>
>However, to return to USDA's role:
>
>USDA's four major contributions to the Act were:=20
>=A72107 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS.
> (a) IN GENERAL. A program established under this title shall
>(10) provide for the collection of reasonable fees from producers,
certifying
>agents and handlers who participate in such program; and =20
>(11 ) require such other terms and conditions as may be determined by
the
>Secretary to be necessary. =20
The fee is always in there in every one of these levels of buraccucy.=20
What is this fee? I think reasonable is not 1 cent. Fee is the most
important thing they all want to get. That fee from us "follow the
money" every one of these folks have a fee and guess who gets to pay it.=20
Why because we are growing organic and selling organic like mankind has
been doing for 6000 years. . I think that now that organic is a known
word and has some commercial value that the predators and bottom
feeders are moving in and we have no strategy to protect the integrity
of
the organic movement. Just follow the money . An organic grower should
not have to pay 1 cent extra to grow and sell organic. I know organic
growers that tell me they cannot afford to be certified. I don't think
anyone should be held back from growing and selling organic because of
some fee. This is oppression on the poor.
Take=A72107 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS fee off the backs of the organic grower.
if this is such an important act let the public pay for it.=20
=20
> and:
>=A72108 STATE ORGANIC CERTIFICATION PROGRAM.
>(a) IN GENERAL. The governing State official may prepare and submit a
plan
>for the establishment of a State organic certification program to the
>Secretary for approval. A State organic certification program must meet
the
>requirements of this title to be approved by the Secretary. =20
>(b) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.
>(1 ) AUTHORITY. A State organic certification program established=20
under
>subsection (a) may contain more restrictive requirements governing the
>organic certification of farms and handling operations and the
production and
>handling of agricultural products that are to be sold or labeled as
>organically produced under this title than are contained in the=20
program
>established by the Secretary.=20
I have been watching how they (the law makers )do this . The feds do not
want to cut the state out of charging organic growers and the state of
Ca. will not certify even though they can inspect and audit and I have to
send them paper work and are the same as the certifier because they don't
want to cut the certifier out of our money and the certifier hires
outside inspectors because they don't want to cut the inspector out of
their cut of the organic growers money and on it goes we pay for it all=20
The organic grower is paying for everything and every time someone new
gets in the game the organic farmer has to pay them off also ."EVERYONE
WANTS TO GET INTO THE ACT " Now I know that this is a fact because I get
a bill from each one of these folks so I don't have to do research I
just walk to the mail box .. Now you tell me<bigger> how many pencil
pushers do I have to pay off to prove every year that I am an organic
grower</bigger>. You don't seem to be able to address our questions. I
have asked this question over and over. I say One is two many. They
protect each others right to our money, they are not protecting us. My
customers trust CCOF and everything else is just an extra tax I don't
need. My certifier does a good job and to me this is a review by my piers
and the USDA is not my piers and some state regulator guy is not my piers
and both of them are not the lest be interested in organic only
enforcement. They can still spray us and we have to give up part of our
land because it may be contaminated by commercial ag so where is the
protection for the farmer,We loose all the way around we give up land and
we give up money and we give up time and get Intimidation and enforcement
as a reward. Bad deal! they are only protecting each others right to
charge us money. Think of all the new jobs this will create (inspectors
alone are making upwards of $30 an hour plus gas and expences) and I pay
them and the organic farmer will pay for it all. no one is protecting
us. they actually think they have a right to my hard earned moneys. He
is not hearing what I am saying. I am saying it is oppressive now and he
just keeps talking about adding more oppression. <bigger> IT IS A TAX ON
THOSE THAT GROW ORGANIC AND WE ARE FORCED TO PROVE EVERY YEAR THAT WE ARE
HONEST every year year after year after year after year after year
The</bigger> fee is the cost of all the programs, ALL
inspectors,certifiers,etc add all that up and that is what the grower and
handler are paying. I don't have to research this because I get the
bills.I just paid the state I got my principal county code number and I
got my county registration number for 98 and at the end of the year I
pay the certifier for 98 and soon I will get the bill from the inspector
for 97 and you are telling me that is not enough I need to pay even more=20
reasonable fees . Well we have a different idea of what is reasonable. I
don't have to do research to see this is a rip off as the bills come
right to my home . its is " pay or get out of the organic business " I
have had people tell me I cannot afford to pay and sal that is why I am
not certified organic. I don't think anyone should be stop from growing
and selling organic because they cannot afford it.=20
The Secretary of the USDA is not an organic type guy.and this worries
me.He will now have so much power over organic growers and his agenda is
not the same as ours. I seen him and the rest of them on TV just the
other day making up names for radiation zapped food to fool the people
like electric pasteurization and I know organic folks are not about
fooling the people with names . It is the USDA that play with words and
know how to twist them not the organic growers. =20
>(2) CONTENT. Any additional requirements established under paragraph (1
)
>shall=20
>(A) further the purposes of this title;
>(B) not be inconsistent with this title;=20
>(C) not be discriminatory towards agricultural commodities organically
>produced in other States in accordance with this title; and =20
>(D) not become effective until approved by the Secretary.=20
>(c) REVIEW AND OTHER DETERMINATIONS. =20
> (1) SUBSEQUENT REVIEW. The Secretary shall review State organic
>certification programs not less than once during each 5-year period
following
>the date of the approval of such programs. =20
>(2) CHANGES IN PROGRAM. The governing State official, prior to
implementing
>any substantive change to programs approved under this subsection,
shall
>submit such change to the Secretary for approval. =20
> (3) TIME FOR DETERMINATION. The Secretary shall make a determination
>concerning any plan, proposed change to a program, or a review of a
program
>not later than 6 months after receipt of such plan, such proposed
change, or
>the initiation of such review.=20
>
>and:
>=A72116 REQUIREMENTS OF CERTIFYING AGENTS. =20
>(d) AGREEMENT. Any certifying agent shall enter into an agreement with
the
>Secretary under which such agent shall (1 ) agree to carry out the
provisions
>of this title; and (2) agree to such other terms and conditions as the
>Secretary determines appropriate. =20
>(e) PRIVATE CERTIFYING AGENT AGREEMENT. Any certifying agent that is a
>private person shall, in additional to the agreement required in
subsection
>(d)=20
>(1 ) agree to hold the Secretary harmless for any failure on the part of
the
>certifying agent to carry out the provisions of this title; and
>(2) furnish reasonable security, in an amount determined by the
Secretary,
>for the purpose of protecting the rights of participants in the
applicable
>organic certification program established under this title. =20
>(f) COMPLIANCE WITH PROGRAM. Any certifying agent shall fully comply
with the
>terms and conditions of the applicable organic certification program
>implemented under this title.=20
=20
The above statements is where the USDA takes over the whole organic
movement. It is no longer our word it belongs to the USDA and the
Secretary of the USDA. This really worries me. This guy is not an
organic type guy. I was watching him on TV the other day making up names
of irradiation like electronic pasteurization too fool the public and no
organic grower I know wants to fool the people like they do. They don't
label their DNA Frankenstein life forms and they are not even close to
doing anything organic. They do not label and want to keep the people in
the dark and the Secretary has way to much power in the above statements
over a movement he cares little about. It is the fox watching the hen
house . And I think if you were to ask him Eric ,he would tell you he
thinks we are food purests and he has little use for us. =20
>=A72120 VIOLATIONS OF TITLE. =20
>(e) EFFECT OF OTHER LAWS. Nothing in this title shall alter the
authority of
>the Secretary under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et
seq.)
>the Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 451 et seq.), and the
Egg
>Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 1031 et seq.) concerning meat,
poultry and
>egg products, nor any of the authorities of the Secretary of Health and
Human
>Services under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C 301=20
et
>seq.), nor the authority of the Administrator of the Environmental
Protection
>Agency under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (7
U.S.C.
>136 et seq.).=20
This is the part of the law where they will soon irradiate all meat and
they want to make sure organic grown meat get a dose of cobalt
radiations also. I seen them on TV saying things like lets call it
electronic pasteurization or something to fool the people and these are
the folks that are taking over the organic label. Instead of talking
about cleaning up the way they raise and kill meat they want to zap it
and fool the people with twisted words and keep them in the dark . Wrong
folks to be in bed with if you are organic .=20
>It is rather amusing that the major themes expressed by Sal, Rich,
Douglas
>and Lawrence--that of government or private certifying agents'
intrusiveness
>and cost in their organic farming and handling activities--are=20
actually
>redressable through two chapters of OFPA initiated by USDA itself.=20
Those
>being the need to maintain a reasonable cost and a method to control
State
>and private organic programs through the Secretary having to approve
such. =20
you are the one that is amusing because the major themes expressed by us
are true and here it is in black and white I don't read it the way you do
Eric to me it looks like that the Secretary can approve such and such .
approved by the Secretary and by the authority of the Secretary and
Secretary shall review all this and that . This is the Secretary taking
over the organic movement. how clear can it be. =20
And no one ever accused the USDA and the Secretary of being on the side
of the organic growers. And I never remember the USDA being any help to
the organic movement. . They are going the one way and we are going the
other and I am surprised you can not see that.
New question for Eric Kindberg
ORGANIC STANDARDS BOARD --- FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS
-Organic farmers are not allowed to use
Genetic Engineered stuff Is this still true and how is that worded?
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