Long, hard organic winter

Things have not being going well for the global organic movement for a long time but there are indications that spring is coming.  Many measure the progress of the organic movement through the metric of retail sales and by that score things have not being going well for at least 2 years with slides in most but not all categories. Dairy products for example have continued to do reasonably well, whilst other categories such as ready meals have taken a drubbing. Yet this is perhaps not the best way of gauging how organics is doing in the battle of ideas over the future of food, that is much more difficult.

Certainly much of the media has been running stories by those interested in promoting genetically modified (GM) crops in Europe, or arguing that agricultural productivity must be prioritised in order to secure adequate supplies of food.  This has been peppered by many a middle class journalist telling the story of their urban adventures into downmarket supermarkets.  Below the froth many of those scientists who have the ear of policy makers are many claims about the future of agriculture that tells an essentially Malthusian story of approaching doom.  As with the age-old debate about these rapidly approaching limits there are two broad responses – either that technology will save us and in the case of agriculture point to how 'The Green Revolution' did this or to point out the necessity of sharing what we have more effectively.

The Soil Association on behalf of the wider organic movement has taken the latter path, arguing that the plough it all, plant GM crops, even raise even more meat intensively brigade have not thought about sharing it more effectively.  In the UK in particular they have argued that less chicken and pork would be available but perhaps more lamb and beef would be available if the whole country went organic and that a more frugal but health diet would mean that the balance between the environment and agriculture could be maintained.  The key element of their argument has been the recent attack on the notion that food production needs to be doubled by 2050.  The report ‘Telling Porkies’ cannot find a source for this ‘killer fact’ or anyone prepared to stand beside it.

These are the green shoots of a new strategy by the organic movement.  Selling certified organic products was only ever going to get the movement so far, and it risked becoming associated with ‘elitist’ food.  Arguing that organic food and farming is sustainable as long as it is coupled with greater fairness could take the movement to levels of support it is has not seen before.