OTA ‘American’ Organic Standards Scheduled for October Release

GREENFIELD, MA—As USDA lumbers toward the publication of a second set of proposed U.S. organic standards, the Organic Trade Association (OTA), based here, expects its American Organic Standards to be ready by the organization’s October meeting, despite concerns raised in comments on the second draft of the proposed standards—about 50 different businesses and organizations commented on the second draft of OTA’s standards.

Concerns include how commercially unavailable ingredients are defined, whether or not hydroponics should be allowed, the establishment of buffer zones and conversion periods for GMO crops, use of parasiticides on slaughter livestock, and certification of retailers who process organic products.

OTA officials spent September compiling the comments and expect to have a final draft of the standards completed in time for OTA’s Oct. 20 board meeting. The board “may or may not” vote on the standards at that meeting, OTA Executive Director Katherine DiMatteo says.

USDA’s second crack at proposed organic standards still is in process. DiMatteo says she hasn’t heard when they’ll be completed.

Among the comments on draft 2 of the OTA standards was a protest from International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) President Linda Bullard. Bullard wrote a letter protesting the inclusion of accreditation and certification standards, saying that it’s counter to the interest of international organic trade to develop national organic accreditation programs. IFOAM accredits four U.S. certifiers.

DiMatteo says she was surprised by Bullard’s protest.

“We’re not in the business of setting up an accreditation service, nor in the business of setting up a certification service,” she says. “We’re a trade association. We need to be creating dialogue. We didn’t mean to say, ‘Oh, the IFOAM program isn’t good enough so we’re going to do our own.’ In no way is this any reflection on our membership in IFOAM. We think we’re better members of IFOAM if we’re clear in the U.S.”

DiMatteo notes, however, that OTA has to deal with accreditation because it’s going to be covered under the Organic Foods Production Act.

Bullard responds that IFOAM supports private standards in the U.S. She also says, however, that “With regard to standards for

certification and accreditation, which we call Criteria, IFOAM does not see the need for a uniquely designed American

private system.”

OTA Policy Assistant Tom Hutcheson says draft 2 of the organic standards received about the same number of comments as draft 1. Fifteen of the 50 comments came from OTA committees and organizations. They engaged in what Hutcheson calls “a huge debate” over the principles section of the standards, which calls for an “ecologically, socially, economically sustainable system.” Comments called for a removal of the words “economically” and “socially.”