Organically Certified - Another Point ** From Vicki Younger

[Guest guest]

 

Vicki Younger <vicki

Mon, 5 Apr 2004 09:54:00 +1000

RE: Organically certified-another point

 

Hi Martin,

 

And I'm very pleased to see that you take part on this list! And thanks

to others who contributed to the organic thread because I've found it

very interesting.

 

> Thanks Christine for that info. on the US scene, but I still wonder

> about the inspection regimes and how sound they are.

 

Your comments about organic certification are especially interesting.

Here in Australia, I've always thought we lagged way behind in terms of

certifying bodies and because of many separate factions. Some

certifying bodies have merged over the years but not without a great

deal of angst and political upheaval within the organisations that are

proposing to merge.

 

And some certifying bodies are much tougher on the growers who want to

achieve certification than others.

 

I did some checking about the state of affairs in Australia, because

naively I thought the annual inspections included soil testing each

time, and I had believed that at least things were being kept in check

that way.

 

Not so. The soil tests are done initially, and then again three years

later when organic certification has been obtained.

 

Even more ridiculous is the blanket rule that a grower must have " in

conversion " status for three years after the initial testing procedure.

 

So if you buy land and want to start growing and marketing organic

herbs, crops or whatever, you might have bought land that hasn't had

chemicals applied to it at all in the previous ten years. Or you might

buy land that's had heavy chemical use during that time. The same rule

applies. I was shocked to discover this because I'd somehow thought the

in conversion status was somehow dependent on the results of chemical

residues from the soil tests.

 

I'm not sure if these are the same guidelines for Europe.

 

For me, the sustainability issue is far more crucial than whether a

product is " certified " organic or not, especially when I've come to

believe that rules and regulations in the main about protecting sizeable

corporations (who also make political donations), rather than the

consumers they're purported to protect.

 

A friend involved in the permaculture movement here told me some time

ago about the terrible effects the demand for organic food is having on

some of the producing nations. Because of the demand for organic

coffee, for example, some areas in New Guinea are turning their

traditional farming land over to producing organic coffee for the

almighty dollar. And losing much of their food source as a result.

 

I'd better stop now.......

 

Vicki