Organic "down the pan"?

[alan refail]

Yes, it is me writing this!

I have just listened to The Food Programme on Radio 4 about the effects of the economic crisis on Organic production.
I was, to put it mildly, shocked at the idea that the shortage of organic feed for poultry has led to imports from Kazakhstan ("Where's that?" the producers said).
A good deal of the rest of the programme gives a lot of cause for concern about the commercial production of organic food - emphasis on supermarkets buying from anywhere so long as they can attach an "organic" label.
This will not stop me from being as organic, and self-contained, as I can in the vegetables and chickens/eggs I grow/produce. I am glad that long since I stopped buying organic chicken feed (too expensive, and now un-eco-friendly). As far as I am concerned, if my birds have daily access to grass and "organic" vegetables, they are making the best eggs and meat possible.
There was comment in the programme that the Soil Association has moved far away from the original principles of its founders. I am inclined to agree.

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Alan, another reason to try and buy local foodstuff that you know the source of.

Stuff the large supermarkets and their profit making for the share holders.
They don't really care about the public or their suppliers, as long as there's big profits to be made.

[Primrose]

I fear that the credit crunch and current economic situation is going to force a lot of growers and producers of food products/to be "economical" with their claims to be organic. With the cost of animal feed and other elements rising, I suspect a few sneaky short cuts are going to be implemented. As OH says, there's nothing like growing your own or buying local if you know how it's produced/

[Johnboy]

Hi Alan,
I agree in principle with everything that you have said. There is no reason why anybody growing for themselves should not be as organic as far is practical.
You will appreciate that I have been saying that the SA have not got it right for many a long year and really to their set of rules it is a wonder to me that there are as many commercial growers as there are.
You heard the SA man say that we pride ourselves that our rules are more stringent than the European Standard and therein lies the fault.
To the gardeners Organic means one thing but to the Commercial Organic Producer there must be a profit angle. Now it appears that OH has the idea that it is all down to Supermarket Profits but quite frankly that is simply not true. No profit no produce!
The fault lies squarely on the shoulders of the Soil Association. They have promised something that they simply cannot guarantee which is to charge excessive accreditation fees and tell their producers that the increased revenue, because the produce is Organic, will easily cover the fees paid out. This is getting more untrue as every day goes by. More and more British growers are quitting organic growing because they have to make a living. Those who were in intervention are packing it up and reverting. This has already happened before. When the government gave out grants to convert to organic most of those who took the grant simply would not put up with SA stupidity and waited until they didn't have to pay back the grant and simply went back to conventional production!
British growers, because of the SA, do not have a level playing field and I have long made the case that the SA should be demoted and the accreditation schemes be a part of DEFRA and that British Organic growers should have the same playing field as the rest of Europe, where the majority of the produce comes from in the first place.
JB.

[Cider Boys]

The more time goes on and the closer the SA's claims are examined the greater their problems are exposed.

There is nothing wrong in trying to grow using organic methods but there is plenty wrong with many of the SA's ideals.

Barney

[Johnboy]

Hi Barney,
Just to explain one of the biggest porkies told by the Soil Association is that 'Organic sites outside UK are regularly monitored by us' and then last year completely changed their story saying of course we have no control over organic production outside UK and then had to admit that there never had been any checks made.
Eventually they will be hung be their own petard!
JB.

[alan refail]

Johnboy

'Organic sites outside UK are regularly monitored by us'

'of course we have no control over organic production outside UK'

Thanks for bringing that up. It was one of the worries I have had for a while about SA certification on the vast amount of imported organic produce

[Johnboy]

Well Alan, from what I gather imported organic produce is somewhat 'iffy' and considering that about 75% of organic produce for sale is imported I am not sure that the correct safeguards are in place.
It is alright for the SA bragging that their standards are above the European Standards laid down but what this really means is that that they are unable to get British growers to convert to growing organic because of their set of rules. This is why I very seriously feel that it is time for DEFRA to take a hand.
Strangely I trust the supermarkets more than I do the SA and I never ever thought that I would ever say anything like this.
All the SA are doing is to make it harder to get British Organic Growers but then most of their decisions defy any sort of logic.
Time for a change me thinks!
JB.