Why do some people go into a frantic spiel when the word organic is used and its produce praised? After all, many remember, from the pre-chemical age, that growing food was achieved using animal dung and rotted vegetation. Now it had been announced in Britain that Heinz baked beans, tomato ketchup and spaghetti rings are to be available, over there anyway, in organic versions.
In an interview on the BBC programme Countryfile, Professor Sir John Krebs, Chairman of the British Government's Food Standards Agency said that consumers "are not getting value for money if they think that they're buying food with extra nutritional food value or extra safety. We don't have the evidence to support these claims." And he went on to say that people choose organic for three reasons. One that the produce tastes better. And, about this, he says that the argument is worthless, though he doesn't detect any difference. One man's view.
On the second he argues that there is no evidence that organic food is healthier. And here an article (from Country Life) asks pertinently - but what about the British Government's advice of two years ago to parents to peel all vegetables they fed to children, when it was discovered that a tiny proportion of food on sale contained pesticide residues? So why do customers decide to pay a lot more for organic produce? Partly, perhaps, because of the element of risk in modern farming. Not long ago no risk was seen in feeding cattle with animal-derived foodstuffs, but then came the shock with a BSE epidemic, and the practice was stopped.
Then there is the beneficial effect, the magazine points out, on bio-diversity: organic agriculture makes it more likely that the countryside will be well maintained in the 21st century. There are other arguments, but the fact that people in Britain are prepared to pay more for what they perceive as good food has to be helpful to the country and countryside.
Here in Ireland in the latest September/October issue of the journal Organic Matters is a breath of fresh air. For example the story of Theo and Ineke Peterse, who farm 31 acres of hill land near Bantry. Goats' milk and cheese, and they grow "everything from artichoke and carrots to tomatoes and melons." And, wait, "organic wine made with organic almonds from California and organic raisins from Turkey". David Storey, the writer of the article says he had the consolation next morning of knowing that at least his hangover was organic.