>you don't catch flies with vinegar. period. so for IFOAM to say that
>efforts others have made to be sustainable (snip) are bogus does not really help the situation.
>>At 08:24 AM 9/17/99 PDT, J. S. wrote:
>>It is statements like these from IFOAM that not only turn off the
>> >rest of the world but prevent the rest of us from making real progress at
>> >all levels.
It is difficult for North Americans to comprehend the cultural ethos of
IFOAM. I have been trained by IFOAM both to do international inspection
work and to serve as an evaluator in the accreditation of certification
programs, so I am more than passingly familiar with some aspects of the
organisation.
It should be noted that the word IFOAM (and most of its European
members) use for organic certification is "CONTROL." For me, that sums
it up. That IFOAM and other Europeans skillfully use organic
regulations as a non-tariff trade barrier is simply icing on their
cake. Compare the traffic in *processed* organic foods going into
Europe compared to that leaving. Raw materials from North America get
in much easier. Vintage mercantilism / colonialism wrought anew within
the organic market.
Statements such as that at Maasstricht merely reflect deeper attitudes.
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