The Organic Research Centre joins ADAS
The Organic Research Centre (ORC), the UK’s foremost research authority on organic farming and low-input farming practices, will become part of the agricultural and environmental consultancy ADAS, effective from 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.
Matt Smee, head of Agricology said: “We want to reassure all our supporters, partners, and users that although the Organic Research Centre and Agricology will no longer be joined at the hip, Agricology will remain exactly as it is. We will continue to operate under the charitable status of the Progressive Farming Trust, with the same values, vision, and commitment to supporting farmers in adopting agroecological, sustainable and regenerative practices.
“Our work will carry on through a mixture of philanthropically-funded work, partner-funded projects and collaborative projects, and our dedicated team is excited about the future. We will maintain our close working relationship with the Organic Research Centre and look forward to strengthening our collaboration with ADAS, ensuring we can share valuable knowledge and outputs with the farming community.
“Day-to-day operations will continue without interruption, and our focus remains on helping Agricology grow from strength to strength. The future is bright, and together, we will keep building a resilient, sustainable farming sector.”
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.”