United Nations Report Endorses Organic Agriculture

On 12 Sep 2000, at 12:48, ngin@icsenglish.com wrote:
Norfolk Genetic Information Network (ngin),
http://members.tripod.com/~ngin
---
While GM proponents continue to smear organic farming, a UN
Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) report in July of this
year concluded that organic practices can actually reduce e-coli
infection that causes food poisoning (the exact opposite of GM
proponent claims) and also reduce the levels of contaminants in
foods. The Food and Agriculture Organisation is the largest
autonomous agency within the United Nations.

The full FAO report is available for download as a Word document
from: http://www.fao.org/organicag/frame2-e.htm

Here are some excerpts:

TWENTY SECOND FAO REGIONAL CONFERENCE FOR
EUROPE PORTO, PORTUGAL, 24-28 JULY 2000
Agenda Item 10.1
FOOD SAFETY AND QUALITY AS AFFECTED BY ORGANIC
FARMING

[on - E. Coli contamination]
1. The US Centre for Disease Control (CDC) identifies the main
source for human infection with E. coli as meat contaminated during
slaughter. Virulent strains of E. coli, such as E. coli 0157:H7,
develop in the digestive tract of cattle, which is mainly fed with
starchy grain as research at Cornell University has demonstrated .
Cows mainly fed with hay generate less than 1 % of the E. coli found
in the faeces of grain-fed animals. It is one of the most important
goals of organic farming to keep the nutrient cycles closed.
Therefore, ruminants like cattle and sheep are fed with diets with a
high proportion of grass, silage and hay. It can be concluded that
organic farming potentially reduces the risk of E. coli infection.

F. Other Aspects of Organic Food Quality

2. The understanding of food quality has been expanded beyond mere
definition by chemical content, technical characteristics for
processing and storage, appearance and taste. Particularly in organic
agriculture, but not exclusively so, other considerations like ethical
values and production principles (environmental impact such as energy
efficiency, non-pollution, animal welfare, aim for sustainability and
social impact) are gaining weight as integral product values. In this
context, organic agriculture's contribution to cleaner drinking water,
e.g. in Lithuania's Karst regions, UK's environmentally sensitive
areas and Germany's water protection areas, and to higher weed, insect
and bird diversity or general environmental quality are positive
values that are appreciated by consumers. Quality issues are receiving
increasingly more attention in the public debate, particularly in the
Nordic countries and Estonia .

3. Organic farming enhances genetic biodiversity including organisms
living in the soil, wild life, wild flora and cultivated crops.
Organic agriculture practices recover indigenous crop varieties and
regenerate landraces with distinct quality characteristics such as the
Genovese mountain potato in Italy (Quarantina bianca and Cannellina
nera). ... 52. The "organic" label is not a health claim, it is a
process claim. Nevertheless, in view of the reduced use of chemically
synthesised inputs in organic farming, many studies have been carried
out to investigate safety and quality implications of the production
system. It has been demonstrated that organically produced foods have
lower levels of pesticide and veterinary drug residues and, in many
cases, lower nitrate contents. Animal feeding practices followed in
organic livestock production, also lead to a reduction in
contamination of food products of animal origin. In addition, the
"organic" label provides assurance to consumers that no food
ingredient has been subject to irradiation and that GMOs have been
excluded. ...

4. Considering the potential environmental benefit of organic production,
its suitability for the integrative role of agriculture in rural development
and its aptness to current farming input and production levels in many
CEE and CIS countries, organic agriculture should be considered as a
development vehicle in the sub-region. The FAO Committee on
Agriculture agreed in 1999 that properly managed organic farming
contributes to sustainable agriculture and therefore organic agriculture
has a legitimate place within sustainable agriculture programmes.