We are urgently developing research requirements with other European laboratories to make sure we understand and the disease (Schmallenberg) better.Former Environment Secretary attacks organic lobby
FORMER Secretary of State for the Environment, John Gummer, launched an extraordinary attack on the organic farm lobby at the Conservative Party conference yesterday (Tuesday, October 6).
Mr Gummer, Environment Secretary between 1993 and 1997, said the organic movement was ‘dogmatic to its detriment’ in its ‘my way or the highway’ attitude.
He was speaking at a morning fringe event on the subject of food security when he said the unswerving view that only organic farming could feed the world sustainably was short-sighted.
“We need all forms of production to feed the growing population. But we need an acceptance of each other. My worry is that the organic movement cannot and do not accept that other forms of farming can contribute to sustainable food production.”
Mr Gummer also attacked the organic lobby for its criticism of pesticide use on conventional farms especially given the essential use of copper sulphate pesticides on organic farms.
Peter Kendall, NFU president, backed Mr Gummer and accused the country’s biggest organic lobbyists, the Soil Association, of ‘scaring the public’ into eating organic food.
Mr Kendall said the main impediment to the food security debate was ‘the intransigence in thinking it is one system or the other’.
“We need to learn from each other. The concern I have with the Soil Association is its criticism across the board of the conventional farming.”
He said the Soil Association was wrong to build its market share by criticising other farming systems.
“We need to look at how we can work together. This doesn’t need right or wrong or polarised positions,” said Mr Kendall.
A representative from the Soil Association rejected claims that it adopted ‘negative tactics’ to increase market share and said the organisation was ‘already working constructively’ with other farming systems to promote local food.
Readers' comments (2)
southernskye | 8 October 2009 8:17 am
Both sides are as bad as each other. org, trad and "modern" should all be on the same team pulling in the same direction. There needs to be a new movement towards trad.organic-Ish that encompasses the best (most sustainable)of all farming techniques.
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Alex Morrell | 9 October 2009 11:01 am
Is everything to be sacrificed in the name of feeding a growing population? - if we keep this up the essence of life that gives life its meaning (yes a commodity more esteemed than the human impulse to procreate) will flow less vigourously through our veins.
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