Canadian Organic Regulations
by author Michelle Hancock

Thomas Pawlick, 64, award-winning science journalist, may be climbing the sales chart with his recent The End of Food (Greystone Books, 2006), but on his organic farm south of Tweed, Ontario, it’s all about physical labour and building a future.

“We’re a bit like the pioneers of the 1800s,” he laughs in an interview. “We’re literally clearing the land so we can use it.”

Meanwhile, far from honey bees and sweat towels, another “pioneering” initiative is occurring: federal regulators deliberate what may become Canada’s first official set of national organic regulations. The decisions made during this process will affect not just farmers like Pawlick, but all of Canada’s organic industry. The question on many minds is, how?

Modern Appetite

As Pawlick can attest after decades of attending international agriculture conferences, organics has shed its “hippie” image. It’s the fastest growing sector in agriculture, with sales up 20 percent a year, according to the Canadian Organic Growers (cog.ca).

In 2004 we had more than 3,670 certified organic farms, with 258 transitioning to organic. Close to 1.2 million acres are farmed organically. The value of production at the farm level is $250 to $350 million and we export about $3 million annually.

One big importer is the United States, where supply can’t meet the booming demand, so manufacturers are turning to foreign sources. This demand is bound to explode with even mainstream supermarkets such as Safeway and SuperValu wanting a piece of the pie and now carrying their own organic brands. Food industry heavyweight Wal-Mart recently announced their intention to boost their organic selection while cutting consumer costs.

Supermarkets in Canada have also bought in; it’s almost impossible to turn down a food aisle and not bump into organic stuff. But unlike the US, we don’t have national regulations. Many imported American products are distinguishable by their US Department of Agriculture (USDA) logo, while we’ve relied on certifying bodies and independent inspectors across the country to keep our organic industry happy and healthy.

On Political Hill

BC and Quebec do have provincial regulations, but for the past few years, industry leaders–from manufacturers, producers, and sellers to processors, farmers, and resellers–have offered time and input to advance the goal of national laws.

“Initially, there was a need for export access, mostly to the European Union,” says Paddy Doherty, Canadian Organic Initiative Coordinator of the Certified Organic Associations of BC (certifiedorganic.bc.ca), who has been involved with the initiative since 2003.

“Subsequently, the more important need is for consumer assurance and protection.”

“We want mandatory regulation that would retain the aspects of the systems operating already. We want the government to produce a legal overlay, to provide surveillance,” adds Doherty.

Surveillance is nothing new to Pawlick, whose book is an exposé on how profit-driven food and agricultural industrialists have reduced the nutritional value of food.

Organic production, he argues, is one solution to slow this crisis and strengthen the traditional rights of food growers. He’s cautiously optimistic about the pending legislation. “I think we need standards,” he says. “It’s too easy for people to claim to be organic when they’re not.”

“I’m also in favour of looking very closely at the regulations and making sure they don’t put undue burden on small operations. And if they do, we should alter those.”

Federal officials declined to be interviewed for this article because, at the time, the national regulations were being drafted with the Department of Justice, and thus, confidential. Eventually (no official timeline), they will be prepublished in the Canada Gazette Part 1, and open for public comment.

Although the process has been challenging, “people in the organic sector are generally satisfied with the way things are going,” says Doherty.

South of the Border

In the United States, though national organic regulations came into effect in October 2002, remaining “satisfied” is becoming increasingly more difficult.

“Consumers have been able to stay mobilized and fight attempts to degrade organic standards,” says Ronnie Cummins, national director of the Organic Consumers Association (OCA, organicconsumers.org). “But we’re facing a more serious problem now because the industry has become so large–$15 billion dollars or so a year. Corporate players have entered the [marketplace].”

Michelle Hancock is a Vancouver writer who is especially interested in health and environmental issues. Reach her through editorial@alive.com.

Source: alive #290, December 2006