National Organics Week
The 11th to 19th of October is National Organics Week.
Ask us for a 10% discount on your organic fiuit and vegetable purchase.(local shoppers only)
Events include: Composting, Cooking, Master classes, Seedling production, and Lismores Sustainable Living Expo.
Byron Shire Council is facilitating
a free film night & forum, Tuesday 14th October 6 to 8.30 at the Council Chambers. `Think Global: Eat Local' -A Diet for a Sustainable Society-
For Organic week events go to:
Just some of the reasons to buy organics
1 . Reduce chemical runoff and residues in drinking water, waterways and coastal areas. Runoff is the main cause of diminishing marine life, animals and plants. Approximately 30 000 tonnes of herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and plant growth regulators are used each year in Australia (OzProspect, 2003).
2. Restore soils for productive cropland and secure the future of Australian agriculture. Forty-eight per cent of Australian croplands have topsoils that are marginally acidic or worse (Land & Water Australia, 2001). Organic farming systems are based on the principle of land and soil regeneration and best environmental practice.
3. Increase the resilience of farms during drought. In the wake of the 2002/2003 drought 100,000 agricultural sector jobs were lost (Australian Government, 2004). Organic farms have a greater resilience in times of drought. A 21-year trial showed that organic crops saw a margin of 38-196 per cent greater yield than comparable conventional crops (AJAA, 2003).
4. Increase biodiversity and save disappearing native animal habitats. For decades scientists worldwide have carried out studies with the clear conclusion that organic farming significantly supports biodiversity (Soil Association, 2000).
5. Eliminate use of growth hormones, antibiotics and genetically engineered drugs and feeds in livestock. In Australia there remain 12 antibiotics that can be used as growth promoters. More than 500,000kg of antibiotics were used each year in the 1990s. Resistant bacteria such as Vancomycinresistant enterococci (VRE) are known to spread via the food chain (Collignon, 2003).
Avoid eating up to two kilograms of food additives every year. Many food additives have been linked with symptoms such as allergic reactions, rashes, headaches, asthma, growth retardation and hyperactivity in children (Heaton, 2004).
6. Ensure humane treatment of animals. Scientific evidence indicates that practices such as battery hen farming, and the use of sow stalls, inflict continuous intense suffering on animals throughout their confinement leading to acute physical and behavioural problems (RSPCA). Organic livestock is grown in a way that conforms to natural processes of growth and development.
7. Reduce landfill, which has greenhouse consequences. Composting and recycling of nutrients is a major feature of organic farming systems, which, in Australia, recycle hundreds of thousands of tonnes of putrescible industrial and other waste each year. Still 8.4 million tonnes (40 per cent) of the total waste stream consists of compostable organic material (1998/99 EPA Landfill Levy Data).
8. Safeguard the integrity of food. Certified organic provides a guarantee that product has been grown, handled, packaged and distributed avoiding risk of contamination of the product to the point of sale. Full traceability is maintained along the chain.
9. Capture C02 back into the soil in the form of humus. A 23-year research project shows that if only 1000 medium sized farms converted to organic production, the carbon stored in the soil would be equivalent to taking 117 440 cars off the road each year (The Rodale Institute®, 2003).
10. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by eliminating synthetic nitrogen fertilisers. Agriculture in Australia is the second-highest contributor of greenhouse gases (17 per cent in 2004). The Australian Greenhouse Office says that fertiliser emissions accounted for two thirds of all cropping emissions. Organic standards prohibit the use of nitrogen fertilisers (Cotton Research and Development Corporation, 2007).
SOURCE & PERMISSION Biological Farmers Australia (BFA)
