USDA Secretary asked to clean up organic mess

A letter to USDA Secretary Mike Johannes, from one of the nation’s most aggressive organic food and farming watchdogs, asked the Secretary to personally intervene in rebuilding the once promising collaborative environment that existed between the organic community and its regulators. In its letter, the Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin-based farm policy research group, called the current working relationship between the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) and industry stakeholders, farmers, consumers, and processors “very unhealthy” and asked that Secretary Johanns intercede, bringing in new management from outside of the Department, to correct what the group has previously labeled a poisoned environment.

Eau Claire, WI (PRWEB) September 9, 2005

September 9, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Mark Kastel 608-625-2042

Washington DC: (PRWEB) September 9, 2005 -- A letter today addressed to USDA Secretary Mike Johannes, from one of the nation’s most aggressive organic food and farming watchdogs, asked the Secretary to personally intervene in rebuilding the once promising collaborative environment that existed between the organic community and its regulators.

In its letter, the Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin-based farm policy research group, called the current working relationship between the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) and industry stakeholders, farmers, consumers, and processors “very unhealthy” and asked that Secretary Johanns intercede, bringing in new management from outside of the Department, to correct what the group has previously labeled a poisoned environment.

The Cornucopia Institute’s letter comes on the heels of two highly critical reviews of the USDA’s oversight of the organic program that were conducted by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Department’s own Office of the Inspector General. Both audits strongly criticized management and called for widespread changes in policies and operations.

“Unfortunately, a series of managers at the NOP have performed poorly and acted arrogantly, destroying the goodwill that had existed between the Department and stakeholders, organic farmers, consumers, marketers, and processors,” said Mark Kastel, Senior Farm Policy Analyst at the Institute. “With Secretary Johannes’ background and understanding of the challenges of family-scale farming, we feel this change of leadership at the USDA comes at a very opportune time for the organic program.”

The Institute’s letter, supported by many other farm and consumer groups, specifically requested that the Secretary, in addition to appointing a new organic program manager, open the pending appointment process for new members to the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), a unique public advisory body that has statutory authority to review the USDA’s organic program.

“Although this has been an open process in the past, resulting in a highly qualified and diverse advisory panel, past USDA Secretary Ann Veneman chose to politicize the process by keeping the names of nominees secret. This was unpalatable to the legions of hard-working volunteers and nonprofits that lovingly helped create the now highly successful organic food segment,” added the Cornucopia’s Kastel.

And finally, Secretary Johanns was also asked to mediate a broiling dispute between the Department and the organic dairy industry, which has overwhelmingly backed eliminating loopholes that have permitted factory-style industrial dairy farms to market their milk as “organic” without allowing their animals to graze on pasture.

The National Organic Standards Board passed a guidance document to crack down on the factory-farm scofflaws in 2001. It went unaddressed by the USDA until this spring when The Cornucopia Institute filed formal complaints with the USDA regarding three large industrial farms in the West, bringing national media scrutiny to the issue.

“I can’t imagine why this is still being questioned,” said Bill Welsh, an Iowa organic livestock producer and former member of the NOSB. “As I remember, the discussion was clear and the voting members were unanimous—all ruminant animals were to have access to pasture to qualify as certified organic,” explained Welsh.

Family-scale organic dairy farmers, who feel they are being put at a competitive disadvantage by the failure of the USDA to take enforcement actions against the concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs)—milking thousands of organic cows—are appealing, through The Cornucopia Institute, that the hot-button issue of pasture enforcement be put back on the agenda, and acted on, during the NOSB’s upcoming November meeting.

“The widespread complaints about incompetent management at the USDA’s organic program have gone unaddressed for too long,” Kastel said. “This is Secretary Johanns’ opportunity to leave a legacy at the Department in an area that is increasingly playing an important role in the economic future of thousands of organic family-scale farmers.

A copy of the letter sent to USDA Secretary Johannes is available on The Cornucopia Institute's website at http://www.cornucopia.org

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