HRH The Prince of Wales, Sting & Trudie Styler Support Launch of Soil Association International Campaign in America

HRH The Prince of Wales, Sting & Trudie Styler Support Launch of Soil Association International Campaign in America

NEW YORK, Nov. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- On Thursday, November 3rd, The Soil Association, the globally recognized expert in organic and sustainable food and farming, is launching a major international campaign entitled Food For Life with a high-profile awareness and fundraising event in New York hosted by Trudie Styler, with a headline performance by rock star, Sting and addressed by HRH The Prince of Wales.

HRH The Prince of Wales, the Soil Association's Royal Patron and stalwart supporter of organic food and farming will say in a pre-recorded video for the event:

'It has always seemed obvious to me that agriculture is the single, biggest influence on the environment.

I believe it is a matter of urgency to create a network of individuals and organisations across the world who are committed to a better future for food and farming -- one that is based on working in far greater harmony with nature and on producing local food for local markets based on small & family farms, moving away from the intensive, industrialized approach to agriculture.

We are only in the foothills of bringing about the sort of far-reaching changes in agricultural systems and practices that we need, if we are to avert serious problems in the future.'

The Soil Association already has excellent links with key individuals and organisations in the U.S. campaigning for sustainable agriculture. Working closely with U.S. farmers, The Soil Association recently exposed the false promises and high-costs of GM crops in a groundbreaking report, Seeds of Doubt.

The new campaign will include:

* September 2006 United Nations Conference on sustainable food and farming to be held at the UN Headquarters in partnership with the U.S. Rodale Institute and Japanese Shumei organisation.

* Major focus to change international trade law to prioritize Food Security over 'free' trade; key lobbying targets include the World Trade Organization and the G8.

* Alongside key individuals, such as Alice Waters of Chez Panisse, The Soil Association aims to improve U.S. school children's diet and health along the same lines as it has in the UK, where new government policies on school food have eliminated junk food and introduced fresh, local, organic produce.

* Creating a critical mass of informed public support. By building on links established over GM campaign, The Soil Association aims to form a nationwide coalition of farmers and consumers campaigning for safe, secure sustainable food and farming in the States.

Patrick Holden, Director of The Soil Association said:

'The visit of our visionary patron, The Prince of Wales, to the U.S., allied with the celebrity support of Sting and Trudie Styler, provides the Soil Association with a unique opportunity to get our messages across more widely to U.S. audiences and launch our international campaign for sustainable agriculture.

As the Prince of Wales so rightly says, agriculture is the biggest influence on our environment both in developed countries like the U.S. and UK and in the developing world from Africa to Asia. The well- documented negative impacts of industrial agriculture on our vital life-support systems of climate, soils and water underscore the urgent need to get global food production onto a sustainable footing.

We have a strong heritage of campaigning alongside like-minded U.S. individuals and organisations, but now we want to build on that to create a global critical mass. The U.S. as the most powerful trading nation, the home to the UN HQ and other international institutions, is a key fulcrum for achieving positive change. With a burgeoning organic sector facing many of the same pressures we encounter in the UK there is obvious synergy for common-cause.'

The Prince of Wales, who is currently touring the States, will also be visiting U.S. organic farming and local food initiatives.

Patrick Holden is available for interviews in New York and via numbers above from 2nd -- 4th November. He will be joining The Prince of Wales to visit U.S. organic farms in California on 5th November and available for interview via mobile number above.

For further information re: La Dolce Vita New York event hosted by Trudie Styler with a performance by Sting, please contact Melanie Brandman at The Brandman Agency, (212) 683-2442.

Source: The Soil Association

CONTACT: Robin Maynard, +44-7932-040452, robin.maynard@btinternet.com, or Patrick Holden, +44-7774-846858, both for The Soil Association

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