Organic news archive: March 2005
The government is planning to buy a farm so it can prove to farmers that its vision for agriculture is workable, and that they have nothing to fear from wildlife-friendly farming methods, said a spokesman.
Gordon Brown has taken a personal interest in the purchase of the farm, as he hoped it could be used as an educational resource, and wants all MPs to work on it for a week each year. The spokesman added that food produced on the farm will be marketed under the brand name 'Farm Labour'. "We could have Cherie-flavoured yoghurt and Prescottage pie complemented by plenty of hard cheese," he said.
Education secretary Ruth Kelly unveiled a £280 million funding package to boost the quality of school meals � on the same day that TV chef Jamie Oliver delivered a petition to Downing Street demanding better food for schoolchildren. The package launched on 30 March 2005 requires that schools spend at least 50p per child on ingredients and also stipulates that from September and over the next three years, schools and local education authorities will be supported in transforming school meals with healthy food. This should be prepared from fresh on school premises by trained school cooks, and should meet minimum nutrition standards � underpinned by Ofsted inspection � which will be mandatory from September 2006. Soil Association Director, Patrick Holden said : "The Soil Association is delighted by Ruth Kelly's announcement of new money and improved standards for school meals. Jamie Oliver has helped ensure a successful outcome to the most important campaign in the Soil Association's 60-year history. We were founded on the belief that there is a link between good quality food and health. All the schools we have worked with have noticed real improvements in pupil behaviour, and in many cases their health."
Swiss agribusiness giant Syngenta has admitted accidentally selling to the US genetically modified corn that had not been approved by US authorities. (The Evening Standard - 24/3/05)
The farm subsidy figures published yesterday show for the first time exactly how much taxpayers' money rich landowners and members of the royal family are receiving from the public purse. It shows that large landowners receive hundreds of thousands of pounds from the taxpayer, while small farmers get very little. The 100 farmers at the bottom of the league received less than £25 in subsidy last year. The lowest was 31p, paid to a farmer known simply as M. Kelman. For decades, campaigners have pressed the government to publish details of how the subsidies - worth £ 1.7bn last year - were distributed to farmers. (The Guardian - 23/3/05)
The farming industry condemned as a "whitewash" a report published yesterday by the Office of Fair Trading that concluded supermarkets treat their suppliers fairly. They said retailers had created a culture of fear that masked abuses of power and prevented farmers from coming forward through fear of losing key contracts. The OFT concluded after a nine-month study that supermarkets were largely adhering to the voluntary code of conduct in the industry designed to ensure a fair deal for all. This verdict was met with derision by farming groups, environmentalists and financial advisers to the agricultural industry. The OFT found evidence in 46 cases where the code of conduct appears to have been breached, 44 of which relate to Safeway with the rest discovered at Sainsbury. These involved the supermarket groups demanding lump sum payments from suppliers in return for continuing to do business with them. (The Independent - 23/3/05)
Gagging orders have been slapped on dinner ladies from talking about school meals by one the UK's biggest cate
The government is planning to buy a farm so it can prove to farmers that its vision for agriculture is workable, and that they have nothing to fear from wildlife-friendly farming methods, said a spokesman. Gordon Brown has taken a personal interest in the purchase of the farm, as he hoped it could be used as an educational resource, and wants all MPs to work on it for a week each year. The spokesman added that food produced on the farm will be marketed under the brand name 'Farm Labour'. "We could have Cherie-flavoured yoghurt and Prescottage pie complemented by plenty of hard cheese," he said.
Education secretary Ruth Kelly unveiled a £280 million funding package to boost the quality of school meals � on the same day that TV chef Jamie Oliver delivered a petition to Downing Street demanding better food for schoolchildren. The package launched on 30 March 2005 requires that schools spend at least 50p per child on ingredients and also stipulates that from September and over the next three years, schools and local education authorities will be supported in transforming school meals with healthy food. This should be prepared from fresh on school premises by trained school cooks, and should meet minimum nutrition standards � underpinned by Ofsted inspection � which will be mandatory from September 2006. Soil Association Director, Patrick Holden said : "The Soil Association is delighted by Ruth Kelly's announcement of new money and improved standards for school meals. Jamie Oliver has helped ensure a successful outcome to the most important campaign in the Soil Association's 60-year history. We were founded on the belief that there is a link between good quality food and health. All the schools we have worked with have noticed real improvements in pupil behaviour, and in many cases their health."
Swiss agribusiness giant Syngenta has admitted accidentally selling to the US genetically modified corn that had not been approved by US authorities. (The Evening Standard - 24/3/05)
The farm subsidy figures published yesterday show for the first time exactly how much taxpayers' money rich landowners and members of the royal family are receiving from the public purse. It shows that large landowners receive hundreds of thousands of pounds from the taxpayer, while small farmers get very little. The 100 farmers at the bottom of the league received less than £25 in subsidy last year. The lowest was 31p, paid to a farmer known simply as M. Kelman. For decades, campaigners have pressed the government to publish details of how the subsidies - worth £ 1.7bn last year - were distributed to farmers. (The Guardian - 23/3/05)
The farming industry condemned as a "whitewash" a report published yesterday by the Office of Fair Trading that concluded supermarkets treat their suppliers fairly. They said retailers had created a culture of fear that masked abuses of power and prevented farmers from coming forward through fear of losing key contracts. The OFT concluded after a nine-month study that supermarkets were largely adhering to the voluntary code of conduct in the industry designed to ensure a fair deal for all. This verdict was met with derision by farming groups, environmentalists and financial advisers to the agricultural industry. The OFT found evidence in 46 cases where the code of conduct appears to have been breached, 44 of which relate to Safeway with the rest discovered at Sainsbury. These involved the supermarket groups demanding lump sum payments from suppliers in return for continuing to do business with them. (The Independent - 23/3/05)
Gagging orders have been slapped on dinner ladies from talking about school meals by one the UK's biggest cate