Supermarkets back organic farming bill25 October 2000
Supermarket giants Sainsbury's and Iceland today told a committee of MPs that more Government support is needed for organic farming. They said that they would like to offer more British organic products but cannot because of the lack of supply. As a result 70 per cent of organic food in UK shops is imported from abroad. The supermarkets were giving evidence to the Commons Agriculture Committee.
Iceland and Sainsbury's are both supporting the Organic Food and Farming Targets Bill (as are Asda, Marks & Spencer and Waitrose) which aims for a significant increase in organic farmland in England and Wales. Campaigners today called on Tony Blair to give the Bill his personal backing.
Although there is massive demand for organic food and hundreds of farmers want to convert, UK farmers are only producing a fraction of the organic food that is required. Unfortunately Government support has been woefully inadequate: organic conversion money has not been available to farmers this year and the money ear-marked next year (140 million over seven years) is not enough.
"It is environmental and economic madness that our farmers are missing out on the organic boom. With the right support from Government organic farming in the UK could bring huge benefits to rural areas, bring back birds and butterflies to our farmland, and make organic food available to more people," said Friends of the Earth Real Food Campaigner Sandra Bell. "The supermarkets realise this, consumers realise this - its time for Ministers to wake up to the potential of organic farming and give it the backing it deserves."
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