Organic Growers Welcome Rules Most Say National Standards Will Create A Level Playing Field

To sell the meat he produces, organic beef farmer Rod Repp has had to be creative.

Though he’s a certified organic farmer, the U.S. Department of Agriculture won’t recognize him as such. And though it costs him more to raise beef organically, he can’t sell it as organic in the stores.

“I can’t label my meat organic meat,” said the frustrated farmer from Endicott. “I can’t use the word organic to let the customer know that it is.”

Instead, much of his sales are done though word of mouth. He also has advertised in the paper.

But with the extra costs of growing organic food and by not being able to command a higher price for it, Repp has had a challenge getting by.

Until the federal government comes up with health standards and the USDA approves their meat, Repp and other organic meat farmers are in a bind. They have no easy way to market their product or sell it in stores.

“Our hands are tied,” Repp said.

It has been a long time coming, but organic growers may soon reap the benefits of national standards. Earlier this week, Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman announced the release of the proposed rules for a national organic food program.

Organic farmers say it’s about time. They’ve waited years for the national standards they were promised in 1993 and have since operated at the mercy of 40-odd private and state certification programs across the country. In Washington and Idaho, the state departments of agriculture offer specific guidelines as to what is and isn’t organic.

According to the state offices, the national rules are similar to their own. A major exception in Idaho is that the state does not certify meat. And under Washington’s rules, irradiation and genetically-modified organisms are prohibited. Under the national proposal they are not.

“But in terms of crop production and livestock standards, federal standards are similar to current state standards,” said Miles McEvoy, WSDA’s organic program manager.

Besides certifying meats, the benefits of a national standard is a level playing field where organic growers follow one set of rules, not a variety of rules from 40 different certifiers, said Jim Botman of the Idaho Department of Agriculture.

“Consumers, when they see something labeled organic, can be sure of what they’re getting,” he said.

The other bright side is that the national standards will break down some trade barriers to exporting organic meat and produce, Botman said.

Apples are the largest organic product from Washington. The region’s biggest international customers are Western Europe, which buys fruit, and Japan, which buys processed organic food products such as french fries and juice concentrates.

Comments on the proposed standards must be sent to the USDA by March 16, 1998. A copy of the proposed rule can be purchased for $8 from the Federal Register by calling 202-512-1800.

, DataTimes