HEALTH conscious residents are being invited to attend the next meeting of Redditch Vegetarians and Vegans(RVV).

The meeting will include a talk and presentation on the subject of vegan-organic farming, by Rob Jackson of The Vegan Society.

Vegan-organic is a system of cultivation that avoids artificial chemicals and sprays, livestock manures and animal remains from slaughter houses.

Mr Jackson said: "Vegan-organic farming is a wholly sustainable way of growing fruit and vegetables and allows farmers to have complete control over how their produce is grown. It means they can provide assurances to their customers that their food is clean, green and cruelty-free. Vegan-organic farmers manage and balance the way they grow so that no patch of soil is ever overworked, and that it has time to rest and regenerate.

"They do this by working with the age old agricultural techniques of rotations, green manures, companion planting, and long fallow periods."

Kevin White, of RVV, said: "There's a long standing myth that if you want to grow organic food, you have to use manure to fertilise the soil, but this is totally untrue. Whether you're a farmer, allotment holder, gardener or just a conscientious consumer, this talk will be of interest to you. You'll learn how vegan-organic growing is better for human health, wildlife and the environment."

The meeting is on Wednesday, March 5 at St George's Community Hall, St George's Road from 7.30pm. For more details, call 458395 or visit www.redditchveggies.org.uk.