Organic food will only be flown to the UK it passes fair trade test

Organic food that is flown into the UK will only certified if it brings real benefits for farmers in developing countries, according to proposals from the Soil Association.

The Soil Association’s Standards Board is proposing that in future air freighted organic food will have to meet the Soil Association’s own Ethical Trade standards or the Fairtrade Foundation’s standards.

The new air freight standards will also require licensees to develop plans for reducing any remaining dependence on air freight.

The details of the proposal will be open to further consultation during 2008, and will begin to take effect from January 2009.

Less than 1% of organic imports come to the UK by air. However, 80% of air freighted organic produce coming into the UK is grown in low or lower-middle income countries.

Anna Bradley, chair of the Soil Association’s Standards Board said:  “It is neither sustainable nor responsible to encourage poorer farmers to be reliant on air freight, but we recognise that building alternative markets that offer the same social and economic benefits as organic exports will take time.

“Therefore, the Soil Association will be doing all it can to encourage farmers in developing countries to create and build organic markets that do not depend on air freight.

Peter Melchett, Soil Association policy director added:  “This far-reaching consultation supports our view that it is right to continue to allow some organic air freight, but only with these new and demanding requirements.

“We know from experience in more than one developing country that building organic production on the basis of exports can be an effective way of developing a much more sustainable local market for organic food. 

“There’s no doubt that encouraging organic farming brings very significant environmental and human health benefits for local people – latest UN statistics show a shocking 60 million people in developing countries suffer pesticide poisoning incidents each year thanks to non-organic agriculture.”

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