What Is Organic Agriculture?
BY LAURELLA DESBOROUGH
Copyright Laurella Desbrough (eclectusbreeder.com).
All rights reserved by the author.
Most of us have an idea that
foodstuffs grown under the title
of organic means that they have
been produced without the use of
pesticides or other
chemicals—period. That is also
what the majority of small
organic farms in the United
States also understand it to
mean. Those of us who have
concerns for our birds' good
health often prefer to use
foodstuffs that we believe to be
organically produced. The
organic farmers have created a
comprehensive and rigorous set
of organic regulations to ensure
that produce labeled "organic"
is truly so.
Recently, the U.S. Department of
Agriculture has published a
National Organic Program
proposal which would supersede
the 33 private and 11 state
organic certification agencies,
each with its own standards.
Properly written and enforced
national standards would be
beneficial to both growers and
consumers. However, the organic
farmers are very concerned with
this USDA proposal because it
apparently waters down the basic
tenets and philosophy of the
organic food movement. (This
movement started in the '60s as
a response to the proliferating
chemical use in agriculture. At
present, it is reported to be a
$3.5 billion industry, with
20-percent growth per year.)
According to organic farmers,
the USDA proposal would change
the definition of organic to
mean "almost organic" or "kind
of organic." The proposal allows
sewer sludge (Section 205.22),
irridation (Section 205.17), and
genetic engineering (Section
205.8) to be acceptable as a
part of organic agriculture.
Outraged growers and consumer
advocates are speaking out
against the inclusion within the
definition of organic of
chemically treated seeds and
seedlings, botanical pesticides,
antibiotics and some hormones
for livestock, restricted space
for livestock (i.e., factory
farming techniques), and the
negation of traditional buffer
zones around organic fields to
reduce pesticide drift from
neighboring conventional fields.
These are just a few of the
concerns around this USDA
proposal. Organic growers
believe that this USDA proposal
guts organic agriculture and
removes the right of consumers
to know that the label
"organically grown" means just
what it says. For bird breeders
who want to avoid the use of
produce with pesticides, this is
an issue of concern. For further
information from the organic
farmers, contact Jeanette Marie
Pontacq via fax at (415)
663-1863 or e-mail at Pontacq@svn.net.
Comments can be submitted to the
USDA by fax at (202) 690-4632 or
by regular mail to Eileen
Stommes, Deputy Administrator,
AMS, USDA, Room 4007-S, Ag Stop
0275, P. O. Box 96456,
Washington, D.C. 20090-6456.
With written comments, be sure
to refer to Docket #
TMD-94-00-2. The deadline for
written comments to the USDA is
May 1, 1998.
