The National Farmers Union derided their proposals simply as niche marketing for wealthy consumers. It has 4,000 sheep on a farm close to Lake Vyrnwy in the Cambrian mountains, which will be certified as organic this summer. The Wildlife Trusts, a network of local groups which own reserves across Britain, has plans to market endorsed milk from its tenant farmers within the next 12 months, sold at a premium price. Its next step could be breakfast cereals. The foot and mouth epidemic, and the series of crises which have gripped farming, are seen by greens as a perfect opportunity to push for more environment-conscious agriculture.
Some new arrivals see it as a trendy market ripe for exploitation.
But Phil Rothwell of the RSPB said its intention was to allow greens to prove by example that their proposals were effective and viable. This is a conservation tool, not a marketing tool. This isn't about raising money but to demonstrate you can have sustainable farming, using the market place rather than subsidy. Critics within the green movement argue that moving into food production will inevitably weaken their ability to attack the farmers they hope to befriend for using unacceptable practices. But the charities' executives believe this position is too purist.