So far, it seems like all the farmers' comments on the Proposed Federal Organic
Rule on SANET come from farmers who are already certified organic, or at least
use the word "organic" to describe what they do. I wonder about the comments
from farmers who choose to grow food without pesticides, for example, but choose
not to be labeled as organic (perhaps because they use some synthetic
fertilizer). The new rule would prohibit them from claiming not to use
pesticides when that is a true claim.
Or, to give another example, a local apple grower has to use a very limited
amount of synthetic insecticide to control plum curculio. He does not claim to
be organic, and he labels his fruit as "ecologically grown." He would
presumably be unable to do that in the future.
In short, the proposed rule would remove ability to label food for steps toward
more sustainable production. Either the food is organic, or it has to be
marketed without any claim toward sustainability. This would, I think, widen
the gulf between certified organic farmers and those who may have very similar
farming practices but choose not to be certified as organic.
Are any farmers who are affected by this aspect of the rule making comments to
the USDA?
Kim Stoner
CT Agricultural Experiment Station
P.O. Box 1106
New Haven, CT 06504
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