Can someone please tell me...
What’s the point of blowing the horn for biodiversity-enforcement in the organic industry when we still haven’t done a single thing to eliminate fraud?
In a letter to Miles V. McEvoy, the Deputy Administrator of the USDA National Organic Program, a bunch of activists propose that organic inspectors should “evaluate sustainable practices for converting new land into agriculture.”
But wait just a minute… surely an organic farmer’s the best person to do that!
It’s not the inspector’s farm, right? And, shouldn’t an inspector focus on ensuring prohibited substances aren’t being used instead of assuming an organic farmer might try to abuse his land?
These activists, many of whom have never worked a day on a farm in their life, also say they want to “bring parity between certifying agents who have for years inspected for biodiversity conservation compliance, and those who have not.”
But HOLD EVERYTHING!!! How about if certifying agents started to do something to ensure certified organic food is actually organic?
Sure, biodiversity is important. We practiced it on my family’s organic grain farm when I was growing up, long before we became a certified-organic operation. It only stands to reason that a farmer wants his land to last. Any organic farmer who doesn’t recognize the importance of biodiversity will soon go broke! It’s that simple.
Meanwhile, while all this fake granstanding is going on...
It was way back on March 19, 2010 when the NYTimes announced that Miles McEvoy was finally going to start “enforcing testing rules” in order to “improve oversight of the industry.” Three years later and organic certifications still occur completely on paper.
This is not what President Clinton and the American Consumers Union envisioned for the organic industry when they put the testing clause in the USDA's NOP. But, alas, thanks to the strength of the anti-science organic lobby, testing remain verboten!
Why do organic farmers and consumers have to continue paying for this total lack of leadership?
Why bother putting any effort into biodiversity-enforcement when the USDA can’t even guarantee prohibited substances like synthetic ammonium nitrate and toxic pesticides aren’t being used on the farms they certify?
And while we’re on the topic of organic testing, when is McEvoy going to finally start inspecting Chinese “organic” farms? And, when he does finally start inspecting them instead of blindly trusting them, will he even have the authority to test them? Not according to Chinese law.
Pushing for biodiversity-enforcement before we even start testing organic crops and livestock in the field is a clear case of putting the cart before the horse.
