Tony Blair's ambitious bid to switch EU spending from agriculture to science and technology has been undermined by plans set out by the British Government to slash European research and development spending next year. During the trial, the prosecution claimed that Dell'Utri was useful to Mr Berlusconi because he already had connections to the Mafia in the island, and was therefore well-placed to act as a go-between. The statement came in a 1,768-page deposition giving the reasons why they decided seven months ago to sentence Senator Marcello dell'Utri to nine years in prison for Mafia association. Dell'Utri, who was born in Sicily, is regarded as the founder of Forza Italia and has been among Mr Berlusconi's closest colleagues for more than 30 years. He was a friend of Mr Berlusconi at university and went to work for a bank in his native island, but Mr Berlusconi, then a budding property tycoon, persuaded him to abandon that career and work for him instead.As the judges put it, Mr Berlusconi was for him "a siren which Dell'Utri did not know how to resist".
Scottish fish farms have a reputation for pollution and overcrowding. Judges in Palermo have said one of Silvio Berlusconi's closest colleagues, a senator in Forza Italia, had provided "a concrete, voluntary, conscious, specific and precious contribution to the illicit goals of Cosa Nostra, both economically and politically". Last year, I published research of my own which revealed how supermarket lorries travel the equivalent of two return trips to the moon every day."The Government must also lead by example with their own programmes, and cannot expect others to reduce food miles when under new schemes of its own such as 'fruit for schools' it is sourcing more than half of its apples and 90 per cent of pears from overseas suppliers. Unless it tackles this problem the impacts will become worse and government targets to reduce carbon dioxide levels will be much harder to achieve."Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrat environment spokesman, said: "This research is long overdue. Farmed in Britain, but since supermarkets buy centrally, clocks up road milesSALMON* Alaska£18.99/kg Food miles: 4,400 From sustainable ocean fishery* Scottish farmed£6.90/kg Food miles 350. That is unacceptable behaviour."The true costORGANIC GREEN BEANS* Kenya£1.09/160g Food miles: 4,200 Air-freighted* United Kingdom£1.49/500g Food miles 200. But unfortunately it still appears to be unwilling to take adequate action to tackle it."To suggest that locally sourced food may generate more food miles is ludicrous.
Locally produced food is far better for food miles, but it must be planned and supported by local and national government to find the most efficient methods available."The Government must get tougher to reduce food miles. One analysis of a basket of 26 imported organic items found that its contents had travelled the equivalent of six times around the equator. Lord Bach, the food and farming minister, said: "This study is an interesting contribution to the 'food miles' debate. The issue is complex and a range of factors have an effect on the overall impacts of food transport, not purely the distance travelled by individual products."For example, internet buying and home delivery can cut vehicle kilometres and reduce road congestion. It is clear organic and seasonally available food can reduce environmental impacts, but that these can be offset by the way they are transported to the consumer's home."Vicky Hird , Friends of the Earth's food campaigner, said: "At last the Government appears to have woken up to the huge environmental and social impacts of transporting our food.
