Soil Association

The Soil Association "was founded in 1946 by a group of farmers, scientists and nutritionists who observed a direct connection between farming practice and plant, animal, human and environmental health. Today the Soil Association is the UK's leading organic organisation, with over 200 staff based in Bristol and Edinburgh and working as certification inspectors across the country. The Soil Association's previous director was Patrick Holden; current director is Helen Browning who reports to the Council of Trustees." Prince Charles is a Patron to the Soil Association, a relationship he has with over 400 organizations.

Founders
"Almost all the important figures in the organic movement were Soil Association members. Its first Council included Sir Bernard Greenwell's son Sir Peter, Richard de la Mare, Scott Williamson and Innes Pearse of the Pioneer Health Centre, and Lord Sempill. On its first Advisory Panel were Laurence Easterbrook, M.C. Rayner, Friend Sykes and Roy Wilson. In subsequent years Kenneth Barlow, Rolf Gardiner, H.J. Massingham, Lord Portsmouth, Lionel Picton. Richard St Barbe Baker, Maye Bruce, Newman Turner and Lady Howard were members either of the Council or the Panel. Two names are conspicuous by their absence: Sir Albert Howard and Sir George Stapledon. Howard believed that the decision to take over the experiment at Haughley was mistaken, since it could not be made scientifically watertight without huge financial costs. Stapledon was a member of the Association's Scientific Management Committee, which appointed independent observers of the Haughley experiment." (Sir Peter Greenwell)

First Elected Council

 * Lord Teviot – presidents
 * C.Donald Wilson – secretary
 * Henry Deck – treasurer
 * Lady Eve Balfour – organizing secretary
 * Maye Bruce
 * Laurence Easterbrook
 * Richard de la Mare
 * Innes Pearse
 * Lord Portsmouth
 * George Scott-Williamson
 * Dr Breen
 * Jorian Jenks – editorial secretary

Soil Association 2010 Report: Consider Growing Organic Food in Toxic Sewage Sludge
On November 29, 2010, the Soil Association issued a major report authored by Dr. Isobel Tomlinson titled "A rock and a hard place: Peak phosphorus and the threat to our food security." . On page 3 the report advocated that the ban on using toxic sewage sludge for growing organic food be reconsidered. It stated: "In the UK, the majority of treated sewage sludge (biosolids) is returned to land.  At present time EU organic regulations prohibit the use of such biosolids due to historical concerns about the toxic effects of heavy metals...  Heavy metal levels have declined in recent years, and are now low enough for the organic movement to reconsider allowing treated sewage sludge to be used where it meets strict standards."

Lord Peter Melchett, a consultant to Burson-Marsteller Public Relations, is the Policy Director of the Soil Association. Burson-Marsteller's parent firm, WPP Group, has as a client Carlyle Group, a private corporation whose Synagro subsidiary is the world's largest processor of toxic sewage sludge.

Tnis pro-sludge report has since been promoted by Gene Logsdon of BioCycle magazine, a long time advocate for growing food in sewage sludge.

Attached here is the PDF of the Soil Association report of November 29, 2010:

People
Accessed December 2010:


 * Royal Patron - Prince Charles
 * President - Monty Don
 * Chair of Trustees - Orna Ni-Chionna
 * Director - Helen Browning

Honorary Vice-Presidents
 * Jonathan Dimbleby
 * George McRobie
 * Charlotte Mitchell
 * Trudie Styler

Officers
 * Orna Ni-Chionna (Chair)
 * Roger Mortlock (Deputy Director)
 * Robert Sexton (Chief Operating Officer and Company Secretary)

Senior Management Team
 * Tom Andrews (Programmes Director)
 * Paul Benfield (Group IS Director)
 * Molly Conisbee (Director of Communications and Campaigns)
 * Roger Mortlock (Deputy Director)
 * Emma Noble (Food for Life Partnership Director)
 * Robert Sexton (Chief Operating Officer and Company Secretary)

Policy Forum
 * Tom Andrews (Programmes Director)
 * Francis Blake (Standards and Technical Director)
 * Helen Browning (Policy Advisor)
 * Molly Conisbee (Director of Communications and Campaigns)
 * Joanna Lewis (Head of Policy for the Food for Life Partnership)
 * Peter Melchett (Policy Director)
 * Roger Mortlock (Deputy Director)
 * Hugh Raven (Soil Association Scotland Director)

SA Certification Board
 * Anna Bradley (Chair)
 * Steve McGrath (CEO and Company Secretary)
 * Rod Matthews
 * Craig Sams
 * Barbara Saunders
 * Geoff Truscott

SA Certification Managing Director
 * Steve McGrath

Soil Association Scotland Director
 * Eleanor Logan (Acting Director)
 * Hugh Raven (Strategic Advisor)

Previous Personnel

 * Former Director - Patrick Holden

Council
Accessed December 2013:


 * Annabel Allott, Joanna Blythman, Lynda Brown, Neil Canetty-Clarke (Hon. Treasurer), Oliver Dowding, Renée Elliott, David Main, Graeme Matravers, John McCormick, Orna NiChionna, Dennis Overton (Chair), Gabriel Scally, Geetie Singh , Pat Thomas , Charles Weston, Andrew Whitley (Vice-Chair), Nigel Woodhouse

The current Management Committee:


 * Neil Canetty-Clarke - Hon. Treasurer
 * Linda Campbell - Chair of SA Certification
 * Dennis Overton - Chair
 * Gabriel Scally - Elected by Council
 * Charles Weston - Elected by Council
 * Andrew Whitley - Vice-Chair

Council (2009)
Accessed November 2009:


 * Annabel Allott
 * Huw Bowles
 * Roger Cadbury
 * Neil Canetty-Clarke (Hon. Treasurer)]]
 * Gaye Donaldson
 * Renée Elliott
 * Martin Fitton
 * Graham Harvey
 * Phil Haughton
 * Rob Hopkins
 * Graham Keating
 * John McCormick
 * Orna Ni Chionna - Chair
 * Tim O'Riordan
 * Dennis Overton
 * Peter Segger
 * Geetie Singh MBE
 * Charles Weston
 * Nigel Woodhouse

The current Management Committee:


 * Orna Ni-Chionna Chair
 * Neil Canetty-Clarke (Hon. Treasurer)
 * Graham Keating - Elected by Council
 * Dennis Overton - Elected by Council
 * Charles Weston - Elected by Council

Related Articles

 * Johnston, Biro & MacKendrick, “Lost in the Supermarket: The Corporate-Organic foodscape and the struggle for food democracy” In: Antipode Vol 41, No 3, 2009.
 * Julie Guthman, Yuppie Chow, Michael Pollan & Samuel Fromartz (2006) 'Organic Inc: Natural Foods and how they grew', Harcourt
 * Rob Johnston, "The great organic myths: Why organic foods are an indulgence the world can't afford", Independent, May 1, 2008.

Contact

 * Web: http://www.soilassociation.org

Related Sourcewatch articles

 * David Young
 * Bill Starling
 * Herbert Girardet
 * Schumacher Society
 * The Ecologist
 * Robin Maynard - former head of communications
 * E. F. Schumacher - former president
 * George McRobbie - former president
 * Robert Waller
 * William Lana
 * Mark Hoare
 * David Wilson (Organic)
 * David Fleming (Organic) - former chair, between 1988 and 1991
 * Lawrence Woodward
 * Kenneth Mellanby
 * Emma Hockridge - head of policy
 * Dana Amma Day
 * Mary Langman - founding member
 * Victor Bonham-Carter - former council member
 * Kenneth Mellanby - former council member
 * Pat Thomas
 * Mark Luetchford