The Soil Association has slammed Asda and Tesco for not doing enough to promote the UK organic sector and asked the government to intervene.
A Soil Association survey found less than a quarter of the organic pork on sale in Asda was from UK farms. In Tesco only half the pork and less than half the organic beef was British. Only 19% of Asda organic onions were home-grown.
The survey claimed that 100% UK sourcing was possible: in Waitrose all organic carrots, chicken, beef and pork are home produced, as is all the organic beef and pork in Safeway. In M& S all organic carrots are from the UK and Sainsbury sources 96% of beef and pork from UK farmers.
The government has set a target for 70% of organic food on sale in supermarkets to be sourced from the UK by 2010. The Soil Association has written to Ben Bradshaw, the DEFRA minister responsible for organic food and farming, asking him to raise the issue with Tesco and Asda.
A Soil Association survey found less than a quarter of the organic pork on sale in Asda was from UK farms. In Tesco only half the pork and less than half the organic beef was British. Only 19% of Asda organic onions were home-grown.
The survey claimed that 100% UK sourcing was possible: in Waitrose all organic carrots, chicken, beef and pork are home produced, as is all the organic beef and pork in Safeway. In M& S all organic carrots are from the UK and Sainsbury sources 96% of beef and pork from UK farmers.
The government has set a target for 70% of organic food on sale in supermarkets to be sourced from the UK by 2010. The Soil Association has written to Ben Bradshaw, the DEFRA minister responsible for organic food and farming, asking him to raise the issue with Tesco and Asda.
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