 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|||
|
|
The Soil Association was founded in 1946 by a group of far sighted individuals who were concerned about the health implications of increasingly intensive agricultural systems following the Second World War. Their principle concerns were: |
|
|
|
|
The loss of soil through erosion and depletion, Decreased nutritional quality of intensively produced food, Exploitation of animals in intensive units, Impact of large intensive farming system on the countryside and wildlife. For the first thirty years the Association was based on a farm in Suffolk and was primarily involved in basic research as well as building a membership base. The farm was divided into three units, one farmed using the new intensive techniques, one farmed traditionally and one with mixed system. At the end of this period the results were not as clear as had been hoped (hardly surprising since we still have a poor understanding of what we truly mean by health of land and food), however a much clearer understanding had been built up of how the best of old and new traditions in land husbandry could be combined, and so the first organic standards were compiled defining this system. In the early Seventies there was beginning to be a demand from certain consumers and farmers for a system to show that food had been produced to the Soil Association Standards. The certification system set up then is now used to provide a independent audit and tracking system from the individual field through to the final packing. About 80% of UK organic food is certified by the Soil Association. In the mid-1980's a number of supermarkets began to stock organic food and this (combined with Pat and Tony Archer from the Radio Four series becoming organic) brought a new credibility to the movement. However the numbers of organic farmers remained small until the launch in 1995 of the Organic Aid Scheme of aid from the government to help farmers through the difficult conversion process of 2 to 5 years. Organic land in the UK is still less than 0.5% compared with about 4% in Germany, 5% in Denmark and 8% in Austria for example. Currently there is a very large demand for organic food and this is being met by a thriving network of Local Food Link schemes supplying food direct from producers to consumers, as well as an increasingly sophisticated and developed mainstream organic sector. Demand is in fact running so high that about 70% of organic food is imported from the more developed European and US. Here are links to articles published by the Soil Association, but not yet available on the web: |
||
Home | Alara Muesli | Where to buy the Muesli | About Alara | Organic / GMO Debate
