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CAMPAIGN: NON-HARMING FARMING

© Linda Little

Intensive destruction of your environment

The problem with our intensive methods of farming is that they can be very destructive. Huge fields filled with a single crop and treated with a massive array of chemicals often have extremely negative effect on wildlife and wild plants in the area. If you have ever visited an organic farm, you will probably have noted the difference.

I once spent a weekend on an organic farm. We all went there in a coach, past field upon field of intensively harvested crops. A bird watcher in our group commented on how quiet it was. Not a bird to be seen. Quite spooky. Then we arrived at the farm and the difference was remarkable. The whole place was buzzing with wildlife: numerous varieties of butterfly (more than I have ever seen in any one place before), bees, birds etc. Suddenly, I was brought face to face with what we were loosing by our intensive farming methods.

Friends of the Earth (UK) have recently been looking at farming practices in Britain and have come up with a range of suggestions that could help us to bring farming more in line with nature. This, in turn, will make sure that farmed areas are not such hostile habitats for wildlife and native plants.

The things that they want to achieve are as follows:

1. A halt to all planting of GM crops until their safety can be proved.
2. An end to pesticide residues in our food.
3. A third of farmland to become organic by 2010.
4. Support for local food producers and food markets.
5. A fair deal for farmers who safeguard our future.
6. Moves to save our agriculture from unfair global trade rules.

Obviously, these are difficult aims to achieve, but let us look at how they might be managed on a practical level. GM crops are fairly easy to control, if given the political will. Companies have to spend vast amounts of money to engineer different types of crops.

At present, despite what anyone will tell you, there is no proof that any of these GM products are safe. There is equally no proof that they are dangerous. However, the dangers involved in going ahead with planting when they might be dangerous are out of all proportion to the problems that might be encountered in not planting GM crops. Most people in the first world would rather not eat GM crops anyway. Every survey that has been done has ended up with a massive majority voting for GM-free food.

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