WHAT DO THE MAIN POLITICAL PARTIES SAY ABOUT ORGANIC FARMING AND GM?

Ella's blog has a handy guide to the Elections and agri-food policy for the main parties.

Its' here

Did a quick organic farming and food food scan through the docs, and here's what I found.

FG mentions of Organic in their agri-food document: 0

(strong mention of GM and moving beyond 'idealogical posturing' on page 17)

Labour: 3 (though two are the exact same words placed into two separate locations!)

(No mention of GM in agriculture/food)

Sinn Fein: 6 mentions; incl 2nd para; A standalone heading called - A funding initiative to promote organic farming in Ireland. They also have a stated anti-GM in agriculture/food position in the doc (not done page by page, just placed on site)

FF: 0 (and No mention of GM in agriculture/food)

GP: 0 (anti-GM in agriculture/food position has a category. pg 32)

CLONMEL FARMERS' MARKET: QUALITY, VALUE AND REVERSING DONUTIFICATION

�You just can't get stuff this fresh � it was picked this morning�, so says Siobhan, a salt of the earth middle aged shopper at Clonmel's farmers' market. A massive self-serve bag of salad leaves, complete with nasturtium's for colour and spice, for 3 euros. This leafy vibrant bag is a million miles from the supermarket option: jaded bags puffed out with inert gas and binned 45% of the time, according to research.

She picks up a bottle of Happy Heart Organic Rapeseed Oil, the only other product on sale at the stall. This oil, winner in the sustainability category at the recent Bord Bia national organic awards, comes from Drumeen farm in Kilkenny.

Drumeen is one of Ireland's pioneering organic farms run by the Colchester family. It dates back to the mid 1970s, and the second generation is now branching out into what is an incredible tasting oil. Kitty Colchester's boyfriend Joe Moore runs the stall. �Its grown, pressed and bottled on the farm� he tells me proudly.

In fact, this oil is pressed every week, making it just about the freshest of all oils available in Ireland. And a snip at E6 for a half litre, such is its quality.

The market is busy from the get go, with a constant trail of people arriving, the occasional one by bike. Despite the intermittent rain, people stay to shop. When the rain eases off, they start to sit at the tables and chairs, taking in the atmosphere.

Jurgen the gourmet coffee man seems to have a permanent buzz around him. His Fair Trade americano is E1.70, which is a great price for what is a very well made gourmet coffee.

Joe Condon's organic Galloway steakburgers burgers have sold out since noon.

�I haven't seen a drop off in sales at all with the recession� he tells me; �my customers are buying more burgers than they used to, and less steak, but I sell out every week. I get a lot of people who used to go to restaurants to eat out once or twice a week. Now, they're eating organic meat at home�.

Condon's 4 pack of organic burgers retail at E6.50, which Conor Pope gave the top grade to in his pricewatch column. Its easy to see why: Condon has samples the day I visit, and the burgers seem to get bigger rather than smaller when cooked on the BBQ. �The meats' hung for 3 weeks, so it looses weight but develops flavour that way. You won't see a puddle of water run off when you cook them. People appreciate that�.

Because of this, it is difficult to even compare like with like, when comparing what you get at a farmers' market to a supermarket: �A big processor just wouldn't bother to go to the trouble I go to: it wouldn't be economical for them. It is for me because I direct sell�according to Condon.

Like everything else in Ireland, farmers' markets are feeling a pinch. Some smaller, peripheral markets have closed or struggle on. However, the bigger ones, such as Dun Laoire or Mahon Point, are doing exceptionally well. There are also incredible waiting lists for stalls, as newly unemployed people look for alternative ways to make money.

I asked a few of the shoppers why they went to the trouble of the farmers' market: was it, for example, health or the environment?

�I don't see a separation really� was the overwhelming response. For most shoppers I spoke to that day, these issues were one and the same; healthy soil, healthy planet, healthy body.

Others also pointed to the fact that actually meeting the person who produced the food was vital � �I can trust what I'm putting in my body if I can look in the eye the person who grew it� as one woman said to me.

Others again pointed to the conviviality of the place; �shopping as it should be�, as one twenty something on a bike joked, playing on the popular Supervalu supermarket slogan.

Bernie Lennon, local Green Party councilor, was instrumental in setting up this market. �We were worried that, like so many towns, Clonmel would turn into a donut�. I pressed him on this Homer Simpsonesque image: �empty in the middle, with a ring of development around it�.

But now, thanks in part to the Saturday farmers' market, the donutification of Clonmel is being challenged: in fact, the donuts at the two bakery stalls are playing their own small part in revitalisating the town centre, the producers and the consumers in this part of Ireland.

programme for government 2009: the organic bits

The commitments in the new programme for government to organic farming will be warmly welcomed by the organic sector.

With such a difficult budgetary situation, and the image organic food has, rightly or wrongly, as being somewhat elitist, the re-emphasis of the commitment to 5% Utilisable Land Area as organic was a significant achievement.

The context naturally worked well for the Greens who obviously felt they deserved some compensation after the local elections.

The shrinking overall majority, coupled with fear of an election also surely contributed.

Here's what the programme for government says in full on organic:

�Ensure the achievement of the target of 5% of land in organic agriculture and meet the growing demand for domestically produced organic produce by providing adequate resources and supports for the achievement of the target, with a focus on import substitution in areas where Ireland is under producing at present e.g. horticulture. Beginning in 2010, and rising in subsequent years, stepping up supports for the Organic Farming Scheme for conversion to organic production, Capital Grants for the Organic Sector and Non-Capital costs.�

There are a number of interesting elements in this. First is the fact that there are actually details: previously there was just a statement of intent.

The emphasis on import substitution is especially noteworthy. Focusing in on horticulture may, to a cynic, reflect the minister's own north county Dublin constituency, but it also represents a real area of growth potential.

There are many hundreds of people trained in organic horticulture in Ireland, while few have moved over into full time production.

The commitment to supports �rising in subsequent years� is eye catching to say the least. Indeed, the fact that all organic supports are back, having been suspended until now, is very significant.

These include the capital grant aid, which was suspended before the organic farming scheme itself earlier in the year.

In completely uncertain times, this element of the progrmame for government should help farmers who are thinking about organics:

"This firm commitment should encourage farmers who might be considering the organic option for the first time to take it a step further and prepare to apply for support in 2010", Minister Sargent said in a statement accompanying the document.

It would be inconceivable if these commitments were reneged upon in the upcoming budget.

There are other interesting elements in the programme from an organic farming perspective. The commitment to GM free is far stronger than the previous quite vague, aspirational commitment.

Not only does the new programme commit to �Declare the Republic of Ireland a GM-Free Zone, free from the cultivation of all GM plants�, �a voluntary GM-Free logo for use in all relevant product labelling and advertising, similar to a scheme recently introduced in Germany� is being introduced.

This element of the programme has received much negative press, mainly in relation to the price and availability of feed.

However, there are counter arguments. It is claimed by GM free Ireland that there is ample affordable GM-free feed availability. They cite availability from Brazil, where they claim 45% of soya produced is now GM free.

Indeed, they claim that � France imports around 500,000 to 600,000 tonnes of Non-GM soya annually, equivalent to Ireland's total soy feed imports for 2007�.

They go on to claim that while GM free soya is charged at a premium, the premium is recouped with a mark up for GM-free labelled produce.

It is also the case that farming in Ireland is less feed dependent that farming elsewhere: Ireland has a very long grass growing season. The potential to aim for the higher end, grass fed, GM free and occasionally even organic markets across the EU and further afield is certainly there.

This will involve a leap of faith into a brave new world of finding better paying markets, but that is a task surely worth taking on.

Here's an article I wrote on the recent farmers' market conference in Athlone

The recent farmers� market conference was an exceptionally positive event. It was so for a number of reasons.

First, it was packed. The event sold out two weeks before the 30th, which is never a bad sign. 370 delegates turned up, which leads to the next point: The range and calibre of the delegates. Those working in development (rural, agri-food, business and specific farmers� market development workers), producers and vendors, farmers� market organisers, some local authorities and politicians (including both Ministers O� Cuiv and Sargent) but also others less expected. At least, less expected until now: Insurance companies, environmental health officers, equipment sellers (from canopies to tilling), seed savers and sellers, researchers, journalists; the range itself was impressive. The stalls outside the conference area presented both great products and networking opportunities.

The first spontaneous round of applause came when Darina Allen asked the IFA to become more involved. After she said this, a representative of the IFA�s horticultural section stood up and pointed out that he was in fact present, had worked with minister Sargent previously, and himself and the organisation were interested in the farmers� market phenomenon in a way they were not until very recently.

The need for consistency from local authorities also reappeared as a theme again and again. According to some of the research done and presented at the event, the most successful single act of promotion you can do for your farmers� market is to have road signage. It beats word of mouth and all other adverts. Yet there is severe inconsistency in local authority attitudes to signage, ranging from fines for having them to funding to make them. This certainly emerged as a topic that needs resolution to encourage growth in the sector.

That there were some local authority representatives from a town without a farmers� market, pleading with producers to come and set up a market in their town was a welcome development, and a sign of how attitudes to farmers� markets have improved.

But there are still some belligerent and short sighted local authorities who don�t see the long term benefits of the farmers� market to the local cultural life and economy. One presentation compared the two northern towns of Ballymoney and Coleraine. The difference was staggering: Coleraine town council invested �32,000 and have people to liaise with the farmers� market. They now have 24 successful stalls. Ballymoney has had the opposite treatment, and struggles.

In general, the need for more support people to help develop the sector emerged clearly. Whether this involves managers who run and represent clusters of farmers� markets, or specific people employed by local authorities, a more organised and thorough system would be welcome.

The need for consistency in the farmers� market itself was also an issue. Having labelling (products details, prices, name tags) promoting the farmers� market in both creative and traditional ways (from putting one stall outside the entrance to entice people in, to sending press releases to the local papers when there�s news) and the importance of key products such as fruits and vegetables, fish, cheese, meat and breads all emerged as important.

The importance of training, from Teagasc to agricultural colleges and departments in academic institutions, also emerged. Training in sustainable farming, outside of the organic collages and training centres is thin on the ground, according to one speaker. That this speaker works in rural development and has some training in this area, which he travelled over to Scotland to receive, speaks volumes.

Certification of the farmers� market also emerged as a discussion point. Should farmers� markets be demarked as having a particular standard related to provenance? Should their support (as regards funding) be tied to this? There was both support and resistance to the idea. The UK certification model was presented, but some speakers felt that something like this certification would be easier in a place the size of the UK. It was also pointed out that you don�t need funding to set up a farmers� market - you need belief, initiative and a flask of boiling water, it was suggested.

Others felt that language was being misused, to the point that some consumers in some markets were being mislead about the provenance of the produce: Farmers� markets should be for farmers and farmed produce, not for wholesaling, otherwise surely rate paying shops would complain. This issue is likely to rumble on.

Rumble it will, but farmers� markets are one of the success story in agriculture, and one with a bright future.

Here is the interview I did with Green Party leader and New minister of State for Food and Horticulture here in Ireland, Trevor Sargent. It was published recently in the Irish Examiner's farming supplement, which comes out every Thursday. Nothing about organics actually, as that was kept over for the organic diary, which was published last thursday.

Oliver Moore: Being from Dublin, and with the Green Party having such an urban base�

Trevor Sargent: Hang on a second, are you labouring under the misapprehension? Aren�t you aware that half of the fresh produce in the country is produced in north county Dublin? There are also a lot of lamb, sheep and dry stock farmers there too. And, for the record, I�m not a city person - where I live is a serious food producing area

OM: So you have an automatic connection to farming�

TS: I do, also through my family in Longford and Meath, I would have been involved with farming during my summer holidays

OM: You also do some gardening, if I�m not mistaken?

TS: I do: I grow as much of my food as possible in a small suburban garden

OM: Tell me about your new role. What�s your remit?

TS: My responsibilities cover the development of the food industry throughout the country. That entails monitoring the food industry headings under the national development plan. The specific aspects include the horticulture sector, including plant health and organic production, though of course organic production goes far beyond horticulture, as the biggest growth in that sector is in livestock.


The early retirement scheme is also in my area. Insuring that farming has a future means encouraging young people to get involved in farming. This scheme can�t be made attractive enough, for somebody to let their farm be farmed by a younger person, when they get to an age when they could enjoy a slightly easier life, given that farming is such a hard life.


I also have responsibility for livestock breeding. A particular interest of mine is in establishing more abattoirs locally. Animal feedstuffs are another important area of mine.

OM: That�s a fairly broad remit. This latter area is an interesting one.

TS: It has an international dimension. Currently, we are relying on imported feedstuffs, even though much of our livestock is produced for export�we have to insure that these imports are of a standard to get the best market opportunities in our exports. So we need a full debate on the growing influence of the biotech industry in the production of GM animal feed, given that our markets are very keen to ensure GM-free produce. Examples include Co-Op Italia, and many others� Carrefour, Auchan, in the UK there�s UK Teascos, M&S, Sainsburys, Budgens stores. They all have high quality labels that require meat and dairy produce to be fed on certified GM-free feed.

OM: But we do sell meat to these countries, and these retailers you�ve mentioned are some of the biggest players in these countries. So is it that we don�t get to sell meat to them or that we are at risk?

TS: I think we�re at risk. Because at the moment, we don�t declare that the food is fed with GM. So it is taken as read that if it�s not declared as GM it must be non-GM. So we are managing to get away without having to certify it as GM free at the moment. But I�m seeing a trend internationally, where consumers are requiring far more upfront certification. In that regard, we need to be prepared for that. We have such a good grass producing climate in this country. We should be taking advantage, and insuring the greatest possible self-reliance in feed from our cereal sector, and making sure the supply of GM-free feed is assured.

OM: What is the current status of availability of GM-free feed?

TS: It is available. There has been a meeting between suppliers and the 3rd largest feed supplier in the world, the Brazilian company Imcopa. They were assuring farming organisations they have sufficient feed for the whole of Europe, should the whole of Europe decide it wanted it .They certainly would supply Ireland

OM: I suppose we then get into a whole set of other arguments, about GM, food miles, regulations in Brazil�

TS: Well this is the crossroads we are at. We need to capitalise on the high quality reputation we have, and that is to be found in guaranteeing that we are GM free. We need to both maintain and enhance our reputation. We need to look at what we stand to loose, not just the costs. We need to make the best, long term decisions. 15 dollars per tonne is the price of guaranteeing GM-free soya, according to Impoca. We need to also work at import substitution, to make sure that the money goes to our own cereal sector, rather than exporting the money. We also need to maintain our extensive production, so that we can rely as much as possible on grass feeding�it�s about playing to our natural advantages.

OM: What about the recent Teagasc report on GM, which pitches the cost of staying GM-free as somewhere between �7 and �42million, depending on the scenario considered?

TS: I want to meet with Teagasc, to see how they arrived at that figure. Because it�s very important that we take decisions based on all the information, and longer term contexts, and what potential we have to avoid costs. I think it�s fair and wise to ask those questions. Previously, let�s remember, we were all advised feeding meat and bone meal was a good cost effective course of action. We found to our cost that it was anything but. I think we should learn lessons from the past.

OM: Maybe it is the case that the scope of research Teagasc can do, while being good in its own scientific area, might not be able to take into account the market, socio-cultural realities and so on.

TS: Well I would say that (is the case), because the previous programme for government, when it came to GM, talked about taking into account both health and environmental criteria. It didn�t talk about taking into account markets. From an agricultural point of view, it�s vital that we take into account the market�. there are GM-free zones all over Europe, including Ireland�.

OM: But what about the legal status of these zones?

TS: There are ways around it. EU rules state that you need to prove that it�s not possible for GM and non GM to co-exist, before you can declare an area GM free. There�s grounds for that in Ireland�.Likewise, you can, if there�s an agreement in an area, where all the growers undertake not to grow GM, you can de facto declare the area GM free. And it would be, I would argue, in the interest of farming in the area to capitalise on their selling point in doing so. The fact that councils have declared their area GM free indicates that there is popular support for declaring an area GM free. There are ways around the WTO rules, (rules) that have been seriously influenced by the biotech industry, but I think people need to be able to determine their futures.

OM: You mentioned at the start that you were from a horticultural region of Dublin. What is the current situation regarding horticulture?

TM: In particular, they are the ones under the most pressure - so many of them are under so much pressure that they are going out of business. This is bad news not only for these farming families, but also for us nationally, because our food security is further diminished. Food and energy are intrinsically linked together. The price of energy is a large part of the food production costs. A grower in my own area, producing parsnips and leeks, has found that his energy costs have more than quadrupled in the last 5 years. And yet, he�s not getting anything more for his produce. He�s under more and more pressure every day to keep going. If we could reduce the food miles, and have more access to his produce rather than just depending on supermarkets, then there would be the option for him to continue beyond what he is currently doing

OM: So is part of your remit also farmers� markets?

TS: Very much so. There needs to be a number of measures in this job, to insure you are making progress, and the number of farmers� markets is one such measure. So I will be meetings county managers, local authorities, public representatives and officials, so that they will recognise that they have a role to play, to insure that their area has as many farmers� markets as possible.

OM: As you are aware, different local authorities have had different attitudes to farmers� markets ranging from positive to negative.

TS: Very much so, both your paper and your strong Munster readership have been leading the country in this regard. You have managed to create the association between say, west cork and gourmet food...

OM: But why is it that in Ennis they�re fined for putting up signs saying the farmers� markets is on, and in Leitrim they are funded for putting up signs saying it�s on?

TS: There is a clear inconsistency�so there should be consistency in how our markets are developed and advertised, notwithstanding regional branding diversity

OM: How will farmers� markets accommodate the very large growers in your part of the country?

TS: (These producers) are in many ways designing their operations around supermarket interests - to the point of just having one or two crops�maybe farmers� market can help these producers, if only in relation to market research. Maybe it�d be a small part of their sales, but it might provide a lot of useful information for them�for example, one thing that went down quite well, though it would be a small part of his overall business, was the selling at farmers� markets of Brussels Sprouts still on the stalk. That�s something of a unique selling point, it keeps the product fresh while people also like the idea...there needs to be some reaching out from the organisers of the farmers� markets; maybe to take delivery of some of the produce for markets from these farmers, and undertaking to sell the produce on a commission basis. There needs to be some way of connecting farmers and farmers� markets, and that requires a bit of lateral thinking�

Does what follows represent the beginning of the end of normal politics and the origin of some other way of governing Ireland?

Challanged by John Gormley of the Green Party twice, Noel Dempsey, Fianna Fail government minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources said on RTE�s the week in politics an hour ago that he would indeed join a cross party alliance to develop a strategy on climate change.

Were anything to come of this post-election, then this would be a very rare and significant moment. It would be a moment where the votes of the considerable majority of people who voted actually meant something. Usually, a standardized situation in Irish and indeed in most government formations always accrues. Most of the time, the votes of just-enough-people-to-make-a-government is all that ever counts.

In this new potential situation, this would be a bit like a national emergency climate change grouping. Whether it could behave like say a government department or a more standard all- party committee remains to be seen.

Gormley compared this potential new situation for governing on climate change in Ireland to the one currently in existence in Denmark.

It�s also the kind of thing Israel does for security/war � that�s show the potential for making big decisions that effect people, eh? If most or all parties in the D�il agreed to this, then government policy in a specific area could be made by most or all parties. This would be a mild dose of consensus politics, and it would also be a bit like how things are supposed to work in government in the other jurisdiction on the island.

It would also be an intriguing validation of one of the Green party�s classic clich�s: �neither left nor right but ahead�

The Greens could sort-of be in government without being in government. Here�s a new, less snappy but more substantial motto for the Greens: �Neither with the left nor the right but both at the same time, whichever is in government�. OK more: �In fact it doesn�t even matter, because we�ll always actually be in government now, at least on climate change. So, what else can we make seem so important that we�ll get another bit of that cross party consensus government going? Ah, doesn�t matter, everything is related to climate change these days anyway��

Housing from a green party perspective:
Green Party hold public meeting
'A Home of Your Own'
8pm Tuesday 23 January 2007

************

*************************

What: The Green Party is hosting a public ideas meeting on making
housing available and affordable in Dublin

When: 8pm Tuesday 23 January 2007

Where: Cultivate Centre, Essex Street West, Templebar, Dublin

Who: Ciar�n Cuffe TD (Green Party)
Green Party's Environment & Housing spokesperson
Prof P.J. Drudy ( Trinity College Dublin)
Co-author of Out of Reach - Inequalities in the
Irish Housing System
Bernard McNamara (Property developer)
Managing Director of Michael McNamara Builders, one
of Ireland's top property developers
Jim Power (Friends First)
Chief Economist with Friends First and former Chief
Economist at Bank of Ireland
Cllr Bill Randall ( Brighton Green Party)
Founder editor of Inside Housing in the UK, UK's
Housing Journalist of the Year 2000

Details: House prices in Dublin South East, Dublin South and Dun
Laoghaire are among the highest in the country. Green Party TDs Ciar�n
Cuffe, John Gormley and Eamon Ryan are jointly hosting a public meeting to
discuss ideas and solutions on how to tackle the housing crisis faced by
first-time buyers and others in need of housing. A host of experts will
debate the crisis and take questions from the floor.