OF&G :: The blog

There are MANY well-worn debates that rage around organics, flaring up again from time to time. For instance, can we feed the world???

Every time we get some long-awaited piece of scientific evidence about the positives in organics, someone seems to find a way to try and knock it down or spoil the party. Take cows. Organics brings many benefits for their welfare, allows milk to be produced without the use of routine antibiotics and other chemical inputs - and then we get panned over methane. Someone comes along and says: “Ah yes, but organic cows produce more methane.” Unless we have hard data, how can we argue. What we don’t, as a sector, seem to be too good at so far is pulling all this info together.

However, there’s a great piece that’s been done by The Ecologist that does attempt to grab all of these threads and answer some of the arguments. It’s very upbeat and very encouraging. It should also be read (and perhaps kept for future reference) by anyone who finds themselves extolling/defending organics on a regular basis.

Just as would be done by big business (read ag chem companies) we need everyone ‘on message’, and this piece would be a good start…

10 reasons why organic can feed the world - The Ecologist

The Estonian government has apparently become the first to tax its farmers for the methane and CO2 emitted by their cows. Now, we know governments will stop at nothing to get their hands on tax income but this seems to be a tricky one to get the head around.

Estonian farmers could cut down their herds, or even give up beef and dairy - but then a lot of Estonians would probably starve…

We’re all conscious of the need to control ‘emissions’, though you can’t help but think we should be targeting some of the less natural sources first. One can only hope the Estonian government is putting every single Kroon (for that, apparently, is their currency) back into environmental projects, not into building more roads!!!

The Food Standards Agency has announced emergency measures to deal with the threat of GM rice, known as ‘Bt63′, from China creeping into the UK.

A long list of rice and rice products coming into the country will have to be certified free of Bt63 GM contamination because it is an unauthorised GMO in the EU.

The FSA has notified local authorities who will be responsible for liaising with businesses in their respective areas that might be importing or selling contaminated products.

It’s good to see positive and decisive(ish) steps being taken, but from OF&Gs’ point of view, we fear this is just the tip of a pretty worrying iceberg. As more GM products are shipped around the world (and there are many of them now) it gets harder to avoid contamination of organic and non-GM products, no matter whether it’s accidental (or adventitious) contamination.

If this happens supplies of organic and non-GM products are going to be even thinner on the ground than they are now - putting even greater pressure on prices for animal feeds and milling grade cereals. Perhaps the Bt63 scenario will re-open the public’s eyes to the Frankenstein Foods debate…

We’re very excited at OF&G towers (eh?) about the launch of our snazzy new compostable carriers.

These are bags made from corn starch (corn grown on otherwise unproductive land!) which will start breaking down in a matter of weeks when composted. They’ll also disintegrate within a matter of months if released into the environment - unlike traditional plastic that takes hundreds of years.

After a lot of investigation into pros and cons by our unstoppable research officer, Stephen Jacobs, the bags we can now offer are a much better alternative to the traditional plastic carrier - and a type of bag that’s even an improvement on our previous degradable bags (which were a small step in the right direction).

We do accept that these are still not a perfect solution - is there one? Like anything, they will struggle to break down in landfill, but if they serve to encourage more homeowners to fill them with peelings and apple cores and drop them in the compost bin, we’ll be achieving a lot.

Don’t just take our word for it though. The news of the launch is being embraced by a number of publishers. Take a look, for example, at Natural Products or NewConsumer.com or read our own news release here.

The bags are available to anyone, not just licensees, so if you want to get your hands on some, follow this link…

Maybe it’s a bit of a Scrooge-like attitude to have, but don’t some aspects of Christmas seem to have a bit of an environmentally unsound tinge these days?

We’re all very conscious of climate change and of the fact that we’re roaring through resources which are finite to the planet. So it seems pretty wasteful to be sending many millions of Christmas cards which the recipients will look at once, say “ah, thanks” and then shove on a desk or shelf until it’s time to bin them in the New Year.

The good news is that more of us recycle now, so more of those envelopes and cards will go into recycling bins along with some wrapping paper and over-the-top gift packaging. But the fact is we’ve used no end of power, trees, ink, sticky tape and more to produce them, not to mention shipping them around the world (or at least from China…) and driving them around this country.

Tonnes and tonnes of food is wasted in this country each Christmas, even after we’ve gorged to excess. And don’t get me started on the OTT lightshows on homes that seem to be spreading faster than bluetongue!

There are some interesting Christmas-related facts and figures collated by Wiltshire teacher “Mr O’Callaghan” on his blog that make for thought-provoking reading.

It’s still a great time of year; a chance to sit down with family and (at least for many) some deserved extra time off work, but in these days when we’re supposed to be conscious of waste and mindful of reducing our consumption, couldn’t Christmas do with an eco-makeover too..?

Funny how things come full circle. The use of wind power for ships could be making a comeback if the maiden voyage of a new cargo vessel goes well.

The Beluga Skysails is setting off across the Atlantic with a giant high-tech kite attached. The theory, which seems eminently sound, is that the kite can be deployed to harness the stable winds high up and pull the ship along - saving on the amount of power needed by the engines and therefore cutting emissions.

The kite is computer controlled and can run on rails around the ship to ensure optimum use of the wind.

You can’t help but feel that this has a lot in common with organic farming; using what we’ve got in nature for everyone’s benefit while cutting back on the artificial and harmful. Fingers crossed for a successful voyage and wide deployment of the Skysail…

Find out more at the Skysails site
or
Read the story from The Times