When Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio) spoke to the Organic Trade Association's Washington Policy Conference the other day, her talk had two parts: the part where she left the distinct impression that she had no idea whom she was talking to, and the part where it seemed she didn't care.
Schmidt chairs the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition and Horticulture, which has jurisdiction over organic agriculture programs. Early in her speech the congresswoman explained why "organic agriculture" had to be stripped from the subcommittee's name: it made it too long. The result, consistent with the reigning fashion to shrink the federal government wherever possible, is that Schmidt now proudly chairs the agriculture subcommittee with the shortest title:
At another point, she borrowed a page from the playbook of Rep. Darryl Issa (R-Calif.), who chairs the House Committee on Oversight and Government reform, and invited the audience to let her know of any ways in which the government might be interfering with or harming their business. Bewildered organic farmers and food company executives turned to one another around the room, wondering if they'd heard right. Having pushed for decades for rigorous federal regulation in order to distinguish their explosively growing segment of the market, the organic industry does indeed have a high-profile complaint about the government these days: the headlong deregulation of genetically engineered crops that now dominate mainstream chemical agriculture. Organic farmers and food companies eschew them, and they're worried that pollen drifting from genetically engineered crops will contaminate organic fields, threatening the most valuable -- and most happily regulated -- market in the food system.
Schmidt then gave an example of the kind government intrusion she wants to hear about: "those crazy spray rules" for pesticides coming out of the EPA. She was referring to a proposed rule that would require pesticide applicators to get simple, straightforward Clean Water Act permits in order to protect rivers and streams that are seriously polluted with agricultural weed and bug killers. The EPA proposal has inspired outrage and litigation from chemical farming interests, who caricature it as yet another government sledgehammer poised to crush jobs and drive farmers out of business. When that talking point fell flat on an audience that, by regulation, doesn't use pesticides, Schmidt seemed not to notice.
"These things go right over [EPA Administrator] Lisa Jackson's head," she said, underscoring her disdain by throwing her hand over her own. (Over her career, the League of Conservation Voters has scored Schmidt's environmental voting record in the range of 0 percent to 13 percent.)
"A business idea," she abruptly offered toward the end, noting that she was about to depart from her prepared remarks. "Organic cooking."
Eyes widened yet again around a room that included executives from companies with annual organic sales in the hundreds of millions of dollars, as Schmidt described how the cakes her daughter bakes with organic sugar and flour don't taste as good as regular cakes. Then, with some difficulty, she stumbled through a recipe from memory.
In thanking everyone at the end, she congratulated the organic industry on its impressive growth, "6 to 26. . ."
Some listeners thought they heard her say "million," but after a brief pause she landed the point.
"Billion."
Then Schmidt took questions. In response to the first, she was unable to say how much money currently is allocated for the federal organic agriculture programs her committee oversees. It is a pitifully small amount, in fact -- perennially far short of the support a highly popular $26 billion industry might claim. Many in the room would be lobbying Capitol Hill to preserve or expand those organic programs over the next two days. What Schmidt was certain of, however, is that organic funding will be cut.
"Everything is on the table," she concluded.
It's what politicians are telling everyone who comes to Washington in this frenzied season of budget cutting. But when the politician doesn't know or care about the people they're saying it to, it's more than a talking point. It's an omen.
I'm no Republican, but I do know food and food science. Organic foods don't fare any better than conventional in taste tests, except when you tell the person which one is organic.
My problem with organic is that it's a more expensive way to raise food while also reducing yields and increasing land use.
The real organic food industry is self-regulated by private certification groups and informed consumers- the way it ought to be. When you let the government regulate what is 'organic' you get food corporations buying their certifications from the USDA.
A decentralized certification paradigm allows consumers to weigh one groups certification method against another and research the group certifying the product. It's harder to hand out false certs if there are many other cert groups 'checking' your work. It's harder for corps to corrupt many different groups instead of a single, central authority.
't self regulate. business does not work that way. never has. We need Democratic republic un bought and truly representing the citizens, not the corporations. Citizens need protection for corporations or they end up as serfs for the robber barons. really, that's reality, not you self regulating fantasy.
I'm not sure how promoting home and local food production along with a decentralized certification paradigm suggests to you I believe that multinational corporations love me. Quite the opposite actually. Read more carefully.
National/International corporations have a disproportionate level of influence over legislators and regulators when compared to actual voters. Individuals have a greater and more direct influence over corporations through their choices of whether or not to purchase goods and services from said corporations. Corporations draw their ability to influence from the sale of goods and services.
Stop buying stuff from them and they will wither and die. Local and regional businesses can be federally regulated, but larger companies hold too much influence.
To stop Monsanto, no laws or regulations are neccessary. Just stop buying their products. That's how it works. The government is their tool to oppress us, not our shield against them. The voting process is rigged and yields little results. The simple and obvious answer is to starve the beast- the corporate beast.
However, while I like the idea of a private certification board, this will cost money, someone has to pay for it. You need inspectors to go round to farms and other food facilities to ensure that the rules are being followed. You will also need a meeting of the minds on exactly what does "organic" really supposed to mean. Then write those rules. And here, the politics will start to rear its ugly head. Good luck on that.
Doesn't ANYONE- in any position of authority in our country- or the rest of us, who vote these people into positions of "power"- understand how the bombardment of pesticides/herbicides into our air, water, earth, backyards, farms, grocery stores, apt complexes, children's playing fields, hotels, golf courses, etc, etc, etc are POISONING US ALL. It is like we are living in a world of zombies- walking around asleep, not wanting to be "bothered" by knowing what's happening to our earth and our own health.
We all need to wake up, and refuse to allow the use of these chemicals in our environment. We need to expose the dark center of these agricorps and chemical corporations to the public, so that we may take back what's left of our planet and our health.
At the very least, we should let our reps in Congress know that it is NOT OK that our tax money supports these corporations that are aggressively destroying our planet, and causing illnesses such as cancer, neurological diseases, leukemia, non Hodgkins lymphoma, Parkinson's, etc, etc, etc. Why does our government- no matter what party is in office - support and financially assist the industries that are directing poisoning our own people? Are the lobbyists really that influential? Or, are people truly that ignorant?
No further explanation needed.
keep fighting - we want clean food!