Fresh food growers and producers from developing countries, organic businesses in the UK and abroad, development charities, environmentalists, organic consumers and other stakeholders will present their opinions.

The issue of air freighting organic food is complex and the summit is expected to involve in-depth discussions on the issues of climate change, ethical trade, global justice and international development.

Anna Bradley, chair of the Soil Association standards board, said: "That over 100 people are participating in the air freight summit shows the importance of launching this wide and inclusive debate. Organic food production is much less damaging to the environment, so much so that it is environmentally preferable to non-organic UK production, even when the impact of road or sea freight is taken into account. But air freight changes the equation and this is one of the reasons we have chosen to put the spotlight on it. Key to our interest are public expectations of good quality organic food. The public concern most frequently raised with us is the perceived inappropriateness of air freighting organic food. This is a concern shared by many organic businesses."

Air freight emits far more greenhouse gases per 'food mile' than any other form of transport. The ability to air freight food thousands of miles around the world in a matter of hours has put a wider variety of products on our shelves all year round. It also enables producers in developing countries to supply the UK with premium organic products, creating jobs and opportunities.

The proportion of organic food imported into the UK has been falling steadily. A UK government report found that organic and non-organic air freight accounts for less than one per cent of all imported food. The Soil Association calculated that the movement of organic products represents a small fraction of this. Despite this, consumers have expressed concern over the cost this has to the environment. Environmentalists also highlight the projected growth of aviation as a serious flaw in the UK’s strategy for tackling climate change.

The Soil Association Standards Board is considering five possible options (though other options will also be considered). These include:

. Option 1 - ‘Take no action’

. Option 2 - ‘A general ban’

. Option 3 - ‘A selective ban’

. Option 4 - ‘Labelling air freight’

. Option 5 - ‘Carbon offsetting’

The deadline for the consultation is September 28, 2007.

www.fishupdate.com is published by Special Publications. Special Publications also publish FISHupdate magazine, Fish Farmer, the Fish Industry Yearbook, the Scottish Seafood Processors Federation Diary, the Fish Farmer Handbook and a range of wallplanners.

Printer friendly version

Email this article to a friend

Bookmark this

---