Soil Association director Patrick Holden has said that he would rather eat imported organic apples than fruit from a “heavily sprayed” local orchard.
Holden was being interviewed for the Waitrose online debate as part of Organic Fortnight which runs until September 17. He was in debate with National Farmers Union director of communications Anthony Gibson. “I agree with localism,” said Holden. “And in the future all of us will be forced by energy prices to eat locally produced food.” But he said the importance of organic certification could not be ignored as a means of reinforcing trust and integrity. “If that is not available locally, then it is completely right to travel. If I had a choice between an apple from a heavily sprayed local orchard or one that is organic and has been imported, I know what I would do.”
Gibson referred to “mumbo-jumbo associated with organic farming” and said it was “neither here nor there”.
Holden defended the Soil Association against the slur saying the organisation has 12 standards committees. “We try and ensure that the farming system is underpinned by standards that reflect good sustainable practice.”
But Gibson countered that many UK conventional farmers and growers are already virtually organic farmers without the need for Soil Association standards. “I know hundreds of West Country farmers are farming organically but may not have been bothered with certification as they resent someone telling them how to do things,” he said. “There is no difference, they are all expressions of good practice…A lot has been done through farm assurance and huge strides have been made in the last 10 years…You do not need to farm organically to farm well. Good conventional farming can be just as good and safe as organic farming.”
The podcast is available at www.waitrose.com and after hearing the debate, listeners can register their vote to express a preference for organic or conventional farming.
No comments yet