Feeding on mounting consumer distrust of such chemical-dependent farming, Europe's organic agriculture is growing faster than a hormone-injected steer.

The sector once dismissed as the pastime of crackpots and idealists has grown into a business worth some $7.3 billion a year in the European Union and around $15.6 billion worldwide. A report prepared for the EU this year said the number of organic farms in the bloc had soared from just 6,300 in 1985 to more than 100,000 in 1998.

Even with that spectacular growth, organic farmers are struggling to cope with demand. The food scares have played a role, but there's a more general expectation for better food standards, higher quality among consumers. They want to avoid genetically modified organisms in particular.

By 2005, experts expects 10 percent of all agricultural land in western Europe will be organic, farming that uses only animal or vegetable fertilizers and does without chemical pesticides, growth hormones and the like. Austria has already passed 10 percent; Switzerland and Sweden are not far behind.

The rapid development of organic production was facilitated by EU legislation in the early 1990s that set common standards across the 15-nation bloc and allowed for government subsidies to help farmers break their dependence on artificial fertilizers and pesticides. Organic products are becoming the number one choice for more and sales will top $162 million this year, compared to just $8 million three years ago.

As big business muscles into the organic sector, some people fear the original farmers' dedication to organic production will be undermined as the sector expands to take on those motivated more by profits than ecological ideals.

COMMENT: It is very encouraging to find that the Europeans have taken such a massive interest in organic farming. I find it strange though that our country is seriously trailing their lead in this area.