Dear … MSP
As your constituent I want to ask you to please support including a target of 5% of Region 1 land in organic management by 2020 in the Climate Change Plan when the Plan is debated in Parliament on the 13 March 2017.
Agriculture has to be part of Scotland’s mission to address climate change. It accounts for 23.4% of Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions,[1] and is currently lagging behind waste and energy in making significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
An organic target could support Scotland’s transition towards a food system that respects ecosystems and planetary boundaries:
- Research consistently identifies that organic farming uses less energy and delivers lower greenhouse gas emissions per unit of area and in most cases per unit of product. [2]
- A meta analysis found higher soil carbon stocks and sequestration rates in organically managed soils.[3]
- An FAO study calculated that emissions from organic agriculture could be 20% lower due to the absence of synthetic fertilisers. It also outlined the potential for the development of more resilient food systems through organic agriculture.[4]
There is increasing demand for organic food[5] and producing more of this in Scotland would support producers here and develop the local food economy. Further benefits of organic farming include.
- An opportunity for Scottish farming to be more profitable.[6]
- A significant reduction in use of antibiotics.[7]
- Supportive of more biodiversity above and below ground.[8]
The debate of the Climate Change Plan on the 13th March is an important opportunity to get an Organic target on the table. Nourish Scotland is calling for a target of 5% Region 1 land in organic management by 2030, I really hope you can support this and look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
[1] Scottish Government (2013), Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Gas and by Scottish Government Source Sector, http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2015/06/1939/314105
[2] Lynch, D. et al The Carbon and Global Warming Potential Impacts of Organic Farming: Does It Have a Significant Role in an Energy Constrained World? Sustainability 2011, 3, 322-362; doi:10.3390/su3020322
[3] Andreas Gattinger et al., (2012), Enhanced top soil carbon stocks under organic farming, http://www.pnas.org/content/109/44/18226
[4] Nadia el-Hage Scialabba et al., (2010), Organic agriculture and climate change.
[5] Organic food sales soar as shoppers put quality before price, 19.02.16 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/feb/19/sales-of-organic-food-soar-fruit-vegetables-supermarkets
[6] David Crowder et al., (2015), Financial competitiveness of organic agriculture on a global scale, http://www.pnas.org/content/112/24/7611
[7] Tracy Misiewicz and Jessica Shade, (2016), Organic Food and Farming as a Tool to Combat
Antibiotic Resistance and Protect Public Health, https://www.organic-center.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/TOC_Report_AntibioticResistance_FINAL.pdf
[8] Organic Research Centre, (2010), The Biodiversity benefits of organic farming, http://www.organicresearchcentre.com/manage/authincludes/article_uploads/ORC%20Biodiversity%20benefits%20of%20organic%20farming%20v4.pdf