Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Carter (Labour). It was answered on Monday, 8 May 2006.

Food: Organic

Question: My Lords, is my noble friend aware that the proposition advanced by the noble Lord, Lord Taverne, was put much more succinctly in the old farming saying that organic food is produced by the combination of muck, mystery and magic? What proportion of UK food consumption is provided by UK organic food production?

Answer: My Lords, my recollection is that it is about 1 per cent, but I shall write to my noble friend if I am wrong. Feelings run high on the subject, and the noble Countess is not alone in being worried about whether pesticide residues get into people through the food chain. That is a concern. My noble friend knows more about farming production than I do, but there is certainly growing consumer demand for food that has been produced with minimal or zero levels of chemical addition during its growth.

Secondary information