The Soil Association (SA) has welcomed the Policy Commission's report on the Future of Farming and Food.

SA director Patrick Holden said: 'We agree with the majority of the recommendations in this report which could set British agriculture on a new and sustainable course.

'If fully implemented, the organic recommendations could lead to the biggest breakthrough in the movement's 50-year history.' He added: 'It is a landmark that the Commission recognises the environmental benefits of organic systems and recommends ongoing stewardship payments for organic farmers, as well as a strategy encompassing the entire organic sector.' Holden said that the Commission's proposals needed to be acted on urgently by Defra and incorporated into the organic action plan announced by Margaret Beckett last October.

'We also strongly support the commission's statement on the sourcing of organic food by public bodies, the activities of the GM industry, promoting local food, the need for investment in methods which avoid pesticides and the development of a national nutritional strategy,' he said.