The vice-president of the National Farmers Union has warned that organic agriculture is not a panacea to the ills of the Pembrokeshire farming economy.

Michael Paske, at Caerfai Farm, St Davids, on Thursday for the launch of the Welsh Organic Farming and Food Industry Event, says the market must grow to absorb current and predicted levels of production.

It concerns me that organic production is being offered as a panacea to all the problems of farmers in this area, he told the Western Telegraph. We are seeing signs already that the market is not growing at the rate of production.

But his host, a pioneer of organic dairy production in Pembrokeshire, remains committed to farming without antibiotics and fertilizer even though his returns from milk have slumped by a third in the last year.

Wyn Evans gets 20p a litre for his organic milk - equivalent to the conventional price - compared to the 31.5p he was paid last autumn. Over-production and a levelling of demand are forcing many to rethink their farming policies.

But, as Mr Evans launched the two-day Organic Wales event at his St Davids farm on Thursday, he remained confident in the future.

We are very fortunate here, we are in a unique location, he said, referring to the positive impact organic farming has on his camping and holiday accommodation business. He adds value to his milk by selling his home-made cheese and cream to visitors and his position as a retailer of unpasteurised organic milk direct to the public is believed to be unique in Wales.

Mr Evans and his wife, Chris, milk a herd of 122 cows and followers on 169 acres of owned and rented land at Caerfai, St Davids.

They turned to organic farming when campers visiting from the Continent spoke of the growing movement towards this sector in Germany and Holland.

Two severe droughts were also catalysts. The Evans then ran an intensive system and chemical fertilizer had little impact on a thin soil. We werent getting anywhere as conventional farmers but we are now growing more grass now than we were when we used half-a-tonne of nitrogen to the acre, he told fellow organic producers on Thursday.

The aim of the Organic Wales event was to strengthen and raise the profile of this method of farming and to provide future debate, development and success.