"Organic Farming Research Foundation Applauds Release Of Comprehensive Organic Rule"
March 7, 2000
(Santa Cruz, Ca.) Today's release of a new, re-designed proposed Organic Rule sets the stage for a new relationship between America's organic farmers and the United States Department of Agriculture. At first review, it's clear the USDA Proposed Organic Rule is much more closely aligned to the National Organic Standard's Board's package of organic production recommendations. " With a 90 day comment period before us, we should be able to make a well-crafted Rule great," said Bob Scowcroft, Executive Director of the Organic Farming Research Foundation. "We still have to see to it that the final Rule includes language that protects organic farmers from off-farm GMO [genetically modified organism] contamination. The draft Rule is conspicuously silent on who is liable if such pollution should occur," he added.

More importantly, the USDA went beyond the rule itself to propose the construction of an agency infrastructure more responsive to certified organic farmers. In pre-release briefings OFRF has learned that as much as $4.7 million dollars will be devoted to funding on-farm organic research and education programs. In addition, a pilot program providing organic farmers with organic crop insurance will be initiated. This means income received in the event of a natural disaster would reflect prices received in the organic, not conventional marketplace. The USDA has also awarded a $75,000 grant to University of California--Davis to research and write a report to be titled Marketing Order Impact on the Organic Sector. OFRF is a sub-contractor to that research project.

"This is a good first step. In the long run we have every expectation of receiving our fair share of all the USDA's resources. The nation's certified organic farmers deserve nothing less," said Woody Deryckx, certified organic farmer and President of the Organic Farming Research Foundation. OFRF estimated, in its landmark 1997 report, Searching for the "O-Word", that organic farmers receive less than 0.1% of the USDA's research dollars. An increase of organic research dollars by an order of 10 to $50,000,000 would be more in line with the size and scope of today's organic marketplace.

Press Advisory: OFRF estimates that there are approximately 6,600 certified organic farmers in the United States. 88 verification organizations and their chapters certify them. As many as 15,000 growers may be farming organically, but for a variety of reasons, are not yet certified. The USDA estimates that there are over 2.1 million farmers in the United States.

The text of the Proposed Rule can be found at http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/index.html