Public support defies official parsimony BUSINESS SUPPLEMENT Edition

The environmental benefits of organic production are now well- proven. It would be surprising if it were otherwise, since design and practice in over 50 years of organic farming have been for precisely this purpose. Study after study has illustrated its success - showing both greater abundance and m...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inScotsman (Edinburgh, Scotland : Daily)
Main Author Raven, Hugh
Format Newspaper Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Edinburgh (UK) Scotsman Publications 09.09.2002
Subjects
Stewart, John
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Summary:The environmental benefits of organic production are now well- proven. It would be surprising if it were otherwise, since design and practice in over 50 years of organic farming have been for precisely this purpose. Study after study has illustrated its success - showing both greater abundance and more diversity of wildlife and landscape features on organic than on conventional farms. Love them or loathe them, you can't deny that supermarkets know their stuff. Would they so firmly be backing organic if the chemicals used were as dangerous as [John Stewart] alleges? Of course not. Nor would the UK water companies, including Scottish Water, that support organic production precisely because it avoids causing the pollution that costs them millions of pounds each year to clean up. The BT engineered into genetically modified crops, about which my friend writes so enthusiastically, is present and active throughout the crops' life. As organic production rises, premiums fall. More people get access to organic food. It's happening now. But rather than wait for prices at the multiples to tumble, the organic movement has been working on widening access to its products.
ISSN:0307-5850