I want to bring you up to date with the current burning issue. You are used to my soap box tendency by now, and this is another one with potentially damaging effects for the whole future of organic farming.
Essentially. Patrick Holden at the Soil Association is embattled. He is under pressure to agree to the certification as organic, of food that is air freighted in to the UK.
The Big Food Companies Are At It Again
The main pressure for this move is coming from, guess where, the usual bogeymen in these matters, the big supermarkets. They tried for this last year, and the Soil Association refused, but it seems that some parts of the organisation are weakening. Perhaps from a mistaken idea that expansion is more important than maintaining quality, let alone uphold the original principles of the Association. Some people never learn do they? You'd think with the economy failing precisely because too many organisations tried to expand their fair share of the goodies at others' expense...
The people who will "pay " for this backsliding are you and me, and our children, because the whole organic movement will be under be under pressure to dilute standards; food quality will diminish and be possibly less accountable; established organic producers, who have converted and committed at no small cost to themselves, will find their produce undercut by on one hand, mass cheap imports of fresh produce, or on the other hand animals raised in the UK by overstocking land, and then feeding them in the winter on imported grain products because the farmers put so many animals on the land there is no room to grow hay or roots for winter feed.
What Organic really means
Organic production has never been about maximising profit at all costs, but using sustainable and environment conserving methods to produce the best food while giving the producer a reasonable return. Their hard work and foresight has begun to pay for them, as there has been a marked rise in the demand for organic food, and people have grown to trust the certifcation of the Soil Association. Now, enter the businessmen, who want to increase their sales by lowering standards and cynically telling their customers that " our organic policy is growing" or some such slogan. A lot of people don't look much further than the chemical free aspect of organic food, so they will be conned.
Muddle, missed opportunities by government and markets.
What are our great and good leaders doing about your food standards? apart from wittering (sorry, reiterating) about "Five a Day"? Instead of encouraging the spread of true organic production, even under the threat of losing most of our agricultural industry, and the land to other uses, and the parallel threat of having to import a lot of our food at unpredictable prices, this government isn't rushing to the rescue right now. A few years back government leaders were saying it didn't matter much about strengthening our food self sufficiency, because we could import enough. Organic producers and consumers didn't agree, and as well as campaigning, people quietly supported their local producers.
Result? Organics became an established minor section of the UK food market. Significant enough to attract the interest of big food business.
There were a few encouraging signs of support for organic producers, but the big excuse now to do nothing will be the failing economy, and it is likely that all progress will be halted, and organic production left to "market forces", again. They don't show much sign of understanding the environmental aspect of true organics.
Most discerning consumers find that conventionally grown produce, or lamb chops taste inferior. Many can also tell the difference, I expect you can, between seasonally grown local organic strawberries and air freighted ones. To date such imports have been refused Soil Association Certification. So have animals fed on air freighted wheat.
Want to do something?
What you can do
First, when buying any certified organics, look for the mark UK Produce.
Second, write a brief email. You can use any bits of this to save your time.
Third,forward this newsletter to your friends list.
Email Patrick Holden info@soilasso ciation.org expressing your concerns. Post the same message on the Soil Association website www.soilasociati on.org. Copy it to DEFRA www.defra.gov.uk You might like to spend a minute on their sections on organic farming, and environmental management. To write to ministers; Hilary Benn, Jane Kennedy, Lord Hunt and Huw Irranca Davies send your email to helpline@defra.g ov.uk and/or contact them via www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/ministers/
Copy your email to your M.P, If you don't know the name or address, put your postcode in to www.writetothem.c om
GOOD LUCK!
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