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28th August, 2001 The Festival of Potatoes (Fèile na bPràtaì), this Sat., Sept. 1st, (from 10.00am) promises to be one of the most interesting days in this year's calendar of organic activities in Ireland. Events include; a Country Market, tastings of heritage and new varieties of potatoes, "Lazy-bed" making and other traditional potato cultivation techniques, a barbeque with organic lamb and potatoes, childrens' workshops, tours of farm and gardens, story-telling, music and art - etc etc. The location is; An t-Ionad Glas Organic College, Dromcollogher, Co. Limerick. Contact Jim McNamara, tel. 063 83604. Email; ionadglas.ias@eircom.net. Their website is; www.organiccollege.com . The weather promises to be good after this little mid-week glitch and I hope to be there myself with notebook and camera. I also look forward to getting a few samples of potatoes I've grown identified by one of the attending experts, Damien Punch of the Irish Seedsavers Association. One variety I have is, I think, the "Negga Tattie", a black spud from the Shetland Islands. I'll also bring along one of my West Cork antique potato spades in the hope that someone can demonstrate properly how this clever implement was used. Apparently when worked expertly, often with a father and son team, it was a joy to behold the efficient, and neat construction of a "lazy-bed" ridge - the ubiquitous traditional method that allowed enormous crops to be grown in often very hostile environments.
Dead Meat. This is the title of an excellent article by Richard Girling* in the current Sunday Times Magazine in which he poses the question; "Is Britain's farming industry being led to the slaughter?" This is one of the best written summaries, I have seen, of the state of agriculture in the UK today and how that catastrophic situation has been arrived at. His conclusions are interesting; he doesn't believe that organic can be a long term solution because of what he sees as "a trap in the economic undergrowth". Organic production in countries like the UK is only viable, he suggests, if there is an organic premium. There is a premium only for as long as demand outstrips supply. That premium will be eroded as there is a larger switch to organic methods and as lower-cost producers in other countries step up their production. Therefore organic farming will end up having the same problems in the end as conventional farming. For lasting, effective reform a different approach is needed, Girling says. Farmers have " to compete on quality while simultaneously climbing further up the food chain to claim more of the 'added value'. Either individually or in groups, farmers can process their own food and sell direct to the public from farm shops or through farmers' markets - www.farmersmarkets.net . They can sell to the catering trade. They can convert to speciality food production - organic meat , cheese , yoghurt - to sell locally or through supermarkets. If the worse comes to the worst they can follow the govt's advice, convert the farm buildings to alternative use and diversify into other businesses." Echoing Lord Haskins, he declares that; "Nobody now believes in a system that pays farmers to grow foood that nobody wants"* Richard Girling writes regularly for The Sunday Times Magazine, including a special issue on the future of the English countryside (April 1998) and an investigation into current and future consequences of air pollution (June 1998). He is the author of two novels and an illustrated guide to the structure and history of British landscape (The View from the Top, 1996), and is a contributor to a new Reader's Digest social history of the 20th century. With Caroline McGhie he has written and produced campaign booklets for the CPRE on rural architecture (Local Attraction, 1996); countryside planning (Cluttered Countryside, 1997, winner of the Media Natura award for best national environmental campaign); and urban regeneration (Going to Town, 1998, in association with the Civic Trust). Organic Matters, the bi-monthly magazine of the Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association now has its own website; www.organicmattersmag.com. The site has details of the Sept/Oct issue due out next week - look in particular for co-editor David Storey's interview with the Bord Glas (govt. horticulture board) boss which gives a depressing insight into the official attitude to organic farming in Ireland. I have a corner to myself in the magazine too - rabbitting on about organic websites and such-like. Court Challenges to GM Triumphalism. The Canadian farmer turned activist, Percy Schmeiser, sued successfully earlier this year by Monsanto for allegedly planting their patented, GM, Round Up Ready, canola seeds, without a license, is appealing the decision on 17 counts. Further details and an opportunity to contribute to the legal fund on; www.percyschmeiser.com. An upcoming, US Supreme Court case, Pioneer v. J.E.M. Ag Supply, will decide whether farmers will be allowed to keep back any seed for planting, GM or otherwise. Monsanto's many cases against farmers for saving seed are on hold pending the outcome. See Colorado grain farmer, David Denchant's article on this on; www.ngin.org.uk 27th August '01. The UK Register of Organic Food Standards, UKROFS, which oversees our Irish (UK?) organic certification bodies can be accessed at this URL. Its FAQS page is particularly interesting. www.defra.gov.uk/farm/organic/default.htp Organic Farmer Ruined by FMD. Read this personal story of one sheep farming family's tragedy. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/wales/newsid_1499000/1499308.stm A Countryside that Everybody Wants. Northern Foods supremo, Lord Haskins, charged by Blair with reviving the UK areas devastated by FMD, and regarded suspiciously by organic producers (described Prince Charles ideas as "Rural fantasy of the old days") and environmentalists, is at least making the right noises. "Larger farms like mine (the family has farms in Ireland and England) should probably expect lesser subsidies and the smaller farms should expect more subsidies," he said. "In the future maybe farmers shouldn't be paid to produce food that nobody wants. Instead, they should be paid to produce a countryside that everybody wants." DEFRA's Beckett is coming under attack from farmers over proposed Environmental Impact Assessments for wild and semi-wild habitats being considered for agricultural production. The EIAs could cost around £15,000 each. Plan Colombia. See my previous articles on the disastrous human and environmental consequences of this US campaign. There is now a anti-Plan group based in London; colombia_sc@hotmail.com. Flash! Just discovered, from newly arrived, The Ecologist, Sept. 2001, my favourite magazine, that there is now a website featuring a collection of the redoubtable George Monbiot's many eco-articles. www.monbiot.com See also new activist website www.animalfeed.org.uk about GM feed and where its entering tjhe food chain, news items etc.
August 22nd, 2001 Frankenstein Walks and starts Opium Wars! An article, Market Enforcers, by George Monbiot in yesterday's Guardian is frightening. Organic farming will be irrelevant if his analysis is correct. We smugly thought that our enlightened activism and consumer choice/market forces had slain the GM dragon, at least in Europe. But although the argument was won the war went on and the Empire's full-timers were beavering away earning their super-crusts. He sees an appalling vista of corporate power crushing human rights, citing Monsanto v.Canadian farmers recently, blatant fascism in Genoa and blackmailed and bribed govts enforcing on behalf of transnational corporations. In the final paragraph he unequivocally urges radical action; "..consumer choice is(now) an inadequate means of curbing corporate power. If market forces operate outside the market, then so must we." www.guardian.co.uk Email; g.monbiot@zednet.co.uk The Full Monty? Observer writer, Monty Don, had a stimulating piece in Sunday's paper which sums up neatly the history of the agricultural crisis and sideswipes Lord Haskins, Blair et al in the process. www.observer.co.uk "Joined-up" Food and Farming. The Soil Association site has a few interesting things on it this week. Tomorow sees the launch of a new report, A Share in the Harvest, which looks closely at Community Supported Agriculture. 'This report provides practical solutions to the problems facing British farming and is a model for change. It presents a guide for farming that meets both the needs of farmers who receive a guaranteed income and consumers who know where their food comes from.' ROUNDUP READY SOYBEANS CONTAIN UNIDENTIFIED DNA, AMSTERDAM, Belgium, August 16, 2001 (ENS) - Belgian scientists have found DNA from an unknown source in Roundup Ready soybeans, a genetically engineered crop produced by ABC Monsanto. The announcement comes as the Bush administration places increasing pressure on other nations to relax food safety laws seen as threatening U.S. economic interests. http://ens-news.com/ens/aug2001/2001L-08-16-06.html The tragedy of modern agriculture "Agriculture extension is used to disseminate new technology and to 'educate' farmers but never to learn from farmers. And therein lies the biggest tragedy of modern agriculture science". Devinder Sharma, Journalist, Author and chair; Forum for Biotechnology & Food Security, New Delhi, India. Email: dsharma@ndf.vsnl.net.in. Criticising the United Nations Development Programme. NZ Royal Commission on GM Organisms Despite all their nice words about keeping New Zealand's options open, the Commission has recommended a faster path to the field release of GE (genetically engineered) crops than they had before, and, some say, destroying their current market advantage in guaranteed GE-free exports. Sustainable farming can feed the world. A study by Prof. Jules Pretty of Essex Univ. recently presented more than 200 cases from all over the world that showed sustainable and productive farming practices are possible in the most different environments. The report is available at: http://www2.essex.ac.uk/ces/ResearchProgrammes/CESOccasion .
August 15th 2001 Monsanto sues God! The Almighty has left Himself (or Herself!) open to prosecution by the ultra-litigous, transnational, mega corp, Monsanto, purveyor of the planet's most widely used pesticide, Round Up. The ABC (Ag Biotech Corp) filed suit against God, "For a major breach of intellectual copyright". Central to the dispute is Monsanto's claim that genes from some of its GM crops were hijacked by God and then represented in other plants as part of his own Creation. A Monsanto spokesman said; "He may be the Supreme Being but He can't behave as if He owned the whole darn shooting party. We'll go all the way on this one.This Guy's been pretty uppity 'till now, let's not forget. So, quite frankly, He's had it coming. Its about time He left Creation to the trained professionals". Compiled from report, Sunday 12th August by, www.ngin.org.uk . God Bless America - Cuba's Organic Revolution, set to become a model for agricultural development worldwide, could not have happened without the American blockade of the island, the Caribbean's largest. Oxfam America has just published an extensive report on the extraordinary accomplishments of Cuban agriculture over the last ten years. From the spectre of famine after the Soviet collapse, Cuba has developed a thriving self-contained, community-centred agriculture that also has a large organic sector. Oxfam America describes the country as a " national laboratory in organic agriculture" and proposes that the successes of Cuban agriculture should become a blueprint for policy makers and rural development specialists in developing countries. Contrary to all other agricultural development models and particularly the reigning one for the region, the Washington Consensus (disastrous to all except transnational food corporations - millions of small farmers lost their land), Cuba has carved out a unique set of approaches to agricultural development which stands the rest completely on their heads. Even the World Bank has been fulsome in its praise of Cuba's recent achievements. Despite the dramatic successes the report, like any good, fair assessment, also describes some of the failures and the work still to be done. The report can be downloaded in full (PDF) from; www.oxfamamerica.org . One Last Agricultural Revolution. This is the title of a new book by the peerless Prof.Jules Pretty to be launched later this year. In the mean time the ever-busy champion of sustainable agriculture has authored a powerful essay published by the Fabian Society - www.fabian-society.org.uk/freethinking/texts/newfarmingforbritain.htmm Titled, New Farming for Britain; Towards a National Plan for Reconstruction. I will review the essay in detail next week but from what I see so far organic food could be in for a major shake-up if his proposals were taken up. Ms Sleep's, Just-food.com has an item this week on Austria, which shows that the numbers of organic farmers has declined for the second year in a row. From 20,201 in '98, to 19,741 in '99, to 18,654 in '00. This unprecedented decline is partly explained by some farmers not having successors to carry on the enterprise and frustration because of the complexity of organic certification regulations. The editorial team says; "The news contradicts the well-documented rise in organics (sic) consumption...". Austria has, at 10%, the second highest proportion of organic to conventional farming in Europe. www.just-food.com . New Zealand leaves the field to GM. The much-awaited report of the Royal Commisssion on Genetically Modified Food was published recently. Much to the dismay of Greens worldwide it come out generally in favour of GM food and cleared the way for field trials to continue. "New Zealand would be unwise to turn its back on bio-technology", the authors of the 1273 page, $3million report say. There were 10,000 submissions, many from the world's leading experts on genetic engineering, over a 14 month period. The report is the first of its kind and was eagerly awaited. Monsanto, www.monsanto.co.uk are positively aglow with the result. NZ organic producers, on the other hand, are incensed; Chief Executive of Bio-Gro NZ, says; " Organic exports previously projected to reach $500 million by 2005 are now threatened". The eminent geneticist, Dr Mae-Wan Ho, who was an expert consulted by the Commission, has appealed through an Open Letter to the Commission to reconsider its findings in the light of yet more damning evidence against GM science recently emerged. Full text of her letter on, www.i-sis.org . Email; press-release@i-sis.org . If you wish to let the NZ govt. know your views here are some addresses; Agricultural Ministry, jsutton@ministers.govt.nz and Environment; mhobbs@ministers.govt.nz Treadle Pump. Huge breakthroughs in living standards have been achieved in India by the use of this simple piece of water-pumping technology that in its most basic form, bamboo, costs but $12 . It has the potential to put $1 billion in new revenue into the hands of some of India's poorest farmers. The International Water Management Institute says there is a potential market for 10 million pumps. The pumps, which are more efficient than diesel powered ones can increase family income by 25% or more. Steel and concrete models can be purchased for between $25 and $35. www.cgiar.org/inmi Foot and mouth disease has already cost the UK taxpayer almost £3 billion in direct compensation. Some estimates of the total cost to the British economy, including losses to the tourist industry, give the figure of £20 billion! And it isn't over yet - there are, on average, 4 new cases per day. The Soil Associatiion chairperson, Helen Browning, is calling, even at this late stage, for a vaccination programme. Using vaccination as a cordon sanitaire around an outbreak of FMD could save enormous numbers of animals and billions in costs. The Dutch used this method very successfully and exports of meat have already resumed there.This scotches the pathetic defence of the NFU that the slaughter and burn policy had to be maintained to preserve British meat exports. www.soilassociation.org Meat Slurry linked to BSE was used to make pies, sausages and burgers in the UK. Mechanically Recovered Meat (MRM) the scintillating succulent method of getting the last morsel of flesh and other near-flesh scraps, including BSE-suspect spinal cord material, from deboned carcasses with high presssure water jets, was used by a considerable number of British food manufacturers. Efforts to trace companies that used the 5,000 tons of MRM per annum are meeting with little success as files go missing. Story by Jo Dillon 12th Aug. http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/environment/story.jsp?story=88297 Davy Byrne, EU Food Safety Czar, is caught in new crossfire. Having been energetically roasted two weeks ago by Green critics (including ourselves) over the new GM labelling laws the brave Davy is now also being severely pressured by Dubya's administration over the self-same labelling. The Commission's suggestion to label all food with GM content above 1% satisfies neither the anti- GM pressure groups or the US govt.'s pro-GM lobby. Leaked documents show too that America is pressuring the UK govt. to be a Trojan horse in Europe on behalf of their GM food industry. US authorities are "furious" that the EU is undermining confidence in the biotechnology industry.They maintain that these new regulations could cost the US $4 billion per annum in lost food exports. Interesting that individual states like Maryland are taking a hard-line against GM food without any apparent threat of sanctions.Some of this from, www.independent.co.uk/uk/envir.
August 8th 2001 Round Up withers generals and politicians. The precision of the crop-spraying element of the joint US/Colombian anti-drug war, Plan Colombia, was demonstrated last month in the field to a distinguished group of military and political observers, including PC sceptic, US Senator Wellstone. Nothing could possibly go wrong as the aerial spraying was guided by military-quality, ie. accurate to centimetres, GPS satellite technology - the same stuff they use for "smart bombs". So, coca-plant-specific-targetting (reading military-style reports does your English in!) should have been a doddle. However, somebody effed up, they missed their target coca plot and drenched the observers instead with Monsanto's Round Up and Round Up Ultra. Despite Monsanto's supporters' claims that the "Round Up is so safe you can drink it" the pesticide-soused VIPs were rushed to hospital for decontamination and tests. The military chief honchos had in addition some poultry products to clean from their blushing faces. www.purefood.org/monsanto/toxicdrift.cfm. Needless to say, a large proportion of the 100,000 gallons of Round Up concentrate used so far in this "precision spraying" campaign ends up destroying organic and conventional crops as well as cocaine-producing plants.The campesinos that inevitably get sprayed are, without doubt, not offered the same clean-up facilities as the crapped-on guests above. According to an interview with Trocaire spokeswoman on Morning Ireland, 8th August, www.rte.ie/morningireland, there have been 4,000 cases of pesticide poisoning since this campaign began. She also said that the "fumigatiom" programme was causing even more coca to be grown! her views on more appropriate aid for Colombia's rural poor are well worth hearing. See www.percyschmeisser.com also for a case of sly aerial spraying of Round Up to detect whether a farmer was growing unlicensed Round Up Ready, GM crops. August 7th. Military authorities in Colombia were jubilant on Monday as a previous court order to stop the spraying was overturned. Interesting that the BBC's and RTE's news reports did not mention Monsanto or their pesticide brand name, Round Up - they referred only to its chemical type, glyphosate. Irish Organic Draft Report slated by Organic College Head. A draft report has been issued by the govt. appointed Organic Development Committee. It has been heavily criticised by Jim McNamara of the Organic College, Drumcollogher, Co. Limerick. Jim says; "The Document overall is clearly dominated by Teagasc. They want the chair of the education body, nearly all the research funding and practically all the education funding as well. For a body, which at best, and inspite of its major budget, has had a very minor interest in organics, this is an amazing conversion. Further, how could a body, which has a board dominated by the big farmer and agrochemical lobby be trusted with guiding organic education? Why not an independent chairperson like Darina Allen or Pat Mulrooney or a choice from a host of others with no vested interest?". In his detailed reply to the report Mr McNamara also asks why his work and that of colleagues in organic education, together with the experience of organic farmers, not taken into account. Email; info1@planorganic.com for the full 21 page report and McNamara's comments. For an intelligent, model organic report see Holland's, http://www.minlnv.nl/cgi-bin/autoframe.pl?snp=/snips/framesets/autoframe-int.snp&frame=/international/policy/plant/organic/notippo01uk.htm. Foot and mouth. Last week we heard about some huge compensation payments to farmers - The Compensation Millionaires - today we hear that there may have been collusion between the not-so-professional-valuers and farmers. www.rte.ie/morningireland Organic growth stunted by lack of supportthis is the title of an article in today's Business 2000 - on the Irish Times website. The piece by Sandra Burke is good on comparing our miserable position in the organic market compared to some of our European neighbours. "We're still suffering from the lack of commitment by the Department of Agriculture. Even Teagasc has only started to think about organic farming in the last few years," says Mr Hugh Robson of Glencarn Organic Produce, a family-owned farm in Clare which sells organic pork, lamb and beef products. Ms Noreen Gibney, operations' manager of the Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association (IOFGA), says: "In some ways, I feel we've missed the boat. We should have been to the forefront five or six years ago in setting up a fund in Ireland.....". Interesting information too on Glenisk, their successes and their plans for the future. www.ireland.com/education/business2000/archive00/index50.htm Euro AgMins argue for sustainable farming. There was a conference in London on 17th July that I missed reporting. Sorry. It was a one-day effort on the future of farming in the EU. Most notable bit was German AgMin, Renate Kuenast, demanding that in future the CAP should be geared more towards consumers rather than farmers and the food industry. "The consumer must be at the centre of our attention. The German government wants an agriculture which provides safer and higher quality food, produced in a sustainable and welfare-oriented way. We have taxpayers who are asking themselves whether it is right to continue to pay billions for this old-fashioned type of agriculture," Kuenast said. Whilst most of the Mins support reform of the CAP and want to move towards more sustainable agriculture, some say that no more than 10% of consumers will ever pay the premium for their organic produce. And France, with its huge conventional farming lobby, is seen to be a difficult obstacle to reform. www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11635&newsdate=18-Jul-2001 Organic Pesticide Subverted. It seems that the effectivenesss of Bt - bacillus thuringiensis - widely used as a pesticide by organic farmers, is being undermined because of resistance to GM crops spliced with genes of Bt. http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/environment/story.jsp?story=87227 Is this what we've been waiting for? A report that unequivocally presents evidence for the health benefits of organic food." A large body of scientific evidence indicates that organic food is safer and better for you than non-organic food, according to a report launched today by the Soil Association. Organic Farming, Food Quality and Human Health says much more research is needed, but concludes that consumers wishing to improve their intake of minerals and vitamin C while reducing their exposure to potentially harmful pesticide residues and food additives should choose organic food wherever possible." http://www.soilassociation.org.uk/ Haven't had time to read the report yet but from what I hear it is not the grail we seek but a stepping stone towards it. It is going to be seriously attacked for sure by the anti-organic lobby. See, Is Organic Food Better? As we go to press we hear that the Food Standards Agency say that this report does not prove its case. But of course they still have their anti-organic case to prove - they have failed so far to answer the SA's challenge to quote the sources for their ranting of a few months back. Dangerous pesticide levels in French foodAs France is the second largest user of pesticides in the world its not all that surprising that a new EU survey should find that there are pesticide residues in over half of her vegetables, fruit and cereals. Potentially dangerous levels were found in over 8% of the samples. http://news.independent.co.uk/world/europe/story.jsp?story=87441
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