Soil Association

A further application of the manipulation of microbial activity in the rhizo-sphere is their potential to remediate contaminated land. Bioremediation involves the u.se of microorganisms that break down contaminants. Radwan et al. (255) found that the soil associated with the roots of plants grown in soil heavily contaminated with oil in Kuwait was free of oil residues, presumably as a result of the ability of the resident rhizosphere microflora to degrade hydrocarbons. The use of plants as a means to accumulate pollutants such as heavy metals (256,257) to degrade hydrocarbons and pesticides (255) is already widely implemented and has proven to be successful. In some cases, there is no doubt that it is the plant itself that is responsible for the removal of the contaminants. However, in most... 

However, by 2003, the UK had 4% of its farmland under organic management. (Soil Association, 2003)... 

Figures for the numbers of organic dairy cows in Europe (Foster Lampkin, 1999) indicated that in 1996 Great Britain still had only 3436 organic dairy cows, compared to Austria (87 068), Switzerland (32 504) and Denmark (21417). By 1999 Padel, et al. (2000) calculated that there were 45 million litres of organic milk produced in the UK. From 2000 to 2003 organic milk production in the UK increased by approximately 600%, and the total organic milk collected in 2003 was 293.4 million litres, of which 62% was sold as organic (Soil Association, 2003).

From the organic standpoint, early lambing is the least natural , partly because of the length of the housing period for the lambs and partly because the easiest and most reliable way to guarantee lamb growth indoors is to feed either concentrates or dried grass pellets. These are expensive and can only be fed to a certain level in the ration, as defined in the Soil Association Standards. 

The Soil Association prohibits the use of organo-phosphate dips against fly strike and scab, mainly because of the undoubted health risk to shepherds. However, there are dips that can be used which are effective and which do not contain organo-phosphates. Flumethrin-based compounds can be used against sheep scab. 

Soil Association Standards (1992) Revision 5, Soil Association, Bristol. Stonehouse, D.P., Clark, E.A. Ogini, Y.A. (2001) Organic and conventional dairy farm comparisons in Ontario. Biological Agriculture and Horticulture, 19, 115-125. 

At the moment, Soil Association regulations permit organic pig producers to feed 30% of the daily ration from non-organic sources. This means that the organic pig producer has to feed 70% of the daily ration as organic feed, and this is normally more expensive. The 30% non-organic has to be from permitted sources. 

In 1952 a table bird of 2.0 kg consumed 6.0 kg of food in 13 weeks in 1992 a bird reached the same weight in only six weeks and ate a mere 3.8 kg of food. Organic poultry producers cannot hope to match these figures. In order to observe the much stricter welfare code promulgated by the Soil Association, they have to concentrate on a quality market and abjure mass production. 

Birds eat sufficient food to satisfy their energy intake, but this does not mean that they will eat enough protein, unless the protein proportion in the rotation is high. Protein quality is also important, the two most essential amino acids being lysine and methionine. The best quality protein for all poultry is white fishmeal (banned only for ruminants by the Soil Association). The best vegetable protein is soya bean which is low in methionine, but this can be made up by using sunflower meal in the ration. 

In Europe in 1996, the largest area devoted to organic arable crops was in Denmark (91000 ha), with Italy next (62000 ha) and then France (34000 ha). This compares with 4800 ha devoted to organic arable crops in Great Britain (Foster Lampkin, 1999). However, by 2003 this had increased dramatically to 44413 ha (Soil Association, 2003). Changes in crop areas are shown in Table 5.1. Of the total crop area of 4 515 000 ha in 1996, wheat occupied 44% of the area. The area of spring barley had decreased by nearly 50% from the 1988 figure. 

The supermarket needs to offer organic meat at the same level every day of the year. Hunt (1989) mentioned that, as a supermarket buyer, he had been approached by several suppliers offering one tomorrow, one in two months time and two for Christmas . Safeway required ten cattle per week. To fit into Safeway s distribution system, these cattle would need to be processed through one abattoir, which should be Safeway and Soil Association approved. He believed it to be unlikely that one farmer could supply this number every week of the year. However, the example of Chisel Farm (see Chapter 10) has demonstrated otherwise. Hunt suggested that producer groups be set up in conjunction with a central slaughter point. This, however, would create the additional problem that the producers and the abattoir would have to be located so as to ensure that the transport of livestock... 

Some sort of compromise needs to be reached. The buyer and the consumer must have the guarantee that what is called organic really is. So either the organic associations such as the Soil Association have to reduce their charges or, conceivably, the government may be asked to make a grant to cover this aspect. 

Similarly, the widespread and devastating outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Britain in 2001 may have pushed consumers, farmers and government to a more serious consideration of the humane and ultimately sensible organic option. Under the Soil Association regulations, organic farmers are not allowed to buy or sell in markets. This would have prevented the widespread dispersal of sheep, particularly, throughout the country, which would have made local confinement of the disease much easier. 

Soil Association (2003) Organic food and farming report. Soil Association Bristol. 

It is stated quite clearly in the Soil Association Standards (1992) that ... 

Fluvents or, more specifically, Torrifluvents. Arid soils associated with dunes are commonly Torripsamments and those associated with erosional surfaces are commonly Torriorthents. 

Kadria E., Michel J. Effects of salinity on toxic element transfers in soils associated to agricultural wastewater reuse mobility and bioavailability of zinc and lead for ryegrass in soils irrigated with saline water. 2004. http //Kuk.uni-... 

The production and consumption of organic food has increased rapidly over the last 20 years. In Europe the land area under organic management increased from less than 0.1 to more than 6 million ha between 1985 and 2004. It is estimated that more than 30 million ha of land are farmed organically across more than 600,000 organic farms, creating an organic food and drinks market of more than 16.5 billion (= 24 billion = US 32 billion) (Soil Association, 2006). 

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