Countryside,
Gardens &
Farming

Mark Measures
Herefordshire Organic Producers  mark.ecom@btinternet.com
Bulmer Foundation www.bulmerfoundation.org.uk
Institute of Organic Training and Advice www.organicadvice.org.uk

Suddenly the world is beginning to look a different place; the general recognition that climate change is really happening and that we live in a finite world, which we humans are severely damaging has fundamentally changed everything. It has made us wake up to the fact that the way in which we manage the world and farm our land influences not just the salmon in the Wye but the health of our people and the very survival of the planet as we know and love it.

Farming has always been central to human civilisation; producing food for others is one of the most important of human activities. Unfortunately cheap food has been a convenient strategy for governments down the ages to contain inflation, with dire consequences for wildlife, pollution, animal welfare and human health. Farmland bird populations continue to decline in the UK, pesticide poisoning and pollution incidents still occur and we are only slowly moving away from intensive housing of pigs and poultry. Food is of course the basis of our health. However poor diet has seriously jeopardised that health, aggravated by food which is produced by some intensive methods which has low levels of vitamins, high saturated fats and which have resulted in BSE and Foot and Mouth. And now we know that farming is contributing significantly to global warming.

Herefordshire is a predominantly rural county with a strong history and culture of food and farming. The iconic Hereford cattle are thought to have originated from the indigenous red cattle that roamed wild in the region during the Iron Age. In the 18th Century the county was described as a forest of fruit trees. The apple remains the symbol of the county and cider and perry production are still significant industries in the area. The quality of the natural environment attracts thousands of tourists a year, which is a major contributor to the rural economy, and it is food production which shapes the landscape.

Farming has many roles in society; wildlife and an attractive countryside, recreation, rural employment, and offsetting global warming. Recently the Bulmer Foundation has supported a National Care Farm Initiative offering new business opportunities for farmers to provide work experience and training for people with health or other needs.

You as a consumer have the power in your hands to do something about this, and this Green Links Guide will help you do it. Buy green and you influence where and how food is produced.

Food miles matter. The global food merry-go-round is a nonsense; as much pork is exported from Britain as is imported, 30% of the trucks on our roads are concerned with food transport, environmental damage and unnecessary oil use is the consequence. That is not to say that you can’t eat bananas or drink tea, but be sensible, buy British and wherever possible buy from within 50 miles of you through local retailers, farm shops, box schemes or mail order. You will reduce fuel use and be able to influence how your countryside is farmed.

The way food is produced matters. Extensive grass fed beef is healthier for you than cereal fed beef. Free-range chickens do not require routine use of antibiotics and taste so much better. Organic carrots from the hills around Herefordshire really do taste better than those grown intensively in sand around the Mediterranean. The method of farming also affects the wildlife. New grant schemes for farmers which pay for restoring wildlife habitat such as wetlands and moor land are important for birds and animals of the wild areas. Particularly important is the wildlife of the farmed land, the birds of the fields and hedgerows. Organic farming really comes into its own here as it not only benefits farmland wildlife and environmental quality downstream but also reduces pollution. Organic farming also has less impact on climate change because it does not use nitrogen fertiliser; producing one tonne of nitrogen fertiliser releases six tonnes of Carbon Dioxide. So buying local is good, but just as important is to buy your food from less intensive farms, those protecting the wildlife and certified organic farms.