Scientists Deride Organic Claims

by Andrew Arbuckle, Farming Editor, Dundee Courier

The notion that organic farming is markedly more environmentally friendly than most of conventional agriculture was roundly derided by two leading scientists yesterday.

Speaking at the first ever conference organised in Scotland by the organisation Linking the Environment And Farming (LEAF), at Battleby, Perth, yesterday, Professor Anthony Trewavas, of Edinburgh, attempted to separate myths and opinions on organic farming, while Dr Keith Dawson, of CSC CropCare took a more direct line.

Professor Trewavas said that some environmentalists claimed that organic farming represented the sustainable road forward. However, science said otherwise. In world terms sustainable development must require a compromise that also involved efficient farming.

And Dr Dawson, while accepting that organic farming had a “small role to play” in the production of food, said that it did not go beyond that. Much to the amusement of the 100-or-so delegates at the conference, Dr Dawson described the Irish Potato Famine as "another of organic farming's success stories."

Both comments came on a day that one of the UK's major retailers revealed that sales of organic produce had dipped.

Professor Trewavas, said he was concerned that the "organic farming” lobby were pushing their ideas out into developing countries and he said that In countries where populations were increasing, there was a need for "efficient farming."

"If you do not, then you are going to lose wilderness and virgin forest to the plough, as we are currently doing in Mexico where some three million acres of forest are being cut down each year. If we can make farming more efficient then these trees will not need to be cut down."

Continuing with the global theme, Professor Trewavas pointed out that 120 countries in the world are net importers of food while only 20 countries have a net export trade. At the same time he added the population of the world continues to grow and therefore there will be an Increased demand for food.

Pesticide residues remain a major issue but here Professor Trewavas, claimed that the sensible use of chemicals keeps down the price of food. He also pointed out that since the 1950s when the widespread use of these products became normal practice, life expectancy had increased significantly.

"A diet high in fruit and vegetables cuts the incidence of cancer in half. Organic produce puts up the price of fruit and vegetables and all the evidence is that consumption is linked to price.

"The Government should be making people far more aware of the need for a healthy diet. Environmentalists of all persuasions should leave toxicology to those who understand it and cease trying foolish scare tactics to favour organic farming."

One of the claims made by the supporters of organic farming in the UK is that it increases biodiversity. However, the professor countered this suggestion with a barrage of statistics to show that this was not borne out in reality.

He advocated integrated farm management as a far more rational and sensible way forward. This production system combines the sensible use of chemicals with good farming practice.

"IFM uses half the fuel consumed by the organic farmer to produce the same crop yield. It was once said that waste was the product of an effluent society. But whenever, I look at organic farming, I see waste."

"It wastes the land because it is less efficient. Organic farming is in many respects unnatural because it denies the use of nitrates which are known to be essential.

Later today, the Scottish Executive will unveil its organic farming strategy and next week, Green MSP Robin Harper, will unveil the details of his organic farming bill. But yesterday, Professor Trewavas, and Dr Dawson were in no doubt that the current political obsession with organic farming was wrong.

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Scientists Deride Organic Claims