| The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
has proposed new national standards governing the production and labeling
of organic food and fiber. Unfortunately, the USDA's Proposed Organic Rules
fall far short of standards developed locally, embraced for years by certified
organic farmers, and accepted by consumers in the marketplace, and represent
a shift to a set of criteria that prioritize economics and expedience over
health and the environment. If implemented as proposed, these new standards would
rapidly undermine confidence in the organic label, and
no stricter local and state certification standards are likely to be allowed.
As it stands, the National Organic Proposal allows:
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This is not an exaggeration, and there are more unpleasant
details. All these could be soon labeled "organic" food if we
remain silent. Public comment is being accepted by the USDA until
April 30th, 1998. Your help is needed. USDA is expected to put up a smokescreen
by making a show of compromising on some items, and then use behind-the-scenes
tactics to ensure that scores of "poison pills" remain in place.
For latest info, see http://www.geocities.com/Athens/1527/ on the Internet.
A national coalition of organic farmers, consumers, and environmentalists that has made "organic" a household word from coast to coast, has begun the process of educating the public about this issue and building broad grassroots support for organic farming. We ask for your support for a strict definition of organic by educating yourself and others, and then writing local and federal offices of the USDA and Congress to make your desires known. |
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