Organic produce is never far from the news for various reasons, no less so than this week.

The Soil Association has turned its attention to the quality of hospital food in recent times and called for more locally procured produce to be served up in meals.

All very laudable, but Peter Melchett’s claim that getting 30 percent of organic food into schools and hospitals is feasible on a national level seems wide of the mark. Indeed, a spokesperson for one of the Cornwall authorities suggested that the 30 percent target was nowhere near being met, nor was it likely to be.

Next we hear that Richard Hirst has switched his farm to another organic certification body in frustration at what he sees as a constant knocking of conventional farming by the Soil Association.

There is undoubtedly a positive message to be got out in favour of organics, but too often it is put forward in a negative and inflammatory way.

That said, many a convincing argument in favour of growing without chemicals was put forward by Elaine Ingham of Soil Foodweb last week.

Whatever you may think about her system, paying close attention to the health of your soil seems to make perfect sense.

It is an area where there is much still to examine.