Issues

ENVIRONMENT Climate Change Energy Efficiency Organic Produce Soil Fertiliser Use Pesticide Use Fish Biodiversity Water

SOCIAL Fair Trade Social Audit Ethical Local Sourcing

ECONOMIC Internal Operations SAFETY BSE Lessons Hormones Antibiotics Additives

HEALTH Hygiene Health & Nutrition Animal Welfare GM

Sustainable farming looks at environmental issues, such as climate change and how our present agriculture may be contributing carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. The "flip-side" of climate change is the use of oil, which we cannot go on using at this pace for much longer.

Yet, sustainable farming is more than just the use of resources, as it considers social impacts too. There are massive social challenges associated with food production. Throughout the food chain, producers and workers find it difficult to make a decent living.

Sustainable farming must also include economic viability. However, economics is often "political" as the European Common Agricultural Policy comes under greater scrutiny.

At present: Energy use for the transport and handling of food accounts for 16-21% of the UK's total energy bill. Agriculture in UK contributes about 12% of the greenhouse effect. Fertilised land contributes about half of the UK's nitrous oxide emissions. About 250 pesticide active ingredients can be used in conventional farming and over 500 additives in processing - compared to 7 and 30 respectively in organic food.

Sustainable farming recognises the important role of labour and encourages the development of skills and improved health and safety of workers - as farming has highest rate of death of any sector in UK (Commision's 'Curry' Report p48).

The UK government started an Environmental Stewardship Scheme in 2005 to "deliver effective environmental management on the land". Click to find out what EU is doing for Sustainable Farming..