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

Defra appears to have the perfect payment method - the debt that need never be repaid! According the Guardian the department managed to spend £230 million more than its actual pocket money from the Treasury. Apparently it was the only Government department to achieve this feat for the period 06/07.

A department spokesman is reported to have said: “The budget for 2008-09 has not been reduced by any clawback of over-allocations in previous years.”

Now that’s the kind of loan we’d all love to have!

Read the original story here.

So widespread is the use of genetically modified soya and corn in the US, it’s becoming nigh-on impossible to avoid the stuff unless you buy organic (and it’s getting harder for the organic food producers to find non-GM supplies).

Given this wholesale adoption of GM over the pond, it’s somewhat surprising to learn that a couple of US Senators have managed to put the brakes on the latest emerging abhorrence ‘Frankenmeat’ - or the use of cloned animals for food.

The situation seems to be summed up nicely in this report from thedailygreen.com:

Senate Says No to Frankenmeat (and Frankenmilk)

It may only be a delay for now, but if nothing else it should open up the debate, rather than have GM meat sneaking in through the back door.

I feel another heated debate (and costly lobbying on all sides) coming on…