I used to practise as a Natural Health therapist. One thing we stress to our patients is that Natural Health is complementary to conventional medicine. It's not an alternative. It's not one thing or the other.

For example, here's a question: If you had a dying child who was not responding to natural treatment, yet you knew that conventional medicine would save your child, then what would you do?

Obviously, you would take the conventional medicine. Only a mad zealot would allow the child to die.

Similarly in farming: Organic medical treatments are complementary, not alternative. Sometimes an animal has to be treated with a combination.

Incredibly, during the Foot and Mouth crisis of last year, the Scottish Organic Producers Association actually supported the Foot and Mouth cull on the astonishing basis that it opposed vaccination! It even went so far as to sign a letter to the Prime Minister warning him against introducing a vaccination policy to try to control FMD. Alec Telfer the chairman of SOPA said, "Vaccination goes against our organic principles and the consequences of it for organic and conventional livestock producers would be devastating." (The Scotsman, 19 April 2001, p. 1. Also see p. 4 of business section)

"Organic principles", indeed! Mr Telfer should understand that the first "organic principle" is LIFE itself!

SOPA's attitude truly is like allowing your child to die because you disapprove of modern medicine.

Last year, the animals were being killed by the State. There were only two ways out, vaccination and/or letting the disease run its course.

SOPA refused to vaccinate on the ignorant and mistaken grounds that it "goes against organic principles". Moreover, they failed even to advocate that the disease should be left to run its course, and that farmers should be allowed to treat their animals appropriately with natural medicine or conventional medicine, or a bit of both.

Instead they enthusiastically supported the barbaric cull, even going so far as to write a letter to the PM urging him to continue.

They completely missed the boat, and they should not be allowed to forget it. They could learn from the organic farm manager of Oaklands Park who told Sovereignty "the aim is to keep it in the life sphere." The aim is to keep the animals alive.

Sure, try to fight disease organically and holistically and bio-dynamically and naturally and any other way you can, but when it comes to the crunch, and you're unable to keep the organism alive, then vaccinate, or treat with conventional medicine, if that will save it.

Remember the aim is to keep it alive. If you can succeed with "organic" treatments, then well and good.

If you can't, then vaccinate, or use some kind of conventional medicine.

Don't put your dogma before life itself, and especially not when you've got your dogma wrong in the first place!