Network rejects Labour Dept attack

Press, 9 October 1987, Page 3

Network rejects Labour Dept attack

By OLIVER RIDDELL in Wellington The Pesticide Action Network rejects Labour Department criticisms of organic gardening courses being run by the Christchurch Polytechnic. ' Thousands of dollars of taxpayers’ money had been used on the courses about which department staff said they were now having “nagging doubts.” A department evaluation report had criticised the results of several organic gardening courses that had been budgeted to cost the Canterbury Regional Employment and Access Council more than $llO,OOO. It took “a large degree of imagination,” the report said, to see the sustainable ecosystems courses run by the Christchurch Polytechnic as either training for employment or towards self-sufficiency. The network replied that the department was out of touch with moves by the Ministry of Agriculture to promote organic growing. The Ministry had made a policy decision to develop and promote organicallygrown food. Dr Jo Springett, a Ministry scientist, had said that a tremendous opportunity had been missed unless New Zealand recognised overseas demand for organic food and that if 10 to 15 per cent of New Zealand produce could be labelled “organic” it. would have a value of $lOOO million by 1990. Labour Department comments were extremely short-sighted, said the network’s coordinator, Ms Carol Painter. If demand for organi-cally-grown food both nationally and internationally continued to increase, then people with a practical knowledge of organic growing — such as being trained at Christchurch Polytechnic — would be in demand.