Environment Minister to propose organic vegetable garden at Number 10 to rival the White House

22 May 2009

At a meeting yesterday (21 May), representatives of organic businesses, the Organic Trade Board and the Soil Association told Hilary Benn that the UK government should stop voting a consistently pro-GM ticket in the European Union.

At the meeting the companies condemned Hilary Benn for voting to try and stop countries like Germany from banning Monsanto’s GM maize because of evidence that it’s not safe on the basis of environmental impacts. [1]

The organic companies told Hilary Benn that the UK government should support the strong GM free position adopted by the Scottish and Welsh governments in particular the proposal by the Welsh Assembly Government to make GM companies liable for any damage their GM crops cause. [2] Hilary Benn said that he did not oppose the fact that the Welsh government were adopting their own position on this issue.

The organic businesses said that it was outrageous that GM crops had been introduced without any proper research into their health impacts. Hilary Benn agreed that claiming there was "no evidence that they are not safe", as he did in the meeting, is not the same as saying that there is evidence that GM crops are safe. He was urged to support more long term research into the health effects of GM food as the Austrian Government has done recently, resulting in research that lead the scientists in charge to express concern and call for more research into the safety of GM food. [3]

The secretary of state emphasised his commitment to supporting organic food, and acknowledged the benefits of organic farming and food have in terms of reducing GHG emissions and said that all of us would have to eat more seasonal food; he wanted to see more people growing their own food. In response the organic companies asked him to follow the lead set by Michelle Obama, who has set up an organic vegetable garden in the grounds of the White house. [4] Hilary Benn then agreed to pass on a request to Gordon Brown that he start to grow some organic fruit and vegetables in the garden of 10 Downing Street.

Hilary Benn agreed to a further meeting to discuss the possible contribution that organic food and farming will increasingly play in future.

The following companies attended the meeting:

• Renee Elliott, Founder Director of Planet Organic, an organic supermarket with five stores in London
• Patrick O’Flaherty, Co-Founder of RDA Organic, which supplies organic juices and smoothies to shops nationwide
• Barny Haughton, chef and owner of Bordeaux Quay organic restaurant and cookery school
• Richard Kempsey, Agricultural Director for Stonegate, which packs and delivers eggs from over 250 producers to supermarkets
• Chantelle Ludski, CEO of Fresh!, who make organic sandwiches and salads sold in Boots, Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury
• Paul Moore, Marketing Manager for Community Foods, a major distributor of organic and natural dried foods
• Ian Price, Organic Loan Manager for Triodos Bank, an ethical bank that exclusively loans to social or environmental initiatives
• Anna Rosier, MD of Organix, a leading UK brand of organic baby and children’s food sold across the country
• Alex Smith, MD of Alara, which produces organic muesli, exporting to more than 16 countries
• Chris Walford, General Manager and founder of Pertwood Organic Cereal Co, producers of home-grown breakfast cereals sold across the UK.

Notes to Editors:

[1] http://cleantech.com/news/4364/double-whammy-hits-genetically-modi
On 29 April 2009, Germany became the latest country to defy an EU ruling and outlaw GM crops, while the Union of Concerned Scientists say GM crops offer little added benefit. Two declarations about genetically modified crops took the industry to task on two fronts: its environmental impact and its lack of significant yield increases to-date.
Germany's Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner announced a nationwide plan to ban the only genetically modified crop permitted in the country, citing concerns of the environmental impact.

[2]http://wales.gov.uk/news/topic/environment/2009/090224gmcrops/;jsessionid=
vC4zKWvfKjThYQCHL1LSJflCCDBSWbPSBpL01LfX0GsLkPy2by3B!-845036832?cr=2&lang=en&ts=4
Announcing her intention to hold a public consultation on coexistence on February 29th 2009, Welsh Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones said: The Welsh Assembly Government’s long-standing position is to adopt the most restrictive policy on GM crops that is compatible with European Union and UK legislation. It is not legally possible to declare Wales GM-free, but we will continue our restrictive approach. The intention is for co-existence to be tightly regulated in Wales.

[3] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1085060/Why-eating-GM-food-lower-fertility.html
Genetically modified corn has been linked to a threat to fertility in an official study. A long-term feeding trial commissioned by the Austrian government found mice fed on GM corn or maize had fewer offspring and lower birth rates.

[4] http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/20/michelle-obama-garden
Michelle Obama has developed 1,100-square-foot organic kitchen garden on the South Lawn of the White House