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Archived Weekly News  From May 2001 - 19th  March 2003. Over 2,000 screenpages. Search facility.
September Organics Awake - Potato powered computers - Socialists jailed for bin protest - GM in Ireland - Cancun, come and gone - Horses for courses - Farmers Markets.
August   Sacred Comfrey - Finding Farmers Markets - A Stolen Goddess - Country Smallholding magazine - Spring (Willy) Fever
July  Blighted, finally - Don't burn the chicken shit -  Is organic food provably better? - Archaeological Vandalism Tipperary - Blight still at Bay - Battleships for Beara - Clothes Encounters - Bill and Blair, the GM pair - Spare the Copper - Bloody Bloodstock Industry
US battleship The Sullivans anchors opposite Planorganic.com - see full story and picture Click here

Monday 3rd November 2003 
Oiling organic trade? Middle East Natural Products Expo - 2003. Is this the ultimate endorsement of organics? The oil-rich emirate Dubai is hosting, nay, even is an "ardent supporter and patron" of the natural and organic way. And at the  Grand Hyatt International Convention Centre November 30th - December 2nd, 150 organisations from 40 countries will be displaying their wares. So, If you want to reach an international market for your shamrock-flavoured, organic black puddings contact info@globallinksdubai.com. 

Dublin, rather than Dubai  Closer to home and a much more affordable way of selling those self-same puddings or whatever, is a show in Dublin next Spring. Natural Health Ireland 2004 - Ireland's Natural & Organic Products Show, 6th and 7th March 2004 is expected to attract hundreds of exhibitors, large and small, to the National Show Centre at Cloghran, Co.Dublin. With easy access - beside the N1 and close to the M 50 - and free parking - and backed by concentrated media advertising, many thousands of visitors are expected to attend. It's a first at this kind of show in Ireland for the experienced organisers, Nelton Exhibitions, but they are fairly confident of success. There are almost 140 spaces in the purpose-built facility at Cloghran ranging in size from 8 to 35 sq.metres. The organisers need to fill the larger display areas of course but they also want to attract smaller food exhibitors, particularly those selling direct to visitors during the show. To this end they will encourage the sharing of stands. 
If it works out, for two days next Spring, apart from being a showcase for the many elements of the natural and organic scene, there may also be the flavour of a Farmers Markets about the show. 
"Organic black puddings, a € a lump - the more you eat - the more you jump"  - perhaps?
To book a space, contact Kathy Cullinan at 01 465 1903. Email, naturalhealth2004@eircom.net 

Friday 31st October 2003 
Children First  Whilst the Soil Association has been spearheading the UK campaign to change school meals, in America, organic food for children has been exercising the resources of the largest organic consumers organisation, the OTA. Katherine DiMatteo, Executive Director, launching an Organic for Kids programme last month, said, "Choosing organic food is an easy way for parents to protect their families while giving them delicious foods and an understanding of the need to protect our environment. See www.theorganicreport.org

Markets in Ireland See the much-revised Where to Buy page for the most comprehensive listing of markets in Ireland. 
 
Organic Bites 
Ultra-elite British public school, Charterhouse, in Surrey, has dumped the traditional "tuck shop" and invested in a glitzy new cafe offering a range of healthy snacks including organic. 

Hospital staff and visitors at UK's Norfolk and Norwich Hospital are to be offered organic food in their cafe supplied by a local growers coop. Patients will still be getting NHS muck. But then they're sick anyway!!

Tipperary Organic Ice Cream will have to look to their laurels as I hear that Ben and Jerry's is about to test market an organic line. Relax Paddy - for the moment - the tests will be in California and Boston and it's still "A long way.....".

As I consider whether to re-erect my tattered 100ft green house and the €500 cost thereof,  Maherishi Vedic City in Iowa (sic) is contemplating a $10 million greenhouse to produce organic fruit and vegetables. When the project is complete they will expect two large, refrigerated trailers of produce streaming out per day - every day. Beats my ancient, Passat boot-load per day - and that was only in the high-season summer monthhs.

First there was Bionic Man, followed by PC-corrected Bionic Woman. Today we have Organic Athlete! Many of the elite, athlete-preparing trainers and centres have been recently switched on to what the bloodstock industry has known for ages - organic food/feed makes you faster, stronger and a better jumper. Learn how to breast the tape on a pure organic diet - without any worries about failing a drugs test (unless the testing bodies decide that flavonoids - of which organic produce has a greater share - give an unfair advantage) at www.organicathlete.org   

Tuesday 28th October 2003 
Welsh organic farmer foresees ruin from GM  Gerald Miles spells out the disaster that would ensue to organic farmers if GM was generally introduced. Pembrokeshire-based Miles told how when the Aventis corporation wanted to introduce GM crops to West Wales they said that "the risk of being cross-pollinated was as unlikely as a woman sitting on a toilet becoming pregnant". The Welsh farmer says the chances of getting  cross-pollinated by GM is not only locally likely but could occur up to 26 miles away. Does that mean that a woman here on Beara getting pregnant from a toilet seat in Bantry - over 20 miles away (as the seagull flies) is likely - following Aventis' simile.
Organic beef, pork and cereal farmer Miles goes on to say; "If GM crops come to this area then I will be contaminated. GM will simply take my livelihood away." See the full interview with John Vidal at -  www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1064700,00.html  
 
Blair would, if Blair could  Despite alll the damning information on GM food and crops recently, it is generally known that Blair & Co. still favour the technology, not least because of the pressure put on them by the pro-GM US administration. However according to Michael Meacher, ex Environment minister in the UK (for 6 years, until 4 months ago) it is likely that major decisions on GMOs will be delayed for at least a year. He said last week that with the gov's popularity rapidly declining it would be "an absolutely needless own goal " to go ahead with GM at this time. 
It is a sombre thought that we perhaps have the Iraqi war to thank for our let-off from GM. According to Mr Meacher, Blair's thinking now is that having gone out on an electoral limb for Bush over Iraq it would now be political suicide for the Labour gov. to press ahead with such a blatantly pro-US trade technology against the clear  wishes of a large sector of the population. 
For discussion of the shortcomings of the recent GM crop trials and what still needs to be done, see - http://argument.independent.co.uk/commentators/story.jsp?story=454758 
Interesting to remember that these crop trials only compared GM crops with conventionally-grown crops (not organic, which would have given even more devastating results against GM) and only on the basis of very restricted criteria, like weed-seed and insect survival rates. The trial on maize, which was favourable to the GM type, was only so because the highly toxic chemical, atrazine, was used on the conventional crop. Atrazine has recently been banned in the EU. Some are saying that this makes the trial invalid. No account was taken in the trials of cross-contamination, gene-transfer, threats to human health or damage to soil organisms.

Irish organic matters There is very little positive news coming out of the Irish organic scene at present. But there is one definite growth area -  organic conferences, surveys and exhibitions. You've just had one in Galway (see below - Organic Conference Galway 20th October), with new survey launched. Another, "independent" one, is scheduled for next April (see below - Irish Anti-GM site, finally, 7th October) and there's a big one to come in March next year (details later this week). 

Farmers Markets  continue to grow apace, at home and abroad. There are now over 250 in the UK and 3,000 in the US. For every € spent in a farmers market another one is generated in the local economy. In the case of shop sales only 15 cent stays in the local community. 
I will have more information on new markets (and old ones I may have missed) in Ireland later this week. 

Wednesday 22nd October 2003
Scandalous School Meals  In Ireland we don't have to worry about hot school meals and their nutritional content - we simply don't have them! We give our children their junk food at home or in their lunch boxes. In the UK however, hot school dinners have been around for over 50 years, initially one of the great aspirations of the welfare state. In recent times, cost-cutting in the service has led to centralised mass-catering, dubious ingredients and a drastic fall-off in nutritional standards. Consider this; official specification for a school sausage - 50% must be "meat" of which 3/5ths must be pork fat (jowl and God-knows-what can be included) and 2/5ths mechanically recovered chicken meat (you know what MRM is, don't you?), E-numbers and other additives, including monosodium glutamate, as long as your arm, rusk and soya etc, and of course water (17%). 
And what could you expect for a miserly 35p per child per day? The meals do not even meet the Dept. of Health's recommendations for minimum child nutrition!
And over 8 million children get 1/3rd of their daily food intake in school. 
What a waste! What a mess.
But change is on the way. The Soil Association, in its Food for Life programme is advocating, among other changes, targets for school meals of 30% organic, 50% sourced locally, and 75% unprocessed food. For details see www.foodforlifeuk.org One Food for Life pilot school in Nottinghamshire has changed to organic and local ingredients without exceeding the cost limits. Another school in Worcestershire, having simply eliminated 27 additives from their menus, reports significant behaviour improvement in children. 

Living Dangerously  Pat Thomas, the author of Living Dangerously - Cleaning yourself to death (Newleaf Publications €16.99) is giving a talk tonight at the Cultivate Living Centre in Dublin. She was interviewed this morning on RTE Radio 1, Today with Pat Kenny. She fielded Kenny's particularly hostile questions well. "What about organic cattle grazing under elecricity pylon?" he asked???
Cultivate can be contacted for details and tickets to the event at 01 674 6415. Learn more about them at www.sustainireland.ie 

GM stuff
Monsanto heads for the hills. The GM giant is giving up the ghost in Europe having seeing the writing on the wall in the UK.It is also trimming back its farm chemicals division.  www.businessweekly.co.uk/news/view_article.asp?article_id=7974  
Britains biggest farmer bans GM crops and food The Co-op, the UK's largest landowner with 85,000 acres, and with retail sales of £5 billion, yesterday banned all GM crops in its farm operations and all GM ingredients in its food products following a customer/member survey that showed a huge majority hostile to the technology. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3209424.stm 
GM Ireland Have a look at this site of the Irish Council for Bioethics -  www.bioethics.ie 
Apparently they are asking us in Ireland for our opinions on GM food and are also offering to co-opt "external expertise". The  working group on GMOs is chaired by a Prof. Peter Whittaker of Lancaster University. 
Go on, one of you organic/GM activists out there - someone has to counter the likes of Matt Dempsey of the Irish Farmers Journal, a member of the Council (otherwise peopled with scientists of one sort or another).
GM and hat-eating  Can't have been too far off the mark in my statements about the lack of coverage of GM issues in Ireland. I got an email from an Irish journalist a few days ago; " I agree the lack of coverage of this issue (GM) has been notable ... (it has been) very difficult to find Irish people here with coherent, knowledge-based and strong arguments against the technology." 
Volunteer to me, and prove yourself, and I''ll pass you some useful contacts.

Organic Texas Longhorns  Many organic meat producers in Ireland are put to the pin of their collars to make a living, what with static or declining prices, high management, certification and feed costs. But in the high, arid plains of West Texas, large organic beef producers are smacking their lips at the 20 - 30% profit margins they are making and are planning 300% increases in their herds.
Food safety is the main impetus for the increasing demand in the States but a local chef also says "the taste is delicious". 
The fact that McDonalds are talking organic burgers for 2005 is also giving the big organic ranchers confidence to expand.   http://abcnews.go.com/sections/wnt/Living/organicbeef031018.html  
Good to see ABC giving space to this kind of story. Up until recently they had been notorious in giving undue time and attention to the anti-organic brigade, and especially the Avery boys from the Hudson Institute.

Quote of the week "The commercial growing of GM crops will mean the death of organic farming and the death of the democratic right to choose safe food."  Jonny Barton, cycling from Scotland to London to attend the Tractors and Trolleys parade on Monday 13th October. 

Monday  20th October 2003 
Tractors and Trolleys roll over London The Tractors and Trolleys parade/demo last week was a resounding success and attracted a huge amount of media interest. Jonny Barton (above picture) was one of the stars of the show having cycled almost 700 miles from Scotland towing a coffin. The articulate organic farm worker was also much quoted in the press. 
For full details see www.tractorsandtrolleys.com and www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/real_food/press_for_change/tractor_and_trolley/index.html

Street Market Galway  By St Nicholas's church, this long-established market used to be on Saturdays only, but now, after a recent change of heart by Galway City Council, it is extended to Sundays, bank holidays and the ten days before Christmas. Sunday times are restricted to 1pm - 6pm. Licenses have to be acquired from the Council and are restricted to 100 only.

GMO reporting in Ireland  I have to nibble another little bit at my hat - there was a further item on GM stuff last week on Irish radio.  Again, it was Morning Ireland, RTE 1, 7-9am. Thursday morning last, Laura Fletcher interviewed the Canadian farmer Percy Schmeiser who from a celebrated case of alleged contamination by local Monsanto GM crops has gone on to become a world activist and an icon of farmers' struggles against the bullying tactics of transnational corporations. The 72 year-old has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars fighting for his right to grow crops from his own seed. The Canadian Federal Court of Appeal recently found that Schmeiser "had infringed on Monsanto's patent rights". But it did allow an appeal to the Supreme Court. That appeal will be heard on the 24th January next. 
The case will be of world-wide significance to all farmers including organic. "This will be the first time that an appellate court anywhere in the world will consider what infringement means on a patent to a genetically modified life form" says Steven Shrybman, a lawyer representing a coalition of Canadian groups that may be allowed to submit evidence supporting Mr Schmeiser. Search my Archived Weekly News  for many references to him over the last three years and, of course, his own website www.percyschmeiser.com 

Husband and wife fight over Planorganic  Making a change from people fighting mé féin over Planorganic, a Swiss correspondent has confided to me that Planorganic's News page is so popular in their household that she and her husband fight over the privilege of reading it first. The professional couple have a special interest in Irish affairs as they have purchased a country property here and are considering moving in the not-too-distant future. 
Incidentally, she drew my attention to an Irish news site that I hadn't heard of before - www.movetoireland.com which does an interesting and quirky round-up of our fascinating national news. Amidst the usual suspects of Bin Tax, Luas, Over-sexed Teens (but nothing of our "religious" perverts) etc it had the journo, "Scotts", observation about Galway "that women outnumber men in the malls and shopping streets by at least 3 to 1".
Sure aren't the good-living men of the west at work earning the dineros for their womenfolk to splurge in Market Street and Eyre Square? 

Organic Conference in Galway  The conference in Portumna, Galway, October 9th was organised by Bord Bia and as I was not there and haven't been able to find anyone that was at it, I have to rely on the corporate-speak Press Release on the Bord Bia site. Dirty work, I know, but someone has to do it. 
I'm sure you will all be inspired to hear that at this "first of its kind" event, Jun Ag Min Treacy launched the "first (of its kind?) organic census". Hopefully this will give us more information than the head of Bord Bia, Michael Duffy says they have already. Addressing the conference, he declared that "Recent research undertaken by Bord Bia of Irish consumer attitudes to organic food has delivered an extensive profile of today's organic multifaceted consumer". I wonder how much this multi-faceted gem cost?
Anther gem from the conference; Noel T; "Ireland, with its clean green image and generally extensive system of farming, is well positioned to attract large scale commercially minded farmers to organic production." The Noels may have changed but the hymn sheet, probably written by the same manicured, never-put-his-hand-to-a-shovel CS mandarin, remains the same. www.bordbia.ie/press/pr/2003/oct-9-organicsconference.html 
Something that might have been interesting; Vincent Cleary of Glenisk presented a case study of his family's company. They're really in the news recently; Glenisk was also featured in the Sunday Times 12th October. See Yogurt maker enjoys pot luck www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2095-850440,00.html 

Wednesday 15th October 2003 
Practical organic gardening information The Henry Doubleday Research Association have excellent practical information on their site. This section, an Experts Q & A page with an index, is particularly good for reference - www.hdra.org.uk/todo_now/faqs_index.php. And what to do this "Season of mists and mellow fruitfullness" see http://www.hdra.org.uk/todo_now.htm Yep, it's that up-to-date.

Coverage of GM issues in Ireland  In the past I have slagged the Irish media about their lack of coverage of GM issues. In the last week alone, I pot-shotted at them twice. 
Today (Wed) I have to eat my words - well, maybe nibble at them anyway. Morning Ireland (RTE Radio 1, 7-9am) did a 3 minute slot on their programme just before 9 am today. Monsanto Ireland's Patrick O'Reilly was trotted out telling us how we are denying the Developing World of a technology they need - albeit paying for it like a "television license"; Davy Byrne, EU Health and Safety Commissioner, told us that we cannot opt out if the EU gives GM the green light. The former is easily dismissed as the usual nonsense and corporate greed, the latter, by DB, is downright misrepresentation. Only days ago the bould Davy was forced to admit that Britain and, by implication, anyone else in the EU could opt out. See below, and any of the links I am continually bombarding you with e.g. www.gmwatch.org/archive.asp  

An EU commissioner with balls  Margot Wallstrom EU Environment Commissioner (yes, she who came to Ireland last year and gave us a severe dressing-down about our polluted waters) - is on the warpath again. This time the lady's wrath is directed against the very industry that our DB and the rest of 'em in Ireland seem to be pedalling softly on. Over lunch in London on Monday, she laid into US biotech firms; "They tried to lie to people and they tried to force it upon people. It's the wrong approach.You cannot force it upon Europe. But come on....it (GM) is to solve starvation amongst shareholders rather than in the Developing World (that they are pushing GM)". Would that we had her calibre here. www.independent.co.uk  - Tuesdays's edition.

The Long Ride  Congrats to my brother Steven. He was unanimously elected to the Longriders Guild for his great solo horse-ride from Granada to Penzance last year. See  From Southern Spain to Penzance on horseback!  and www.TheLongRidersGuild.com

Farmers Market in Kilkenny The nanny/police state tried to intimidate food traders that set up in the Grand Parade in Kilkenny city some time ago*. "Move or your produce and vehicles will be confiscated" was the threat from the Gardaí. Some did move, others moved their cars and just left one item of produce on their stands. One well-known local resident, American woman, Gipsy Rae, toughed it out claiming the Corporation wouldn't dare have her arrested. They didn't. The food stalls were back the following week and "great trading" was reported. The market is on Thursdays 9 - 2. 
*Thanks to my sister Elma for this news from the Marble City. She's an artist. Elma and friends have  being availing for some years now of the age-old right to trade in the city centre by selling their paintings "against the wall" i.e. the wall of Kilkenny Castle. 

Another stalwart against the bullying tactics of  town and county authorities on the markets issue is Toby, The Olive Man. He has lobbied hard for years for the rights of traders in town centres and won many concessions. Apart from his mobile olive stand, he has a permanent and very successful stall in the English Market in Cork. Toby has reservations about Farmers Markets, however, which, he contends, restrict entry to only own-produced goods. This obviously would exclude himself and other trading foodies. 
Does this restriction apply to all Farmers Markets? Talk to me. 

Leitrim Organic Mart a success  Hundreds of well-presented cattle fetched good prices at the mart last Saturday. "The time of scrawny, poorly-fed and badly-weaned stock being brought to organic marts is a thing of the past as each year brings better quality stock to the annual event" I was told by a spokesperson for the coop.

OOps! I almost forgot - the Organic Conference in Galway. Tomorrow? And the Tractors and Trolleys parade.

Monday October 13th 2003 
Farmers and consumers unite to defeat GM food. The colourful Tractors and Trolleys parade/demonstration is taking place in London today. See my article below Tractors and Trolleys 24th September. www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/real_food/news/2003/october/october_13.html Twenty "pilgrims" will arrive in London having made their way by various means from far-flung corners of the UK. Jonny Barton, an organic farm worker will complete a 700 mile, 12-day journey from Scotland by bicycle towing a trailer and coffin.The coffin bears the slogan GM=Death of Consumer Choice.
Another "pilgrim", farmer Gerald Miles (not Giles!) driving his tractor from Pembrokeshire, had this to say; "As a farmer I am concerned that no-one knows the impact of GM on our health or the environment. I believe planting GM crops on a commercial scale is not a risk we should be taking especially as consumer demand for non-GM food is overwhelming. GM crops, whether planted commercially or as trials, will inevitably contaminate both non-GM and organic crops."The eminent international scientist Dr Vandana Shiva will attend the event as will the instigator of the GM crop trials, former UK Environment Minister Michael Meecher.
But sceptics are convinced that despite the overwhelming recent public thumbs-down to GM crops, and the imminent, negative scientific report from the Royal Society, that Blair will find a way to allow their introduction in one shape or another.
* I was hoping to be there but....If anybody has news of any participation from Ireland, please let me know. |

Remember the Magdalen Laundries! Join the following new discussion group and support Justice for the Magdalenes. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Justice_for_Magdalenes 

Next (probably tonight) - The Organic Conference in Galway etc.

Bertie Ahern (Irish PM) to give up talking to swans and snails and "people hanging from trees in Wicklow" in legislative death-blow to the Irish environment.

Friday 10th October 2003 
Quote of the week It's not enough to have bread on the table - there should also be a flower. Ronnie Drew (of The Dubliners) quoting Jim Larkin on RTE Radio 1.
Correction The Californian Roving Correspondent has reminded me that I forgot to include the URL for the electric spud. Here it is - http://d116.com/spud/ 

Organic livestock market. One of only three organic livestock markets held in Ireland each year, the Northwest Autumn Organic Mart is probably the biggest and most successful. Drumshanbo, Co Leitrim, tomorrow. Contact Leitrim Organic Farmers Coop at 078 40868 for further information.

Fatal Harvest: The Tragedy of Industrial Agriculture.  This extraordinary American publication is the one every visitor to my "library" caravan picks up first. One German visitor, August 2003, did a review in English (difficult for her) she was so impressed by it; "...the excellent pictures are eye-catching and mind-mobilising... you get "a good idea of what the problem is just by the emotional effect that the photos have on you." Powerful essays in it but the illustrations are really astonishing. Full details on side bar of Publications page.

Wednesday 8th October 2003 
National Organic Conference will be held at the Shannon Oaks Hotel, Portumna next Saturday. The theme of the gathering is "Present Challenges and Future Opportunities. Contacts for the conference are, Aisling Gildea 01 6685155 and Cariosa Lynch 0907 61441.

Irish Seed Savers Association will be featured on Nationwide, RTE 1, this Wednesday evening.

GM crops not quite dead in the water yet  My euphoria of last Friday may have been premature. Of the three crops tested in Britain, it appears that one is to be banned, one delayed and one allowed according to information leaked (the report is to be officially published, 16th October) to the Independent on Sunday - 5th October, front page, Government prepares to back down over GM crops. It has also been revealed that the three-year  trials did not test for contamination of other crops and the possible creation of superweeds - the biggest concerns along with health implications - but only focused on the effects that herbicides had on the modified crops and the soil. 
One of the many letters following last week's Guardian aricles on the impending report.
GM is a war launched by the big US corporations in their relentless pursuit of profit and growth. As such there is little difference to the war launched in Iraq for control of its oil and industries. The only difference is that the bullying corporate army is led by Monsanto and Syngenta, rather than by Bechtel and Halliburton. I am not against genetic engineering. But while the sole motivation is profit, corners will be cut and health implications ignored. Our only hope is to scare the government more than the biotech industry is doing.So we are uniting with groups in the City and elsewhere, collecting names of those prepared to travel and slash GM crops wherever they are grown.         Hector Christie, Devon.

Insurance companies refuse to insure GM crops. Farm, the new UK radical farmers' group reports today that it failed to find an insurance company that would give cover for GM crops. Surprisingly, it was mentioned on the Farm News, 5-7 Live, RTE Radio 1 yesterday. Farm is organising the demonstration, Tractors and Trolleys next Monday in London (see below - GM in Ireland) www.farm.org 

Tuesday 7th October 2003
The customer is always wrong  George Monbiot in today's Guardian explains clearly, if chillingly, why, when all indications are that GM food and crops are not wanted in the UK, Blair is hell-bent on shoving it down the consumers' throats. Article: Force-fed a diet of hype - The verdict of the market means nothing to the GM industry and its government friends.  http://politics.guardian.co.uk/columnist/story/0,9321,1057589,00.html  

Organic Week Whilst Tony B. and friends are shovelling technology funds to the GM industry( which is likely to go nowhere), the organic industry, growing by 30% per annum, largely looks after itself. In an ambitious marketing endeavour, a huge amount of organic events are being staged all this week throughout the UK. Visit www.organicweek.com for full details. If you really got the finger out, you could make it to the Organic Bacon Butty Bonanza - on today at Bridport, Dorset. 

Soil Association head bullish on organic growth Craig Sams, chair of the SA, puts a very positive slant on the prospects for organic food and farming in an article in the Independent last Friday. www.independent.co.uk  

Sense and Nonsense  In contrast to the above, a lord of the realm dishes it out to organic farming in today's The Times (London). "The craze for organic food is built on myth. It starts with a scientific howler, has rules with neither rhyme nor reason, none of the claims made for it have ever been substantiated and if it grows, it will damage the nation’s health." 
He goes on to elaborate on these points. You've heard it all before, from Trewavas, the Averys, ABC etc, but Lord Taverne is a new entry to the public propaganda, anti-organic arena. He throws down the gauntlet to us all and although it seems like more-of-the-same rubbish, it should be taken on. He carries weight as chairman of Sense about Science and of course the organ he's published in is not exactly non-influential. The newspaper invites debate to comment@thetimes.co.uk The article, You have to be green to swallow the organic myth can be seen at www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3284-844810,00.html 

Irish anti-GM site - finally  At last there is an Irish anti-GM website. I spoke of it being on its way recently and it has arrived on schedule - www.gmfreeireland.org. Looks well organised and links to many of the right places (but not to Planorganic or the really good UK site www.gmwatch.org/archive.asp - yet).
Many pages still are "Under Construction", understandably enough. 
The expertise and backing behind the professional-looking site is the same as that which put on the organic conference in Dublin last May - Global Vision Corporation headed up by the ubiquitous Michael O'Callaghan (last I heard from him, he was making a film in the Atlas Mountains). Michael claims the credit for creating the site but does acknowledge "help from", Simon Boyle, Eoin Campbell and Alec Johnson.
Urging that Ireland should be no less than "the EU's GM-free biosafety reserve" he calls on us all - "politicians, political parties, farming organisations, certification bodies, producer groups, co-ops, food processors, distributors, traders, wholesalers, supermarkets, retailers, hotels, restaurants, environmental NGOs, government agencies, consumers associations, educators, students, and the media to get involved." (That's definitely us all - except the babbies).
Interestingly, the only item on the Events page is the next independent (i.e. of the three established organic organisations) organic conference that he hopes to run next April. 
Also, the only item on the Press Release page so far is the organic conference of last May.
I'm sure our friends at Monsanto et al who scuppered Ireland's Genetic Concern will have their legal eagles sifting through GM-free Ireland's site. Sweeping statements from Michael O'Callaghan like, "If our government allows the release of transgenic plants and animals, they will infect Ireland's ecosystem forever" may give them something to go on.
Let's hope not, and that this site will, as the sponsors hope, become a "multi-stakeholder network for social, political and legal action to keep the whole of this island GM-free."

Friday October 3rd 2003 
Quotes of the week 1. "Every sixty seconds, thirty acres of rain forest are destroyed in order to raise beef for fast-food restaurants that sell it to people, giving them strokes and heart attacks, which raise medical costs and insurance rates, providing insurance companies with more money to invest in large corporations that branch out further into the Third World so they can destroy more rain forests."  From George Carlin's book, Napalm & Sillyputty (check Amazon) on deforestation. Thanks Gracie (see below).
2. "Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly". Dalai Lama - Instructions for Life in the new millennium,
Fact of the week Over 25,000 tons of pesticides are used in the UK every year. 
Imagine a convoy of 1,000 trucks of poison bent on spreading its toxins on the relatively small agricultural area of the small island of Britain - and populations having to eat the produce that comes from that area!  In a sane world, we would be declaring we have found WMDs (weapons of mass destruction) at home and GI Blair would bomb the shit out of it!

GMOs could be dead in the water The worst news that the GM Giants have got in recent times was leaked to the Guardian this week. The paper's article yesterday, told that the forthcoming Royal Society scientific report (due out officially next week) will condemn two of the three chief GM tested crops as being environmentally destructive. This is the largest and most prestigious investigation into the effects of these crops and the rest of the world will be taking strong notice of it. The fact that the Royal Society was previously apparently in favour of GM crops will lend even more credibility to these findings. Davy Byrne the EU Health and Consumer Protection czar surprisingly conceded yesterday that Britain could ban these crops and not be in breach of EU rules. The anti-GM lobby is taking great heart from this and we'll hear much more from them as the situation developes.
Following the report recently of the UK gov/public consultation process GM Nation that showed in no uncertain terms the negative public feelings - only 2% in favour of GMOs! - this is another huge shock for the transnational GM food industry.
The Royal Society yesterday described the Guardian story as a "speculative article" but did not deny its contents. 
(I can't as usual give you the full URL of the story - some sort of glitch - but click on www.guardian.co.uk/gmdebate and that should lead you to it. 
Check www.gmwatch.org for regular updates.

In Brazil, this summer, a farm was confiscated bya state governor for illegally growing GM crops and turned over to organic farming. See The Ecologist, September.

Consumers denied access to budget supermarket The scenario; you are relatively poor in Ireland; you live in a remote area; you can't afford a car; you could save perhaps as much as 40% on your weekly spend by travelling to a cheaper supermarket. 
What do you do?
You get to the supermarket by other means. A bus seems to be a good idea*.
This is the solution some consumers came to here in Castletownbere last week. A bus was booked to go to the German budget store, Lidl, in Killarney, posters were printed and distributed around the town. The idea seemed good and the cost, €10, reasonable. 
But the phone never rang! The posters had mysteriously disappeared from the premises that had initially agreed to display them. One rumour circulating was that food-shop owners in Castletownbere had expressed their displeasure at this initiative to the displayers of the notices and threatened not to let any traveller on the bus darken their aisles ever again. 
One local woman, convinced by the rumour, was highly indignant. She said this was a denial of consumer rights and a blow particularly aimed at the more deprived members of the community who were forced to shop locally and thus more expensively. She pointed out that the better-off could afford, and did in large numbers, to do their "big shops" in Cork or Killarney - both about two hours' drive in distance. The local food stores are feeling the squeeze, especially from the Aldi and Lidl stores, she went on, but lashing out at the least-advantaged is grossly unfair and amounts to plain bullying.
The bus has been cancelled, but one of the organizers said that they were not going to take this lying down and would be organising it again "in a few weeks". 
The contact number for the bus this week was 086 1909193.
When I asked if there was any organic element in their proposed shopping expedition, I was told that, "in all fairness", there was a reasonable selection of organic food available in one of the local supermarkets but better value was to be got at Tesco in Cork or Killarney, especially in pastas, organic flour and bread, and that even Dunnes Stores now have good organic sections (Dunnes, apparently, are mentioning their range of organic food in current radio ads - Margo's influence I am told).

*One local suggested to me that I should organise a shoppers' expedition to buy organic food! Sorry; I'm already doing my bit. A large part of this website is given over to guiding people towards organic outlets and, in any case, I'm  too busy growing and catching my own. Which reminds me - I must go and smoke the 20 mackerel I caught last evening. There was an awesome sunset out on the water yesterday and the "pink glow" was especially mesmerising. Even coming home to my dark shore was magic. I know where everything is now, particularly the bottom-ripping rocks (my Zodiac has a "rag" bottom which would be vulnerable to a rubbing on the many coral-encrusted rocks but its sophisticated valve system would allow two thirds of the air tubes to be deflated and still get you  home) at their various tide stages and, making it even more amenable, the air temperature was very mild due mostly to the glass calm of the wind and sea. 

Scientific evidence of the benefits of organic food and farming- Click here

GM debate For cutting-edge information on the GM debate, especially as it affects organic food and farming, go to www.gmwatch.org/archive.asp  Subscribe to their newsletters for the very best of regular information - without any risk of junkmail.
Practical info on organic gardening Organic farming - the background

Comfrey, the ultimate plant friend of the farmer and gardener; fertiliser, healing herb ("flesh-bind" - "wound -heal") tomato plant feed etc. Search www.google.com for information on this incredible plant.
Contact me for quotation for cuttings by post at info@planorganic.com 
 Send a stamped addressed envelope for one free root cutting

Beta Maritima/Sea Beet,  the progenitor of all beets - grows wild by the seashore here at Bantry Bay. Can be easily propagated in the garden for an all-year-round spinach-type vegetable. Can send cultivated plants by post. Contact me for details at info@planorganic.com 

Organic news For a good summary of UK, Ireland and world organic news (but no comment), look at www.organicts.com. Click on left-hand bar or Breaking News on Home Page. 

Practical organic gardening sites:
www.gardenguides.com Click on Tips and Techniques. Perhaps also join discussion board.

Famine Justice? (New preface and notes March 2003) is a thesis I did on the Great Irish Famine, which, through telling a dramatic story about a community that  refused to take starvation lying down,  poses some akward questions about how our middle class ancestors  and the Irish Catholic church behaved towards the devastated minority of the population dependent on the potato. 

The Killing Fields - a few years old now and naive from the current Olympian heights of  cynical disdain, but my honest attempt to describe a vision for the future of agriculture in Ireland.

Organic rallying! See my son's revamped site, and in particular his Prospectus for 2004. www.rallyinsite.com  and check why we can call it "organic rallying".