The whole organic scam is finally coming apart at the seams.
Six months ago the absence of nutritional benefit was revealed by the Food Standards Agency.
The watchdog stopped short of advising consumers that buying organic produce was a waste of money but its message was clear: choosing to eat organic food will make no important difference to a person’s overall health.
This was all splendid. Now we learn the wider impact of organic food production on the environment.
Birds such as the skylark and lapwing are less likely to be found in organic fields than on conventional farms, according to a study that contradicts claims that organic agriculture is much better for wildlife.
It concludes that organic farms produce less than half as much food per hectare as ordinary farms and that the small benefits for certain species from avoiding pesticides and artificial fertilisers are far outweighed by the need to make land more productive to feed a growing population.
The research, by the University of Leeds, is another blow to the organic industry, which is already struggling because of falling sales and a report from the Food Standards Agency that found that organic food was no healthier than ordinary produce.
Organic farmers who shun herbicides may also impose higher costs on nearby farms because the weeds that they have tolerated spread to neighbouring fields.
Which is nice of them.
The most surprising thing here is a pragmatic academic, which is a rare species indeed:
Tim Benton, who led the study published in the journal Ecology Letters, said: “Our results show that to produce the same amount of food using organic rather than conventional means, we’d need to use twice the amount of land for agriculture. As the biodiversity benefits of organic farming are small, the lower yield may be a luxury we can’t afford, particularly in the more productive areas of the UK.”
I don’t expect it’ll make the slightest bit of difference to suckers who’ll only buy food that has mud on it.
Salon has an excellent article here.
AJ
Al Jahom's Final Word 
Potato bagging line in Lincs. (Video used to be on Youtube but probablt fallen foul of some rule or other now.)
All the large nice shaped spuds for M&S because M&S shoppers demand the ‘best’
Stop the machine and change the bags to Twatco and then Sainsburys not as fussy but still need ‘nice looking’ spuds
Stop the machine and change the bags to Asda/Aldi/Lidl/Netto don’t give a flying fuck about shape as they sell on weight alone
Stop the machine and change the bags to ‘value ranges’ All the misshapes and small spuds that ‘poor people’ will buy.
Same potatoes different bags and vastly different prices.
Grow your own assuming you have the space and the inclination.
Over the years I’ve tried a few “blind tastings” of various fruits and veggies and have never been able to tell the difference between the organic and standard types. Presumably my taste buds have furred over or something – or maybe there is no difference, now there’s a thought.
So I’ve long since stopped being conned by the “if it’s REALLY expensive then it must be better for you” scam.
IMHO anyone who stills spends/wastes their money in this way needs their bumps feeling.
It’s a truth universally acknowledged that those who buy organic foods are also great believers in phrenology ;o)
You’re missing the point. In a free society, customers are entitled to pay extra for organic if they wish. Equally, customers are entitled to prefer British pork to the Polish variety, even if no discernible nutritional or taste difference can be found. It’s about freedom of choice, do you see?
I’m not denying freedom of choice.
I am, however, poking fun at those tho collude in being ripped off, as is my right :o)
@Roue le Jour
You’ve completely misunderstod the responses. It’s only the left that want to ban everything they dont like/agree with/understand etc.
In the more libertarian parts of the political spectrum we accept that people can be idiots if they like as long as they dont cause problems to anyone else. If that involves paying twice the price for something then you go for it, I wont try to stop you…although I may well point out that you’re being conned.