It appears The Vegetarian Society are fully supportive of The Soil Associations Organic Fortnight that runs 6th Sept to the 21st Sept. In a statement posted on The Vegetarian Society's website today they announced that if consumers had concerns about GM and Animal welfare then The Vegetarian Society advises that people should 'source products that are certified by The Soil Association’s Organic Symbol' (See position statement of Vegsoc council )
There is currently a campaign to encourage vegetarian Society members to vote at the Vegetarian Society AGM to introduce welfare standards so that battery milk and other Battery factory produced dairy products will no longer be acceptable to be approved by the Vegetarian Society Seedling scheme. Campaigners also want to see a ban on feeding GM soya and grain to herds producing dairy products within the Vegetarian approved food chain. (See www.poor-cow.co.uk )
David Pye - Vegetarian Society Trustee says "It would be a poor use of the charity’s resources to develop animal welfare criteria when this has already been done by the Soil Association." (See rationales opposing animal welfare)
The Soil Association must be delighted at this Vegetarian Society endorsement of their organic scheme as they enter their Organic Fortnight awareness week.
The Soil Association now have 200 staff working in their trademark licence division and 40 inspectors endorsing nearly 60,000 products. Despite the high demand for vegetarian products and no real competition apart from The Vegan Society the Vegetarian Society have a fraction of that figure approved with only 5,000 products licensed to carry the vegetarian seedling trademark.
David Pye admits 66% of Vegetarian Society's currently approved products are of a standard too low to be approved if husbandry and GM feed standards for cows were introduced.
Campaigners urge members to vote to introduce animal welfare standards. They fear the Vegetarian Society trademark will become obsolete in the wake of Food Standards Agency guidelines on vegetarian products that give Trading Standards officers teeth under trade descriptions laws to protect vegetarian labelling claims.
See www.poor-cow.co.uk
Vegetarian Society AGM
Letter to Vegetarian Society members
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