Independent.co.uk
The great organic myths rebutted
Rob Johnston argued that organic foods are not as good as sup****ters
claim. His article sparked heated debate. Now Peter Melchett of the
Soil Association puts the case for their defence
Thursday, 8 May 2008
Fact one: Organic farming is good for the environment
Organic farming is not perfect; it was only developed 60 years ago,
and we still have much to learn. Over those years, organic research
has been starved of funding because most investment went first into
developing pesticides and then into GM crops. Organic farming was
started by scientists and farmers who wanted to develop what we would
now call a more sustainable way of producing food. Their main concern
was with the link between healthy soils, healthy food and human
health. However, those pioneers did create a farming system that has
clear environmental benefits. Organic farming is better for wildlife
on farms. The science is clear cut. Scientific literature reviews have
found that, overall, organic farms have 30 per cent more wild species,
and 50 per cent higher numbers of those species. Based on scientific
research, the Government says that organic farming has clear
environmental benefits – better for wildlife, lower pollution from
sprays, produces fewer dangerous wastes and less carbon dioxide. The
Sustainable Development Commission says that organic certification
represents "the gold standard" for sustainable food production. I
farmed non-organically for more than 30 years, and switched to
organic, mainly to try to bring back wildlife on the farm. We have far
more birds, and data on hares before and after switching to organic
show numbers doubled from 20 to 40. This year we found 56.
Fact two: Organic farming is more sustainable
Last week's article contained several errors – for example, the
statement that organic tomatoes take double the amount of energy to
produce is wrong, as were the figures for different types of tomato.
The information on the climate change impact of organic food omitted
one of the key benefits of organic farming: storing carbon in the
soil. When this is included, the climate change impact of organic food
goes down by between 12 and 80 per cent. Government-funded studies
have shown that across a range of sectors, organic farming uses 26 per
cent less energy than non-organic farming to produce the same amount
of food, and the Government agrees that organic farming is better for
climate change. The article ignored the extraordinary challenges we
face. We must drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the
farming and food industries – by 80 per cent by 2050. We have to adapt
to a world with declining oil and gas supplies. We have to help
mitigate the effects of climate change, for example by reducing
flooding and cutting demand for fresh water. We have to adapt to a
world of more extreme and unpredictable weather. How we do this is the
challenge.
Fact three: Organic farming doesn't use pesticides
We've never claimed this! The Soil Association's rules allow farmers
to use four pesticides, with permission. Non-organic farming uses more
than 300. The vast majority of organic farmers have no need for
sprays. If all farming was organic, spraying would fall by 98 per
cent. Organic sprays are mainly used on potatoes and in orchards.
Those we allow are either of natural origin (rotenone and soft soap)
or simple chemical products – copper compounds and sulphur. The active
ingredients in rotenone and soft soap break down rapidly when exposed
to sunlight, minimising risk to the environment. Copper and sulphur
occur naturally in the soil, and most copper is applied by non-organic
farmers to correct copper deficiencies. None is found in organic food.
Despite the wet weather and greatly increased risk of disease last
year, only 3 per cent of Soil Association farmers and 2 per cent of
organic crops were sprayed. Our goal is to use no sprays at all.
Fact four: Pesticide levels in conventional food are dangerous
I'd say certainly risky, and potentially dangerous. In the EU, one
food item in 30 contains levels above European legal limits. Nearly 40
pesticides, which we were promised were safe, have been banned or
withdrawn from use over the past decade. People who want to reduce
their exposure to potentially harmful pesticides can buy organic food.
A US study showed that within one day of switching to an organic diet
no traces of pesticides could be found in children's urine. When the
children switched back to a non-organic diet, pesticides were found
immediately.
Cocktails of sprays are not tested when pesticides are passed as
"safe", and research has confirmed they pose a risk. Average male
fertility has fallen by 50 per cent, coinciding with the use of
pesticides. There are alternative views – a government adviser blamed
"too much time riding bikes, sitting down too much and wearing tight
underpants". Science cannot prove there is no risk from pesticides. In
the absence of clear scientific evidence either way, people who think
that the accepted nutritional differences or absence of pesticides and
artificial additives in organic food will benefit them or their
children, should buy organic.
Fact five: Organic farming is healthier
In terms of food safety, the Food Standards Agency says there is no
difference between organic and non-organic food. The animal welfare
organisation Compassion in World Farming says: "Organic farming has
the potential to offer the very highest standards of animal welfare".
It believes that the Soil Association's welfare standards are "leaders
in the field". Because animals are kept in better conditions, always
free range, there is no need for the routine use of antibiotics, and
such use is banned. The World Health Organisation says that: "There is
growing concern that antibiotic residues in meat and dairy products
could result in antibiotic resistance in bacteria prevalent in humans,
reducing the effectiveness of antibiotics used to treat human
disease." The most bizarre claim in last week's piece was that
"Disease is the major reason why organic animals are half the weight
of conventionally reared animals – so organic farming is not
necessarily a boon to animal welfare." There is no truth in this. An
organic steak or chicken are the same size as non-organic – have a
look in the shops! Organic animals suffer no more disease, and
frequently less, than non-organic.
Fact six: Organic food contains more nutrients
Published research shows that, on average, organic food contains
higher levels of vitamin C and essential minerals such as calcium,
magnesium, iron and chromium, as well as cancer-fighting antioxidants.
Organic milk is naturally higher in Omega 3 fatty acids, Vitamin E,
Vitamin A (beta-carotene) and some other antioxidants than non-organic
milk.
Diseases such as eczema, asthma and allergies are affecting more and
more children. Ten per cent of children in the EU now suffer from
eczema. Following research in Sweden, a Dutch government-funded study
published last November showed a 36 per cent lower incidence of eczema
in children fed on organic dairy products compared with children
consuming non-organic dairy products.
Organic standards prohibit a host of additives that researchers say
may be harmful to our health, such as hydrogenated fat, monosodium
glutamate and artificial flavourings and colourings. Recent Food
Standards Agency-funded research found that some common additives can
cause hyperactivity in children. You can avoid a wide range and large
quantity of potentially allergenic or harmful additives if you eat
organic food.
Fact seven: The demand for organic food is growing
Organic is still small. But local and direct organic sales are growing
at 32 per cent per annum. In 2006 (the latest figures available)
retail and catering sales were worth £1,937m – on average the retail
market has grown 27 per cent per year over the past decade, and over
the past few years, the pro****tion of the market supplied by UK
farmers has grown. This is no longer simply a middle-class market.
Over 50 per cent of people in lower income groups are buying organic
food, and if they buy direct from farmers via box schemes or farm
shops, it need not be more expensive than the same non-organic food in
supermarkets. Three quarters of parents buy organic baby food, which
makes up about half the total sold. Many parents and school governors
have opted for at least part of school dinners being sourced from
organic farms.
Organic farming is helping to reverse the decline in the UK's
agricultural workforce, which has fallen by 80 per cent over the past
50 years. Organic farms in the UK provide on average more than 30 per
cent more jobs per farm than equivalent non-organic farms – organic
farmers tend to be younger, more optimistic and include more women.
The choice we face is between oil-based farming with nitrogen
fertiliser, or solar-powered organic systems. Producing one ton of
nitrogen releases the equivalent of 6.7 tons of CO2. The raw material
used to produce nitrogen fertiliser is, currently, increasingly scarce
natural gas. UK farming uses three million tons of nitrogen fertiliser
annually, half of which is im****ted. Organic farming is based on
renewable processes on the farm, using clover to fix nitrogen and to
build soil organic matter.
Recent research suggests that if all farming was organic, the slight
decrease in yields in the northern hemisphere would be more than
matched by overall increases elsewhere, leading to a slight increase
in total food production. Long-term trials in the US found organic
yields matching those from non-organic systems, with organic farming
outperforming non-organic in drought years. Even with the
uncertainties, in a world of increasing scarcity of fossil fuels,
organic farming provides the only environmentally, or economically,
sustainable system of feeding the world. Organic farming and food do
not have all the answers. But solar-powered, animal and wildlife
friendly, pesticide- and additive-free farming and food, is where
we're heading.
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