Reader's letters - March 1

Carola Godman Irvine’s attack on organic food is wildly inaccurate (LEP February 27).

The UK Government and the Soil Association are of course not bypassing EU or British organic law, and it is complete nonsense to say that most, or even a significant amount of food that is sold as organic is fraudulent.

The Food Standards Agency, which has looked at food fraud in the past, has not found any significant evidence of fraud in organic food businesses or in the organic food sold by supermarkets and others.

These wild allegations are a serious slur on the integrity of hundreds of organic farmers, food businesses, and all retailers which sell organic food, including all the major supermarkets.

Having got that wrong, Ms Godman Irvine then attacks research which she clearly has not read.

The new research by Newcastle University, published last month, does not look at whether organic affects our health, but rather whether there are nutritional differences between organic and non-organic food.

After reviewing the results of hundreds of individual studies, the research found that there are more beneficial nutrients in organic dairy products and meat.

This follows a previous study which found the same was true for organic fruit, vegetables, pulses and grains.

The writer does get one thing right: it is true that almost all non-organic meat and dairy products come from animals that have been fed on GM animal feed.

As all the UK supermarkets pointed out last week, the way to avoid this is to buy organic.

The article complains that organic sometimes cost more, but the latest nutrition research shows that there are real differences in the quality of food depending on how we farm, and we learned last week that the organic market is growing by six per cent over the non-organic food market, so clearly more and more people believe it is worth paying a little extra for good food.

Peter Melchett, policy director,

Soil Association

Trade with a shocked world

Finance ministers warn Brexit would be a global shock.

Ministers meeting at the G20 in China warn of a ‘shock’ to the global economy if the UK leaves the European Union.

Meanwhile, George Osborne reminds us that the referendum is ‘deadly serious.’

You bet your life it is.

Only now are we seeing the true power of the British people and, moreover, why it is so important to keep us lashed to the likes of Poland, unable to make our own decisions, unable to make our own laws stick.

Bottom line is that it wouldn’t suit G20 members to see Britain great again.

Shock to the global economy?

It would be an even greater shock to Germany, and the whole of the EU.

If Britain leaves the EU, the whole credibility of the place comes into question.

Just look at the power we wield – to have the same effect little Russia would have to nuke the USA.

Every day that passes, it is becoming clear that leaving the EU is our best option.

We are a bigger economy than France and, without us, the EU would be much less than it is now and therein lies our power – to leave and renegotiate or leave and go it alone.

Where is our self-belief and why do so many politicians believe we are so hopeless at what we do that we need the EU’s rickety Zimmer frame to prop us up?

Come on Britain, get some guts and let’s get back to facing the future with confidence and make Great Britain greater still by trading with a shocked world.

Joseph G Dawson,

Chorley

‘Milking the situation?’

Don’t get me wrong – I know these are very difficult times for all local government authorities across the country, as financial support for their activities is scaled back by local government.

But we do seem to be hearing the loudest cries and proposals for the most draconic cuts from Lancashire County Council.

One can’t help just beginning to wonder, knowing the political genre of the LCC cabinet, whether it is milking the situation to some extent, hoping that the actions it takes might win future elections, suck votes away from the party in power nationally, to the length of the party in power locally.

However, if any concrete evidences come to light that any services have been reduced more then it is strictly necessary, I think the passage of votes will go the other way.

Neil Inkley, Walton­-Le­-Dale

Church Street needs shops

Having just read about all

the plans for the opening of yet more fast food places in the Fishergate end of town, what a pity Church Street (remember it?) wasn’t mentioned for a few changes.

It could do with a few decent shops, and a cafe where people coming in from New Hall Lane, by foot or bus, could pop in to meet with a friend.

A few years ago, Church Street was a busy thriving street, with decent shops such as Darlingtons.

I know the retail parks have some good shops, but not all of us have cars, you know.

Barbara Garrett, Preston

Americans left foreign power

It seems like the President of the USA and his secretary of state know nothing about American history.

They tell the British people to carry on being governed by unelected officials of a corrupt foreign power.

Yet in 1776, when they had the very same problem, they took up arms, and won the right to govern themselves.

We British must grasp this once in a lifetime chance and vote to leave this sinking ship, that is the EEU.

Long live free Britain.

P Ward, Leyland