REDWOOD NEEDLES Presented by the Sierra Club Redwood Chapter Newsletter, The REDWOOD NEEDLES Return to Article Menu Proposed USDA Rules for the National Organic Program By Kris Larson One of the fastest growing sectors of the U.S. economy in the 1990's has been organically produced foods. Organic agriculture, according to the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF), California's oldest and largest certifier of organic foods, is an "ecologically based system of farming that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity." A certified organic farmer avoids the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, ensuring a source of food that is free of toxins and promotes soil fertility and stability. Although organic farming makes up only about 1-2% of our local and national agriculture economy, these farmers are vital components of the growing presence and popularity of local farmers markets, co-op's and natural food stores. By growing organically, they are able to promote local environmental health while providing a strong agricultural base for our local economies. However, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is proposing uniform national organic standards that threaten the integrity of the organic label. Currently, organic farming is certified nationally by 33 private and 11 state certifying boards. These associations maintain strict standards that are based on various state laws. Although the laws may vary a little from state to state, there are strict accepted guidelines that are included in all of them. The rules proposed by the USDA fall short of these minimum standards in many instances. The involvement of the Federal government in organic regulation and certification was mandated by the passage of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990. The act required the establishment of a National Organic Standards Board to study and recommend rules to be adopted by the USDA in a National Organic Program. On December 17, 1997, the USDA announced and published its proposed rules in the Federal Register, beginning a public comment period that ends April 30, 1998. Some glaring omissions burden these rules. The USDA has ignored many specific recommendations of the NOSB and many minimum standards of current certification. Their proposed rules would allow food irradiation, genetic engineering, certain inert compounds, and possibly toxic sludge as fertilizer. These are all prohibited under current organic standards. In essence, these rules would totally change the definition of "certified organic," allowing conventional practices to enter the organic market. Agribusiness corporations would be able to enter the organic market without changing their practices. The proposed Federal rules may also attempt to prohibit any other certifiers from establishing higher standards than that of the USDA. The USDA, of course, argues that conventional agricultural practices are fine and safe. But organics are about viable choices. People buy organic because they don't want poison on their produce. They want to support local farmers. They want food that was grown with a dependence on natural processes, not on intensive use of chemicals and fossil fuels. Certified organic labels assure this is what they get. With the proposed USDA rules, this assurance is gone. The public comment period continues until April 30, 1998. This is the chance to save the integrity of the organic label. Send comments to; Eileen Stommes, Deputy Admin-istrator, AMS, USDA, Room 4007-Ag Stop 0275, P.O. Box 98456, Washington, D.C., 20090-5456. Mention Docket #TMD-94-002. Demand that USDA follow all the recommendations of the NOSB and explicitly prohibit irradiation, genetic engineering, and untested sludge. Demand that the current standards of certifying boards be maintained. -Kris Larson, North Group Return to Article Menu Last updated on 3/29/98 Comments or suggestions? Drop us a line at heyneedles@aol.com