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Hi there,

Commenting on the Soil Associations decision to allow a salmon farm in the north of Scotland into the Organic "fold", I found it reprehensible that the Duchy of Cornwall think that obtaining wild salmon from Alaska is better. How is this salmon shipped to the UK, by plane or boat either way the food miles are horrendous.

Well done to the Soil Association.

Alasdair

I cannot believe the item on the Soil Assocation's standards, which are probably the highest in Europe and indeed guided the formation of the European standards. The whole point about the SA standards has always been that they constantly evolve in the light of current knowledge. The Soil Association banned the use of mammalian constituents of cattle feed as soon as there were any doubts about it when BSE came along - and I doubt if many organic farmers were using it anyway. It was proved right. And there is a long list of other things in a similar vein that it has achieved. Ask yourselves what standards normal agriculture has, and how often they re-examine what they do. The answer is seldom, if ever, and only if a crisis carries them kicking and screaming towards the change.
First of all in your item the Soil Association was accused of lowering its standards, then it was accused of raising the bar too high. Its gap report has been reported negatively. That is nonsense - it shows that the standards are constantly being re-evaluated as they always have since their existence.
I eat organic as much as possible, always have. I know pretty well what has been done to my food, I know that every care is taken to advance things. I also know that I can ask and get an answer if I want to know more. Maybe not everything is perfect, but just take a look at the alternatives. This whole thing smacks of hostility from interested parties. It does not do justice to the Soil Association's admirable achievements in this, its 60th anniversary year.

A good if short report on how more desperate life is becoming for Zimbabweans. The policy of leaving it to the South Africans to sort out is a disgrace. Apartheid would never have ended had the world left it to Lesotho, Botswana, Swaziland, Mozambique and Zimbabwe (the neighbours)to exert pressure on PW Botha or his predecessors. Likewise, people should understand that the New South Africa faces enough problems trying to marry expectations and reality, without being put in a position where they will be blamed for what is happening in Zimbabwe by their inaction. A fraction of what was spent in Iraq or Afghanistan in response to 9/11 would solve the problem in Zimbabwe, and I am sure the South Africans would stand aside as a credible no-nonsense military force brought freedom and order to the most desperate and vunerable population in sub saharan Africa. Mr Blair should devote his last year to this issue, and leave the less theatening global warming debate to the tax trigger happy Mr Brown.

"tamper proof electronic voting", no such thing exists. Look at the tampering that was recently revealed to have taken place during the Bush elections. Bush won when he should have lost by a substantial margin according to exit poles.

Thanks so much for highlighting the desperate situation in my home country of Zimbabwe. Nearly 5 million Zimbabweans have fled into the Diaspora to escape the brutal crackdown against anyone who dares stand up against the ZANU PF dictatorship under Mugabe, which is to all intents and purposes an illegitimate miliatry regime. Top army commanders are now in control of every major Government Ministry. Our families are in danger and life is an unutterable daily struggle as your programme acurately portrayed. Kate Hoey once again makes the point that the British Government could do more to help support the struggle to peacefully and democratically restore the Rule of Law and legitimate government to Zimbabwe. How could we do this? I have several suggestions. The government could firstly stop once and for all the detention and removal of Zimbabweans who have fled from that level of brutality and let skilled Zimbabwean nurses, doctors, teachers etc work here. Zimbabweans are amongst the most skilled and literate peoples in all Africa. Why notallow Zimbabweans to stay until such time as the return to stability and good governance in Zimbabwe. Almost all the Zimbabweans I know are absolutely determined to return to Zimbabwe and contribute to the rebuilding process when a legitmate government is elected. Many of us support the MDC and believe it has credible and well thought out plans and policies, it has massive popular support and would have won a free and fair election in 2000 if it wasn't for the outrageous rigging of election, the scrapping of people of the voters roll and the gerrymandering and intimidation of Mugabe's ZANU PF. Let Zimbabweans stay here, keep up their skills and be further trained and educated. Let us contribute to the British economy and help prepare us for the eventual return home and the massive rebuilding exercise that will face us upon return. Further, let the British Government support the pro democracy struggle in Zimbabwe in whatever way they can. This would mean assisting such groups as are active and have a track record in Zimbabwean Plitical and Civil Society. Provide support to the exiled independent media such as the Zimbabwean newspaper and the exiled radio station Short Wave Radio Africa who are doing sterling work against all odds. Use carrot and stick and all diplomatic avenues to persuade the South African governement, the surrounding African countries and the regional powers such as SADC and the African Union to exert far stronger pressure on Mugabe. Push at the United Nations and the UN Security Council and specailsit bodies like the newly formed United Nations Human Rights Council for a resoloution on Zimbabwe and to send in a Human Rights rapporteur. Why is the UN Fact Finding report on the Murambatsvina bulldozing which left 700, 000 people homeless and stranded been shelved in Kofi Anan's top drawer? Lets push for the action that report recommended. Kate Hoey is right, we could so much more. Lets do it. Here in London join us at the Zimbabwe Vigil every Saturday afternoon outside the Zimbabwean Embassy on the Strand to keep up the pressure and let the world know what misery one man is causing to so many millions of ordinary Zimbabweans. Two million of them are stranded as beggars and illegals in South Africa. This is madness. If we don't act now, the cost in terms of human misery and the financial cost of providing humanitarian relief to millions of starving Zimbabweans will far outweigh the cost of acting now to help Zimbabweans bring about democratic and legitimate government.

Save Zimbabwe - MUGABE MUST GO!

TramadoL25813 is a porn site - are these posts moderated electronically according to certain disallowed key words in the text?