At a hearing to gather ideas for the 2018 farm bill, Senate Agriculture chairman Pat Roberts hinted at an overhaul of organic agriculture regulations, citing “uncertainty and dysfunction” at the 15-member National Organic Standards Board, which advises the USDA on what should be allowed in organic production. Theojary Crisantes, a large-scale organic produce grower, said the USDA should have more power in setting regulations and making sure that the NOSB no longer dawdles on key issues.
Roberts said the USDA was slow to respond to reports of grain fraudulently imported as organic, putting U.S. growers at a disadvantage. The “unreliable regulatory environment” created by the NOSB prevents farmers “from utilizing advances in technology,” he added. Previously, Roberts criticized the USDA’s proposed standards for the humane treatment of livestock on organic farms as a “disastrous rule” that would jeopardize animal health with its requirement that they have daily outdoor access.
“As I continue to repeat, with this tight budgetary environment, we need to ensure that over-regulation and antiquated government processes are not preventing businesses from succeeding,” Roberts said in opening the hearing.
Crisantes, vice president of Wholesum Harvest, testified on behalf of the Coalition for Sustainable Organics—producers who use hydroponic and containerized production. The NOSB has debated for years, but not decided, whether hydroponics should be classified as organic. For the past 15 years, the USDA, which operates the National Organic Program, has certified bioponic production as organic.
Aside from being on the hot seat at the moment, Crisantes said, “I am concerned that without some changes in the status quo, the organic industry will continue to face unnecessary regulatory uncertainties that will prevent it from meeting rising consumer demand.” As now structured, the NOSB does not reflect the diversity of organic production, he said. “It will be important for this committee to discuss the current process for developing standards and other policy priorities.”
Alan Lewis of Natural Grocers said a senior Agriculture Committee staffer told him that Roberts would be “reforming the National Organic Standards Board” as part of the farm bill. On the website of the Cornucopia Institute, which often speaks for smaller-scale organic producers, Lewis said revisions would benefit “industrial organic” agriculture.
“The idea of reforming the NOSB to protect industrial producers is nothing new,” wrote Lewis, who said that at the NOSB, “a diverse group of members are charged with considering all stakeholders’ views and technical information to make the best possible improvements to organic standards without too much disruption to any certified operator or group of operators.”
To watch a video of the Agriculture Committee hearing or to read the written statements of witnesses, click here.