Clean and green is good, but organic is better

IN his column, Ivan Yates (Opinion, October 13) is right to focus on “clean, green” food production.

Ireland is in a unique position to supply premium fresh whole foods to the European market.

But he omits the production of organic food, and he omits the immense potential of permaculture, both of which enhance biodiversity, and improve soil fertility, year on year, without the need for NPK inputs, pesticides and herbicides that drive costs for farmers upwards, as they are based on non-renewable resources, which is why farming is always being driven to reduce man-power, to cut those costs.

Surely it is better, in the long term, to have more people working on the land, producing premium green foods, earning an income from work that is nurturing and worthy, instead of spending it on those artificial and proven-to-be-toxic inputs.

Traces of pesticides and herbicides are found in foetuses where such practices prevail — to profit huge multi-national corporations.

Corneilius Crowley

Sherwood Road,

South Harrow, HA2 8AW

England