King Charles III said he was considered a “complete idiot” for wanting to farm organically, but was proven right in his concerns about the impact of antibiotic use on conventional farming.
In one of his last official engagements as Prince of Wales the day before the Queen’s death, Charles spoke about his long-standing concerns that the widespread use of antibiotics could lead to increased resistance in insects and viruses.
He said: “One of the reasons I went organic 40 years ago was because I felt there was an overuse of antibiotics. And I felt that if you overdo it, you end up with resistance. Anyway, that has happened. They told me I was a complete idiot for even suggesting going organic.”
The king organically grown at Home Farm near his Highgrove residence in Gloucestershire, but in 2020 it was announced that he would not be renewing the lease as he prepared for further royal responsibilities. He continues to farm organically on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk. Organic farming methods strictly limit the use of antibiotics.
Speaking at a global allergy symposium at Dumfries House in Scotland, the King said he was concerned about evidence from experts that Western lifestyles may have contributed to the report. worldwide increase in allergies.
He said: “It seems to spread more and more as people adopt a Western lifestyle. And what’s so sad is that people are still adopting this lifestyle when we’ve discovered the damage it’s already been causing.”
King Charles suggested that he supported concerns that modern homes could become overly disinfected, which could reduce exposure to microbes that may be beneficial to health. He said: “When I was little, if I dropped food on the floor, I was encouraged to eat it. They told me ‘it was good clean soil, it won’t do you any harm’. Now, he has gone crazy, I think, the other way around.”
The September 7 meeting is significant because it may have been the last time Charles was willing to speak so frankly about his personal views. He said in an interview in 2018 that he would stop talking about issues that were of great concern to him when he became king.
Many environmentalists say the King has been vindicated in many of his warnings about the risk of plastic waste and “gases pumped out by countless cars and planes”. Charles was just 21 years old when he delivered a historic speech on the environment at a rural conference in Cardiff in 1970. He warned presciently about the impact of pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and overpopulation.
He said: “When you think there are 55 million of us on this island using non-returnable bottles and indestructible plastic containers, it’s not hard to imagine the mountains of rubbish we’ll have to deal with.”
The allergy symposium was organized by the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, created by the parents of Natasha Ednan Laperousewho died in July 2016 after suffering an allergic reaction to a baguette containing sesame seeds.
Charles told the event that he would like The Prince’s Foundation to develop a partnership with the allergy charity “because it fits with a lot of things I’ve tried to do and the messages I want to get across.” The charity described the support offer as a “game changer” for those suffering from allergies.
