Alert: New Proposed USDA Organic Regulations Could Drive Thousands of Small Organic Farmers Out of Business
From Organic Consumers Association
A controversial new directive from the USDA threatens to deny organic certification to thousands of small organic coffee, tea, banana, rice, sugar cane, cacao and other farmers around the world.
The USDA’s directive would eliminate the longstanding practice of certifying organic and Fair Trade family farm cooperatives as a group, rather than forcing each coop member to pay for individual certification.
Thousands of organic and Fair Trade farming cooperatives around the world have been established over the past few decades to help low-income farmers in financing and marketing, and in acquiring otherwise cost-prohibitive certification for their farms.
Most of the world’s small-scale organic coffee farmers take part in these cooperatives, so eliminating group certification, will drive thousands of family farmers out of business while giving large-scale commercial coffee plantations a competitive advantage.
Though the OCA supports careful monitoring of all organic farms, we are adamantly opposed to the elimination of group certification for low-income farm cooperatives.
Learn more and take action: www.organicconsumers.org/rd/usda-coop.cfm
Comments
May 1st, 2007 at 8:05 pm
You’re right – this could be disastrous for many small farms that have taken the trouble to grow organic foods for the ever-increasing demand in the developed world. It’s unfortunate that one of the cooperatives messed it up for everyone else.
Government agencies have been known to overreact, then let the pendulum swing a bit as things settle down. This is getting a lot of reaction – I don’t imagine it’s final.
Debbie
http://www.organic-food-and-drink.com
May 2nd, 2007 at 7:01 am
This is infuriating. It’s like a subversive
mafia is trying to subdue everything that
is good and decent in life. They want
to regulate our foods, our vitamins, our
nutrition, so they can CONTROL the
American people. It’s very subversive, and
would not be far-fetched to imply that
FREEDOM is under attack from all ’round.
I am a rational human being, but the
handwriting on the wall is getting bolder.
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