Organic vs Fairtrade vs Local?

martinpike

You got any support for these statements Voyager?

I'm not suggesting you're wrong, I'm genuinely interested in the issue.

Debt_Free_Chick

"Sugar beet is an important crop of arable rotations throughout the major growing regions of the UK. Commonly grown in conjunction with wheat, barley or pulses, sugar beet provides a valuable break crop returning organic matter to the soil and preventing the build up of disease. The root of the beet has a sugar content of around 17% and in the UK provides over half of the sugar we use. The balance comes from sugar cane that grows in tropical and semi-torpical regions of the world."

From UK Agriculture a "not for profit" company that is Limited by Guarantee that has been established specifically:

• To advance the education of the public in all aspects of agriculture,
  the countryside and the rural economy.
  
  
• To promote greater public understanding of the role of agriculture
  in the countryside.
  
  
• To conserve and protect for the benefit of the public the
  countryside as a whole.

martinpike

And so the merry go round begins.

Here's what Oxfam have to say.

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/what_we_do/issues/trade/bp27_sugar.htm

Personally, I note what UK Agriculture have to say, but they are silent on the 'bigger picture' stuff.

Hereward

Although the OxFam articel is interesting, it dates back to August 2002, which, if memory serves me correctly, is before that CAP was reviewed. The article just highlights the problem with the CAP subsidies, but does not mention the differences between the two competing crops.Sugar cane is a highly labour intensive crop, which brings much needed employement to the developing world; hence the reason I purchase fairtrade sugar when I cannot obtain Silver Spoon. I like to purchase Silver Spoon sugar becasue it helpd the farmers in my local area, and as I live in a rural environment that very important to me.

Debt_Free_Chick

Voyager2002 wrote:

I don't see the logic for this.

Sugar beet requires large quantities of pesticides, and arguably is a crop that would not be grown at all if we had any respect for our environment. Sugar cane is generally grown in ways that are far less harmful to the environment.

I too would be interested in some evidence for this statement.

Furthermore, (cane) sugar production is an important way for rural people in developing countries to earn much-needed incomes.

Our farmers are hardly rolling in it. Ignore the big conglomerates undertaking "agriculture" and look at the facts as they relate to the typical family farm.

This research from the Royal Agricultural Society is bang up to date, having recently been presented to the Royal Show.

"Income:

Total income from farming has fallen by two-thirds in real terms during the three decades since 1973.This fall in Total Income From Farming (TIFF) has been particularly pronounced since 1995, with a real decline of 63% decline in a decade. In the last year alone, a decrease of 11% in TIFF occurred due to low wages and input price increases. At present some 25% of farms have a net income less than zero.

Salary: At present the average salary of agricultural workers (full time equivalent) in the UK is just £12,500, almost £10,000 lower than the UK national average of £22,411"

I object to the way that we in the UK subsidise the unsustainable production of sugar-beet, thus depriving them of an important market.

Yes, we need to put our own house in order first. Unless we are prepared to write off food production in our own country and rely wholly on imports. The smallholders and farmers markets cannot sustain much of the population, so we need to support our farmers.

Debt_Free_Chick

martinpike wrote:

And so the merry go round begins.

Here's what Oxfam have to say.

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/what_we_do/issues/trade/bp27_sugar.htm

Personally, I note what UK Agriculture have to say, but they are silent on the 'bigger picture' stuff.

Although that report relates to the EU as a whole, with France & Germany producing far, far more sugar than the UK. I don't deny that the system is far from perfect and I'm not interested in defending British Sugar which falls into what I call "agri-conglomerates".

British Sugar is not representative of the methods - or the income - of the average British Farmer.

SusanCarter

Hereward wrote:

Why do you buy your sugar from further field, I assume you mean abroad? Were ever possible I try to by Silver Spoon, from British Sugar, as I know that the food miles are low (I have an advantage as British Sugar have a lot of Factories near me and the local farmers provide the sugar beet). If this is not available I try to by fairtrade sugar, but as this is imported it has food miles and tends to be made from sugar cane, which I believe is more harmful to the environment than sugar beet.

Thank you, I did not know that sugar was produced in this country: I thought it was all imported.

Now I just need a British tea plantation...

SusanCarter

Oh dear! I seem to have started a huge debate about sugar.:eek:

I wonder if any of the mods can "demerge" the sugar debate to help keep the thread on topic?

Debt_Free_Chick

SusanCarter wrote:

Oh dear! I seem to have started a huge debate about sugar.:eek:

I wonder if any of the mods can "demerge" the sugar debate to help keep the thread on topic?

I don't think it's a problem Others will either comment on your post or comment on another one.

Or they'll just go to the Supermarket for some Kenyan beans

SusanCarter

Incidentally, I was thinking through the topic of buying from local shops and about the difference between local retailers and local producers. I figure that buying from a local retailer is probably better than buying from a big supermarket even if they get their produce from the same place.

For example. In a village there is a small shop. Ten miles away there is a large town with a big supermarket. They both get their produce from the same wholesaler who is ten miles closer to the supermarket. For a person living in the village, the food has travelled just as far which ever shop they use. However, if we compare the pollution caused by say 50 seperate people going the extra miles to the big supermarket with the pollution caused by a big lorry bringing the same amount of produce to the small shop, the difference could be quite significant.

Another thought in terms of being ethical is that some people may depend on the small shop. If those of us who can reach the big supermarket don't use the little shop, it may go out of business making life very difficult for those people who do not have the means/ability to travel.

Just thoughts for discussion: I'm not necessarily right.

Edit: BTW, the example is not real - I just made it up.