Imperfect science of intensive farming

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jul/23/imperfect-science-of-intensive-farming

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The Crop Protection Association (CPA) criticises the RSA Food, Farming and Countryside Commission report, Our Future in the Land, for its absence of science (Letters, 22 July). As much as they’d like us to believe it, they do not have the monopoly on the scientific arguments.

Good science is a rigorous and critical process of inquiry: it is far from perfect, neutral and incontrovertible. It was science that gave us DDT, thalidomide and lead in petrol; and science told us it would be fine to give antibiotics prophylactically to intensively reared livestock. We know now that the science was at best “incomplete”, and it is fresh science that tells us that we must change.

We should therefore apply the precautionary principle more carefully, given what we know now about the misplaced claims of science past. Scientific inquiry can only ever answer the questions asked. We are now becoming aware of the impact of the chemical cocktail in our environment – synthetic chemicals used on and in our foods; endemic microplastics; airborne pollution; medicines in our water supply. We do not yet know the full effect of these issues, since scientific inquiry has been slow to ask these questions. But it is now And we should all be very curious to learn more.

The CPA argues that intensive agriculture enables us to use less land, sparing more for nature. Currently around two-thirds of arable production is fed to animals. Shifting towards sustainable farming systems that do not rely on growing crops for animal feed, farmers could grow more of the fruit, vegetables, nuts and pulses that make up a healthy diet, with pasture-fed livestock on grassland, and as part of a carbon sequestering, soil improving rotation on arable land. We would not need more land to do this.

Our report calls for a fair and transparent food system, because healthy food is everybody’s business; where farming can be a force for change, producing sufficient, healthy, affordable food for a fair price, good for people and good for the planet. We met farmers all around the country who are ready and willing to do just that.Sue PritchardRSA Food, Farming and Countryside Commission

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