Rational Agriculture

The Soil Association, beloved of Guardian readers, has been on a roll for the last few years, getting token quantities of organic produce in our supermarkets (a tip: if you're in a hurry, go to the organic section, there's never anyone there, unless you shop in Waitrose) and hyping up the growth figures for what remains a niche market. Sincere as they are, it's always nice to have a laugh at their expense, and a perfect opportunity was provided today.

As I ate my (conventionally-produced, but cheaper and equally healthy) breakfast, it brightened my day to hear that Patrick Holden had criticised the government for not being prepared to vaccinate chickens against bird flu. This, from an organisation which bans all "synthetic" inputs to organic farms and only allows farmers to treat sick animals with conventional medicines (that is, ones which work) if all else fails. What next, a Damascene conversion to weedkillers? Perhaps someone could make a radiation-induced mutation (not genetically modified, that's against the rules) in a plant so it produces its own Roundup(R)?

The motivation, of course, is financial. If bird flu becomes a real threat, free-range chicken flocks would have to be brought indoors, which means organic producers would lose their status and ability to charge premium prices.

Anyway, the irony of this brightened my day, as I hope it will yours. For more, see Bird flu preparations criticised.