Examination of Witnesses (Questions 320
- 322)
WEDNESDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2007
Mr Murray Sherwin
Q320 Viscount Brookeborough:
What is the level of your organic food production? Has it gone
up as a result of farming reforms? Secondly, you talk about these
pine trees: what proportion of your temporary seed is pine trees
and are you perhaps in danger of getting hooked on a single species,
like we seem to be on Sitka Spruce? If they do get a disease,
we have really had it?
Mr Sherwin: The proportion of our forestry coming
from that one species is very high, over 90%. It is an issue.
It is fine while it is successful but that will need to move on.
Organics: I do not have a number; it is relatively small but growing,
and again growing in response to market demands. Not only is the
organic sector growing but what we are seeing, particularly in
horticulture, is a move to not fully organic but zero detectible
residues, and so much more attention to not limiting themselves
to not using some chemicals but being very cautious about when
they use them and how frequently they use them and integrated
pest management, trying to build an ecology in the orchard, for
instance, which recognises that there are particular pests present
but in balance, if you like, rather than nuking the orchard with
a bug killer and then having whatever happens to re-establish
first dominate and drive a demand for continually re-spraying.
They try to keep those sprays right down. As I said, the target
for those producers is zero detectible residues.
Q321 Chairman:
I will give you the opportunity if you think that there is something
that we have missed that you really want to say, now is the time.
Mr Sherwin: No, that has been very comprehensive.
I very much appreciate the time that you have given to us. We
have enjoyed the discussion.
Q322 Chairman:
I was going to say: now that you have seen us in the flesh, do
you really want to take photographs?
Mr Sherwin: It is not often that a small boy
from the colonies gets to appear at the House of Lords. It would
be a pity not to have some record of it for the family album.
Chairman: Thank you very much indeed. That was
very refreshing.
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