer Board

To advise the Soil Association on current and future priorities for the Scottish organic sector
To provide a “sounding board” for Soil Association policy and campaigns
To ensure that organic farmers, growers and food producers' needs and concerns are addressed by the Soil Association and the wider organic movement
To advise the Soil Association Executive and its Board of Trustees.

The Board meets four times a year.

Please get in touch to suggest issues you wish to see discussed.

Sarah Morbey – Chair

Sarah has spent the last 25 years farming organically, producing Aberdeen Angus cattle, lamb, vegetables, barley and spring wheat in Aberdeenshire. Sarah is keen to represent and promote lowland organic farming in the NE of Scotland, and highlight the links between healthy soil and nutritious, affordable food for local and particularly lower income communities. She is experienced in very local direct marketing of beef and lamb, vegetables and flour from wheat grown and milled on the farm. Sarah also has a croft in Shetland, and maintains strong links there to grazing committees and organic crofting.

Reuben Chesters

Reuben is the founder and Managing Director of Locavore, a social enterprise working to build more sustainable, local and organic food systems. Locavore runs two organic retail outlets in Glasgow, and Reuben is the main grower on Locavore’s new 21-acre veg farm in Renfrewshire where produce is grown for the shops and veg box service.

Rachel Ives

Rachel and her husband returned to the family farm in 2019, and began the farm’s organic conversion from intensive arable, sowing 65 acres of diverse herbal leys. Since 2021, they have gradually established a flock of Scottish Merino sheep, producing super-soft hand knitting yarn, which is processed in Yorkshire, and sold both wholesale and retail. They also sell lamb and hogget directly to consumers. Recently, they have planted 1,600 meters of 3-meter-wide hedgerows and have introduced Dexter cattle to graze their 65-acre woodland.

Phil Swire

Phil Swire farms with his family in North-East Scotland. The farm is a mixed organic farm rearing red deer and Easy Care sheep, and growing spring oats and combinable peas. Phil is inspired by natural farming systems and is on a journey to farm hand in hand with nature in order to produce healthy and nutrient-packed food that does not cost the Earth. He is also involved in a supply chain project getting organic peas into school meals across the region.

Chris Gospel

Chris has been farming organically in North-East Scotland for the past 15 years and was 2024’s Young Organic Farmer of the Year. He runs a 250ha integrated arable and livestock system producing organic oilseed rape, winter wheat, oats, spring barley, spring barley & peas and forage rye. The livestock includes 400 breeding ewes and 85 suckler cows all progeny finished on farm, with all rations produced on farm including protein from peas which are companion cropped with spring barley. Chris believes the cattle, sheep & arable enterprises all work together in symbiosis, and it wouldn’t be possible to grow the crops without the manure from the finishing cattle.

Deborah Richardson-Webb

Deborah and her husband Colin run The Lint Mill, a mixed organic smallholding in Scotland's Southern Uplands. They focus on an holistic, regenerative approach to land and animal management and use rare breed livestock. The Lint Mill has been certified organic by the Soil Association since 2016 and they are passionate advocates of organic practice and the importance of biodiversity on land and in livestock. Deborah is also a Farming Champion for NFFN and a FAS mentor, working with new entrants who aspire to organic farming.

Ruth Ashton-Shaw

Ruth is an organic farmer, food producer, and advocate for regenerative agriculture based in Dumfries & Galloway. Having fallen into farming accidentally after moving to Scotland, she has spent the past decade building a diverse, thriving enterprise rooted in soil health, community, and connection - challenging conventional approaches and finding ways of working that nurture a resilient, balanced environment. Working with rare and native breeds of sheep, pigs, cattle, and poultry, Ruth produces sustainable meat, eggs, and wool, and hosts immersive food experiences such as her Field Fare supper clubs and Farm Fresh Christmas Pop-Up Shop, which celebrate local, seasonal food and small-scale producers.

Ross Paton

Ross’ family have farmed at Torr since 1947. Torr lies on Auchencairn Bay near Castle Douglas. Ross and his sister Lee took over the management in 1986 and in the last few years have handed the running of the main business to Callum, Lee’s son. Ross and Lee continue to be involved, and Ross runs a small milk retailing business. The farm consists of 270Ha owned and 82Ha rented. The farm has been Organic since 2001. Currently the main enterprise of 200 dairy cows of mixed breeds. Ross currently chairs the Scottish Organic Stakeholder’s Group and Scottish Organic Milk Producers. He was formerly on the Board of OMSCO (Now Organic Herd).

Sarah Morbey – Chair