Long Awaited Access to Pasture Rule Published
Recently, one of the biggest issues regarding organic regulation was finally resolved. On February 12, 2010, the USDA announced details of the final rule regarding access to pasture for organic livestock operations. This rule amends the National Organic Program (NOP) regulations to clarify the use of pasture in raising organic ruminants. Prior to this, regulations did not offer specific guidelines and this lack of definition sparked many heated debates.
“For most of the last decade, the USDA’s lack of issuing new standards left a vacuum that was filled with rancor over what those new standards should say and over whether all producers were following current standards,” said George Siemon, Organic Valley CEO, in an interview with Sustainable Food News. “The family farmers who risk their livelihoods through organic farming bore the brunt of this discourse as public trust and the organic label began to erode. We hope these new standards will foster a fresh era of cooperation among voices within the organic trade.”
This final rule is the culmination of a process that was initiated in 2005, when the National Organic Standards Board recommended that ruminants obtain a minimum 30 percent dry matter intake from grazing for at least 120 days. The proposed rule, published on Oct. 28, 2008, received over 26,000 comments from producers, retailers, handlers, certifying agents, consumers, trade associations, organic associations, animal welfare organizations, consumer groups, state and local government entities and various industry groups.
Taking this feedback into consideration, the main components of the new rule include:
• Animals must graze pasture during the grazing season, which must be at least 120 days per year;
• Animals must obtain a minimum of 30 percent dry matter intake from grazing pasture during the grazing season;
• Producers must have a pasture management plan and manage pasture as a crop to meet the feed requirements for the grazing animals and to protect soil and water quality; and,
• Livestock are exempt from the 30 percent dry matter intake requirements during the finish feeding period, not to exceed 120 days. Livestock must have access to pasture during the finishing phase.
The final rule provides certainty to consumers that organic livestock production is a pasture-based system in which animals are actively grazing pasture during the grazing season. Although the majority of organic dairy and ruminant livestock producers are already grazing animals and maintaining pastures that meet the requirements of this rule or go beyond it, these standards contain clear requirements that will provide greater assurance that all producers are being held to the same standards.
“Clear and enforceable standards are essential to the health and success of the market for organic agriculture,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “The final rule will give consumers confidence that organic dairy comes from cows raised on pasture, and organic family farmers the assurance that there is one, consistent pasture standard that applies to dairy products.”
The final rule becomes effective 120 days after publication, June 17, 2010. Operations which are already certified organic will have one year to implement the provisions. Operations which obtain organic certification after the effective date will be expected to demonstrate full compliance. Although this is a final rule, comments on the exceptions for finish feeding of ruminant slaughter stock may be submitted before April 19, 2010.
The final rule and additional information are on display at www.ams.usda.gov/NOP.
New Partnership for Organic Training
Silliker, a provider of food safety and quality assurance services, recently announced it has entered into a strategic partnership with Organic Education Solutions LLC to provide organic training and consulting services to manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and other stakeholders. Organic Education Solutions was formed by the executive team of Organic Concepts LLC, which provides operational, regulatory and strategic guidance to support organic certification goals.
To support growing organic training needs, Organic Concepts launched the new company, Organic Education Solutions LLC (OES). Silliker, a leading provider of education services for the food industry, will serve as the primary distributor of OES training products. OES will unveil its initial products and materials at Natural Products Expo West in March.
Global Organic Cotton Production Grows 20 Percent in 2009
Organic cotton weathered the global economic storm during the 2008/09 farming season, albeit with challenges, according to the Organic Exchange Farm and Fiber Report 2009 by Organic Exchange (OE), documenting growth and challenges in the global organic fiber sector. Production grew an impressive 20 percent over 2007/08 to 175,113 metric tons (802,599 bales) grown on 625,000 acres (253,000 hectares). Organic cotton now represents 0.76 percent of global cotton production.
The report states that organic cotton was grown in 22 countries worldwide with the top ten producer countries being led by India, and including (in order of rank) Turkey, Syria, Tanzania, China, United States, Uganda, Peru, Egypt and Burkina Faso. Approximately 220,000 farmers grew the fiber.
Not all is rosy, however. Despite major market players sticking to their commitments to use organic cotton in their apparel and home textile products, there simply wasn’t the market for products (organic or conventional) in general, given the global economic downturn. In addition, a number of farmers had planted vast acreage of organic cotton on speculation and in response to what had appeared to be a healthy, burgeoning marketplace. As a result, unsold stocks which represent between 17 and 22 percent of production (some 30,000 to 35,000 tons (137,789 to 160,754 bales) of organic cotton has yet to find buyers.
LaRhea Pepper, OE senior director, agrees. “While the 2008-09 season was very challenging for organic cotton farmers, the marketplace is recovering and there are indications that some of the surplus organic cotton is being utilized,” she said. “It has been reaffirming to see that leading brands and retailers have retained their commitments to use to organic and sustainable fibers so as to bring about changes in agriculture. In many cases, they are actually stepping up their commitment to organic cotton in order to utilize the stocks and keep organic land in production.”
Organic Bird Friendly Coffee Sales Taking Off
Sales of organic, shade-grown coffee grown to the Bird Friendly standards of the National Zoo’s Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center (SMBC) rose to nearly $3.5 million in 2008, according to a report by Dr. Robert Rice, a geographer at the SMBC. According to the report, The Global Market for Bird Friendly Coffee: 2008, the majority (61 percent) of all Bird Friendly coffee roasted was consumed in the United States, followed by Japan (36 percent) and Canada (3 percent).
Bird Friendly is certified organic coffee produced on farms with a shade cover that provides a substantial and vital habitat for migratory and resident birds in tropical landscapes, which are increasingly threatened by deforestation globally at an unprecedented rate. The Bird Friendly criteria are the world’s most stringent standards for shade-grown coffee production. Migratory birds, including the popular Baltimore Oriole, are not only beautiful with vibrant songs, but are integral to tropical and temperate ecosystems alike, providing flower pollination and seed dispersal, among other roles.
According to the report, more than 95 percent of Bird Friendly coffee comes from coffee farms in Central and South America with the rest coming from Africa. Some 1,400 producers manage more than 12,000 acres of Bird Friendly area and coffee farms, and they produced more than 6 million pounds of Bird Friendly coffee in the 2007–2008 harvest year. The volume of Bird Friendly coffee sold in the United States between 2000 and 2008 increased more than a hundredfold (averaging a 145 percent annual increase), from fewer than 2,000 pounds to 200,400 pounds.
Steaz SEED Initiative Empowers Women to Change the World
Steaz beverage company recently announced the launch of its SEED (Social, Environmental, and Educational Discovery) Initiative, which will reward organizations that empower women around the world to be a part of positive change. Understanding the tremendous impact women have on their families, this program is inspired by women, chaired by women, and aimed at causes important to women.
“My mother taught me by example that the strength, resilience and care women possess are at the heart of building a healthier world,” says Steaz Co-founder Eric Schnell. “Our goal is to inspire and encourage women to dream, achieve, and create change in areas that are relevant to them.”
The Healthy SEEDs Awards program is based on “three-dimensional giving,” comprised of a financial grant, product donation and mentorship in areas such as marketing, finance, and legal. To shepherd this program, Steaz has established a national Women’s Wellness Committee comprised of leaders representing various disciplines, such as motherhood, entrepreneurship, philanthropy, culinary arts, the organic movement and women’s development. As the Initiative grows, so will the Committee.
The Committee’s founding members include: Judith Schnell Fogarty, Schnell’s mother and holistic psychotherapist; Chef Akasha Richmond, celebrity chef, organic food activist, author, and restaurant owner; Jennifer Greenfield, philanthropic management expert; Patty DeDominic, founder of the International Women’s Festivals and successful entrepreneur; Jean Weidemann, PhD, founder and president of the Weidemann Foundation and global pioneer of women’s development issues; and Kathryn Schuett, Editor of Organic Processing Magazine and international environmental/social journalist. Steaz has granted these women the first annual Healthy SEEDs Awards, to be given to a charity of their choice.
Going forward, the Healthy SEEDs Awards program will be open to the public. The company will publicize the Steaz SEED Initiative on its website, blog, social media sites, and through its various retail partners. Nominations can be made by anyone, and applications will be accepted through a dedicated page on the company’s website, via a designated email address and through the mail. Details of the application process will be released this summer. The Awards will be given annually and announced each year at Natural Products Expo West.
New EU Organic Logo
A new EU-wide “Euro-leaf” logo will be required from July 1, 2010 for all pre-packaged organic food produced in any of the 27 EU member states. The green logo, featuring the 12 EU stars in the shape of a leaf, will be optional for imported produce. Existing national logos for organic food will be allowed to appear next to the new EU logo. A German student won a competition to design the new symbol. Some 130,000 people voted online to choose the symbol. The competition was organized by the European Commission.
