Can consumers trust ‘green’ and/or ‘ethical’ sourcing claims? There is increasing consumer interest in food produced in more environmentally friendly ways. Even in highly processed foods, where many of the intrinsic product attributes are only weakly related to those of their ingredients, consumers are asking questions which relate directly to agricultural management. Can we provide clear answers? Modern agri-food systems are complex and highly heterogeneous. Agriculture has shaped the UK countryside and has a range of visible and invisible impacts on the environment. Not all of these impacts and benefits are easy to measure or to link clearly to food products. Many trade-offs and interactions take place throughout the food chain; do some matter more than others?

This conference provides a critical opportunity for researchers and practitioners concerned with environmental management in the food chain to consider

1) how the costs and benefits of agricultural practices can be measured in practice

2) how such information can be used to support marketing claims.

The conference will bring together researchers and practitioners to share experiences, highlight new approaches, review the success of initiatives currently in place and look for new opportunities. Oral presentations will draw together principles and practice; posters will illustrate key case studies and throughout there will be plenty of opportunity for discussion.

During the first afternoon of the conference there will be a field trip to visit Manydown Farm at Wootton St Lawrence, Near Basingstoke. This farm is accredited under LEAF Marque, Assured Combinable Crops Scheme and is a LEAF Demonstration Farm.

Papers and posters from the conference will be reproduced in a volume of Aspects of Applied Biology, which will be available to delegates at the conference. The organisers will also identify key papers to be submitted for publication in Annals of Applied Biology. Please send your offer to the AAB office. (Email to anna@aab.org.uk; Fax +44 (0)1789 470234). Alternatively, you can submit an offer online, giving the title of the paper, authors, affiliations and a short synopsis of your paper. Click on ABSTRACTS in the left hand column of the AAB home page, then click on the conference title. You can register your email and, after being sent a password, can upload your offer. Please indicate whether your offer is for a platform presentation or a poster. Pleasure ensure your pop up blocker is off, otherwise the Abstract may not upload.