Why has the government produced an action plan to boost organic farming?
At the moment, the UK imports 75% of the organic food we consume. That means domestic production needs help so that British producers can benefit from a rapidly expanding market for organic food. Also, the purpose of the organic movement is not simply to make sure food is free of chemicals or GM ingredients, but to decrease the distance between the farm and the fork. That will not happen while we keep eating organic beans from Kenya rather than Kent. What does the government plan to do? There will be increased payments to organic farmers, a £5m five-year research fund, and an attempt to expand the UK market for organic food by encouraging public sector consumers like schools and hospitals to buy UK organic food. Supermarkets will also be brought in to make organic farming more secure and profitable for UK producers. Why does the UK import so much of its organic food? Part of it is simple geography: Tesco will never be able to source a decent organic mango from Yorkshire. However the go
