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  • From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Livingontheland] Utah eliminates organic certification program
  • Date: Sat, 14 Feb 2009 12:25:44 -0700


Utah eliminates organic certification program
http://www.sltrib.com/business/ci_11575068?source=email
Move decried ยป Utah's program was the only one backed by enforcement
powers.
By Dawn House
The Salt Lake Tribune
Posted: 01/28/2009 05:37:00 PM MST

Without knowing how much the state will save, Utah is eliminating its
nationally recognized organic certification program that has provided small
farmers and processors a niche market.

State officials say private inspection companies can fill the void. But
farmers worry that private labels will not have the clout with consumers
that the Utah state seal does, and hiring outside firms will be a costly
burden to local businesses. One entrepreneur said the state refused to
accept her certification application on Jan. 13, forcing her to hire a
California firm that cost her more than $7,000 in additional expenses.

"They never gave us a chance to pay more to keep the state program," said
Russell Taylor, who grows organic beef
Utah's "certified organic" seal is widely recognized, advocates say,
because the state is the only one that provides both certification and
enforcement of its label. The state is expected to terminate its organic
certification program, forcing Utah growers and businesses to hire private
firms to conduct inspections. (Courtesy of Utah Department of Agriculture
and Food)
and is a member of the state organic advisory committee. "We were not
informed, there was no cost analysis and there were no efforts to make any
kind of adjustment to keep it. By any standard, that's not a good way to do
business."

Larry Lewis, spokesman for the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food,
said that like the state of Utah, private companies can certify organic
products, using standards developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The state collects $33,000 annually in fees paid by organic farmers and
processors, he said, but there was not enough time when Gov. Jon Huntsman
called for spending cuts to determine how much more would be needed to make
the program self-sufficient. State fees for certification ranged from
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$50 to $2,500, depending on sales.

Lewis said that if growers and consumers want the state program to
continue, they should contact state lawmakers or the Agriculture
Department.

Stephanie Greenwood said that Bubble and Bee Organic, her Utah-based
company that makes bath and body products, will have to pay $8,000 to hire
a California firm to provide the certification -- compared with $800 the
state would have charged. When she completed all the paperwork for state
certification in January she received an e-mail informing her that the Utah
program had been shut down.

"We could have hired an additional employee or run advertisements in local
publications for the difference in costs that we're paying now," she said.
"Instead, we're sending this money to California. It's unfortunate that the
Legislature thinks that somehow cutting this program is good for Utah
businesses."

But Clair Allen, director of the Agriculture Department's Plant Industry
division, argues that organic businesses make up only a small sector of
Utah agricultural industry.

"If all farmers went back to organic farming, we'd be starving by now, and
that's the reality," he said. "As far as organic certification is
concerned, I'd rather cut programs than people."

In 2000, Utah was on the cutting edge of the organic movement, providing
standards two years before the USDA hammered out national regulations.
Today, Utah's program is the nation's only state service that provides both
certification and law enforcement powers to ensure requirements are met in
order to receive the Utah organic seal.

"Utah's program is a complete package," said Miles McEvoy, president of the
National Association of State Organic Programs. "The difference with Utah's
program and that of other states is that only Utah has the authority to
enforce national organic standards, providing more oversight to protect the
integrity of the organic product."

Clair Uno, executive director of Wasatch Community Gardens, which supports
local farming, said the state of Utah's cost-cutting decision "shows a lack
of support for local, organic agriculture. The state should be supporting
this because it's good for farming, it's good for producers, its good for
the public and it's good for the environment."

Since Utah implemented its organic program, there has been a change at the
state Agriculture Department toward focusing on more conventional farming
practices.

Last year, for instance, department officials considered making it illegal
to list milk products as being free from artificial growth hormones. That
proposal was backed by Monsanto Co., maker of recombinant bovine
somatotropin, or rbST, which is injected into cows to increase milk
production. A decision is pending.






  • [Livingontheland] Utah eliminates organic certification program, Tradingpost, 02/14/2009

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