¡Join the fight!
The president trotted out his proposed $3.8 gabajillion dollar budget this week, and we should note that the USDA's National Organic Program is receiving a 44% increase in funding: A $10.1 million budget, with $2.1 million earmarked specifically "for regulatory review and enforcement and to forge agreements with other countries to help expand exports" (Burlington Free Press). Read more...
Sustainable foodies, if you're not excited by developments in the USDA, you're not paying attention. For example, change is underway in one of the toughest quarters in which to make change: School lunches. From the NYT: Read more...
Presser from the National Organic Coalition (NOC)
NATIONAL ORGANIC COALITION APPLAUDS USDA'S DECISION TO SEEK INDEPENDENT OVERSIGHT OF NATIONAL ORGANIC PROGRAM
Action Ensures Consistent Enforcement of Organic Standards
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 6, 2009) - At the urging of the National Organic Coalition and others, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that it will subject its National Organic Program (NOP) to a stringent audit and continued oversight by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Read more...
An estimated 150-200 organic dairy farmers and their supporters from Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa held a "demonstration" at the La Crosse County Fair on Thursday. Their goal was to convince USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack to take immediate action against "factory farms" allegedly saturating the market with illegal organic milk. Notably, Aurora Dairy was mentioned as having violated organic rules without receiving reprisal of any kind. Read more...
7/10/09: UPDATED BELOW...
The organic industry (what we call Big Organic around here) is at a crossroads. And I get the feeling that folks are cowboying up for a big shoot-out.
In her keynote address on June 17, Deputy USDA Secretary Kathleen Merrigan told the crowd at All Things Organic that the USDA is entering " an era of enforcement" where organics is concerned. Read more...
Fresh off organics getting a big $50 miliion kiss on the cheek, Sustainable Food News (SFN) is reporting that "Kathleen Merrigan, USDA's Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, confirmed Tuesday during the National Organic Standards Board’s biannual meeting in Washington, D.C., that the agency will create a stand-alone division dedicated to organics." Read more...
I was on the phone with noted organic-industry watchdog and thorn-in-the-corporate-side Mark Kastel today, asking about imported organic food (more on this story as it develops) and decided to ask for his take on Pres. Obama's appointment of Kathleen Merrigan as Deputy USDA Secretary.
"Best thing since sliced bread." Read more...
Kathleen Merrigan, Director of the Agriculture, Food and Environment Program at Tufts, has been appointed Deputy USDA Secretary.Pop the champagne, kids, because this one's a win for the organic movement and sustainable farming. Read more...
