Organic farming gains respectability

摘要

It seems only a few years ago that organic farming in Australia was considered quaint. Nobody could be taken seriously if they wanted to farm organically as it was on or beyond the fringe. Most agricultural scientists, aided by chemical companies, were adamant that if we wanted to feed the world we should stick to mainstream agriculture and leave all the organic nonsense to the 'tree huggers'. In spite of these concerns the organic movement started to grow. This growth was most noticeable in what is now described as the European Union. There was a further change in thinking by the early 1990s when companies such as the trans national food giant, Heinz, announced that its strategic intent was to become a global leader in the production of clean and'green' food. In his book 'Ideas For The New Millennium' the futurist, Dr Peter Ellyard, quotes the then Heinz president, Dr Tony O'Reilly, as describing an environmental oasis where the first goal would be to have 50 percent of the frozen food which was exported from New Zealand to Japan organically grown. That was nine years ago.