The Soil Association’s proposals surrounding airfreight of organic fresh produce have come in for more criticism - this time from retailers and ministers as well as the Fresh Produce Consortium.
The Co-op has said that the Soil Association’s focus on airfreight “does not make sense” in a letter from its social reporting manger to the Soil Association. This was part of a second round of consultation on the SA’s controversial proposals to change its regulations so that organic produce can only be airfreighted if it also meets the SA’s ethical trade or Fairtrade Foundation standards. But Laura Vickery, social reporting manager at the Co-op, said in a letter to Patrick Holden, director of the Soil Association: "We consider that focusing on air freight is a very poor proxy for the environmental impact of a product, and also does not adequately deal with other social and/or economic consequences of disincentivising airfreight, particularly for producers in the developing world. We believe it doesn't make sense at the most fundamental level for the Soil Association to focus on air freight.”
And the minister for trade and development Gareth Thomas said: "People shouldn't assume that buying food from abroad is worse for the environment than buying from the UK. It's not that simple. The livelihoods of a million African farmers are threatened by a misinformed food miles debate that might put shoppers off their produce. Developing countries cannot afford to be silenced or lose out from a misinformed food miles debate.”
And the Fresh Produce Consortium has also drafted a response to the SA on which it is seeking members’ input before the consultation closes at the end of next month. “We are disappointed that not only does the SA seem determined to focus its efforts on policies which will produce little environmental benefit while causing economic damage to poor food producers, but also that it publishes proposals that are devoid of appropriate evidence on which decisions can be made,” the FPC draft states. “It is deeply regrettable that the association sees fit to implement these proposals in a way that demonstrates to consumers that it is doing something without any real understanding of what the impacts will be. We urge the SA to undertake further research into projected likely outcomes before making decisions and commitments about the future of airfreighted organic food.”
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