Organic farmers see Prince Charles as role model

By Nigel Hunt

TETBURY (Reuters) - Warning. You are now entering a GMO-free zone.

The sign greets visitors to the country home of Prince Charles, champion of the organic farming movement in Britain, at Highgrove House.

Slugs are killed by natural predators rather than pellets, rare breeds of pigs are kept to protect gene diversity, while head gardener David Howard has begun his preparations for global warming with a banana tree among the newer additions.

Charles, whose hobbies include the rural craft of hedge-laying, is a vocal opponent of genetically modified crops and decided to convert his nearby Duchy Home Farm to organic methods around 20 years ago.

Organic farming was once derided as "knobbly vegetables for the neurotic" and "all muck and magic" but is now becoming more mainstream with sales soaring and major food retailers flaunting their green credentials.

The Soil Association, the country's leading organic group, uses visits to Charles home and his nearby Duchy Home Farm to tell its story as its seeks to tap into a growing desire among consumers to know more about how their food is produced.

Terry Leahy, chief executive of the country's largest supermarket chain Tesco, is among those who have taken the tour. Tesco has reported sales of organic food at its stores rose about 40 percent last year.

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