Subject: USDA to publish National Organic Standard
From: "Bill Robinson" <roseguy@flash.net>
Organization: M.I.T.
Date: Tue, 4 Nov 1997 10:50:09 -0800
Message-ID: <MOD$971104.17607@rec.gardens.ecosystems>


According to a post that appeared on OGL, the USDA is
preparing to publish the proposed National Organic Standard by
later-November. The post was submitted by
Ronnie Cummins and I have asked the author to also
post the article on rec.gardens.ecosystems.

I don't want to get into the politics of the thing but there
are a couple of issues that concern me and I think that
they are important enough to be posted for discussion.

First, from what I understand, the USDA is intent on
allowing the use of genetically engineered materials in an
organic program. Plant hybridizers have been working to
develop disease and pest resistant varieties for years and they have been
very successful. The use of disease and pest resistant varieties is basic to
IPM and organic programs,
but natural crosses from related varieties is one thing and
taking genetic material from organisms not directly related is something
else.

It may well be that genetically engineering will be able to
produce plant material with bigger and better disease and
pest resistance - or perhaps even disease or pest
invulnerability. If so, this could reduce or eliminate the use of lots of
toxic pesticides and be a great thing for the environment. I don't
necessarily believe that a genetically
engineered plant is intrinsically a bad thing but I do think that they may
present problems that are not overly evident
or even minutely evident at the get-go. How does one test
for the unknown?

It may be totally appropriate to allow genetically engineered materials into
commercial agriculture IF the
materials are well tested and found to be helpful. I have
reservations, however, about the use of genetically engineered materials in
an organic program where the consumer is paying top dollar for products that
are promoted as being natural and environmentally friendly
. . . there is nothing "natural" about materials produced by genetic
engineering and it is yet to be seen if genetically engineered materials
will turn out to be environmentally
friendly.

Secondly, the proposed National Organic Standard is said to contain the
provision that would exempt genetically engineered materials from being
labeled as such. I think the
consumer has a right to know and while natural cross-pollination between
genetically engineered materials and non-genetically engineered materials is
probably inevitable, I would certainly like an explanation justifying
keeping the
issue off the label.

There is something like 40 different organic standards just
here in the U.S. and there is clearly a need for a standard
that could be recognized by all . . . but if we are going to have one
standard, it had better be right!

I truly hope that I am totally wrong and that my concerns
are simply based on ignorance but I am concerned. I flash
back to a saying by Aldo Leopold, "Technology is of no use to us IF it is
used without respect for the earth and its processes"

Bill Robinson
roseguy@flash.net