| What
is organic?
Organic refers to the way agricultural
products - food and fibre - are grown and
processed. Organic food production is based on a system of
farming that maintains and replenishes soil fertility without
the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers.
Organic foods are minimally processed without artificial ingredients,
preservatives, or irradiation to maintain
the integrity of food. |
|
What
is organic farming?
Organic farming differs from
other farming systems in a number of ways. It favours
renewable resources and recycling, returning to the soil the
nutrients found in waste products. Where livestock is concerned,
meat and poultry production is regulated with particular concern
for animal welfare and by using naturaal foodstuffs.
Organic farming respects the environment's |
|
own
systems for controlling pests and disease in raising crops and
livestock and avoids
the use
of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilisers, growth
hormones, antibiotics or gene manipulation. Instead organic
farmers use a range of techniques that help
sustain ecosystem and reduce pollution. Is there
an official definition of "Organic". |
|
The
following excerpt is from the definition of "Organic"
that the National Organic Standards
Board adopted in April 1995: "Organic agriculture
is an ecological production management system that promotes
and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological
acivity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on
management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological
harmony. |
