Certified Organic ** Comparisons Of The EU and US Organic Regulations

[Guest guest]

An old one from Chris and Martin.

 

 

Christine Ziegler <chrisziggy

Tue, 6 Apr 2004 17:11:20 -0500

RE: Re: Comparisons Of The EU and US Organic

Regulations

 

 

>>>Christine Ziegler <chrisziggy wrote:

>>>

>>> Since we've been discussing this topic, I figured this was some info

>>> that might be interesting to some following the thread and topic.

>>>

>>> Comparisons Of The EU and US Organic Regulations

>>> http://www.oeko-regelungen.de/db/pdf/comparison_eu_usa.pdf

>>>

>>> It is actually quite an interesting comparison!

>

> Re EEC versus USA - OG regulations.

> Thanks for that .pdf file link Chris.

 

My pleasure

 

> As I expected, these regulations are nothing but the usual

> bureaucratic garbage.

 

Yep!

 

> The missing factor is the *policing* of these regulations. That is

> severely lacking in all EEC generated organic growing regulations.

> Any bureaucrat can make up rules, but it is a completely futile

> exercise if the rules are unenforced or are unenforceable.

 

Yep!

 

> I spotted a glaring error in the US regulations where it

> states " Sodium nitrate - US allows the use of sodium nitrate for up

> to 20% of the crops nitrogen requirement, EU prohibits use of sodium

> nitrate " .

> Since when was this CHEMICAL fertilizer part of a genuine organic

> growing regime?

 

I know some growers were having some sticking issues with such things

when the Federal Standards were being written and going into effect.

This was one of those things that many folks did not like.

 

> Similarly the US regulations allow the use of " specific antibiotics

> to control plant diseases " . It does not specify if those should be

> natural or synthetic.

 

Another like the last

 

> Maybe there are OG certification organizations in the USA who

> enforce much more stringent regulations.

 

There are definitely some OG Certification Organizations that have

stricter rules than those that the National Standards set, and quite a

few businesses/growers choose to promote and flaunt those higher

standards. Thank heavens!

 

> I know there are many genuine OG growers there among the cowboy

> growers. Indeed I feel very sorry for the genuine OG growers who

> are met by this kind of none-organic bureaucratic bullshit. You

> certainly cannot rely on your National standards to guarantee

> anything.

>

> Martin

 

Agreed! My friend who gave us the info on the broccoli - her family has

been organic farming for decades now, and it drives her nuts to see such

" un-organic " shortcuts out there allowed, and to see the rules not

strictly enforced. Although, at least on this side of the pond, I think

the issue is getting better since it is becoming a big thing with a lot

of attention paid to it over here.

 

* Smile*

Chris (list mom)

http://www.alittleolfactory.com