Source: http://farmwars.info/?p=10425
Timestamp: 2019-04-21 00:30:43+00:00

Document:
USDA 2013 What is Organic? National Organic Program: Welcome to the National Organic Program. United States Department of Agriculture: Agricultural Marketing Service. Data accurate to 5 February.
“Organic is a labeling term that indicates that the food or other agricultural product has been produced through approved methods. These methods integrate cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity. Synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation, and genetic engineering may not be used” [USDA 2013, emphasis added].
USDA 2013 Guide for Organic Crop Producers. FAQ: Becoming a Certified Operation. USDA National Organic Program. http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5101542. Accessed 10 April 2013.
So we see a double-standard. We have some investigating to do. It’s time to see beyond the PR statements and into the written organic standards law. The following is taken from the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations for the USDA National Organic Program, under the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) with data accurate to April 1, 2013.
“Organic: A labeling term that refers to an agricultural product produced in accordance with the Act and the regulations in this part” [GPO 2013]. Keep in mind that it in no way means the status, of a currently living plant or animal, of having a genetic lineage that has never been submitted to genetic modification of any kind either before or during involvement with the USDA Organic Program.
“(1) Nonorganically produced, untreated seeds and planting stock may be used to produce an organic crop when an equivalent organically produced variety is not commercially available: Except, That, organically produced seed must be used for the production of edible sprouts; (2) Nonorganically produced seeds and planting stock that have been treated with a substance included on the National List of synthetic substances allowed for use in organic crop production may be used to produce an organic crop when an equivalent organically produced or untreated variety is not commercially available; (3) [in reference to §205.290(a)(2) — nonorganically produced annual seedlings may be used when there has been damage caused by drought, wind, flood, excessive moisture, hail, tornado, earthquake, fire, or other business interruption;] (4) Nonorganically produced planting stock to be used to produce a perennial crop may be sold, labeled, or represented as organically produced only after the planting stock has been maintained under a system of organic management for a period of no less than 1 year, and (5) Seeds, annual seedlings, and planting stock treated with prohibited substances may be used to produce an organic crop when the application of the materials is a requirement of Federal or State phytosanitary regulations [i.e., via Codex Alimentarius]” [GPO 2013].
This is all quite bothersome. It seems that “organic” does not mean “safe from tampering.” What sorts of “business interruptions” justify using non-organically produced annual seeds [from (3), above]? I’m willing to bet that the dramatic effects on crops due to drought from climate change easily warrant such activity, under this clause; however, I just as easily would bet that it could mean anything in a court of law, from a lack of staff or machinery issues to financial losses in a particular quarter. As vague as it is, a “business interruption,” could be any problem a corporation faces in making duplicated or better profits from year to year. This is apparently a fully exploitable loophole. Let’s look at it all in a bit more detail.
USDA 2013 Guidance: Seeds, Annual Seedlings, and Planting Stock in Organic Crop Production. NOP5029. National Organic Program. United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service. Created 4 March. http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5102731. Accessed 12 April 2013.
From section 3.0: Background, “The USDA organic regulations at 7 CFR §205.204 require that organic producers use organic seeds, annual seedlings, and planting stock. The regulations allow producers to utilize non-organic seeds and planting stock when equivalent organic varieties are not commercially available” [USDA 2013:1]. Under section 4.1.3, “The following considerations could be acceptable to justify use of non- organic seeds and planting stock as not commercially available. These considerations must be described by the operation in their organic system plan (OSP), pursuant to §205.201(a)(2), and approved by the certifying agent. […b.] Quality Considerations: Examples may include, but are not limited to, germination rate of the seed; presence of weed seeds in the seed mix; shelf life and stability of the seeds; and disease and pest resistance. […c] Quantity Considerations: Producers may provide evidence that quantities are not available in sufficiently large or small amounts given the scale of the operation” [USDA 2013:2].
Of benefit for consumers is that, under section 4.2: Recordkeeping for Organic Producers, “4.2.1 The following records should be maintained by organic producers: (a.) A list of all seed and planting stock, indicating any non-organic seeds or stock used, and the justification for their use including lack of equivalent variety, form, quality or quantity considerations” [USDA 2013:3].
USDA 2011 Instruction: Processing Requests for Temporary Variances. NOP2606. National Organic Program. United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service. Created 22 July. http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5087115. Accessed 12 April 2013.
From section 4.0: Policy, “Variances [such as weather damage and those “business interruptions”] will not be granted to allow for: (…2) The use of materials prohibited under §205.105” [USDA 2011:1, emphasis added]. Materials, mind you, do not include the excluded methods provision, as § 205.105 has different categories for what is allowed and prohibited, including that for substances, that for methods, and that for ingredients.
Helpfully, under section 6.0: Records, “NOP staff will maintain records of temporary variances granted on the NOP shared drive with a copy in the accredited certifying agents file under the relevant calendar year” [USDA 2011:2].
The records, pertaining to the details outlined in the last two sources cited, may be obtained utilizing the USDA’s Freedom of Information Act officer.
How is all of this possible? Well, here’s where the mistake exists. The only place in the N.O.P., according to law (rather than just the USDA’s PR website), where genetic engineering is actually stated to be prohibited is in the terms defined section of their program law webpage.
“Excluded methods. A variety of methods used to genetically modify organisms or influence their growth and development by means that are not possible under natural conditions or processes and are not considered compatible with organic production. Such methods include cell fusion, microencapsulation and macroencapsulation, and recombinant DNA technology (including gene deletion, gene doubling, introducing a foreign gene, and changing the positions of genes when achieved by recombinant DNA technology). Such methods do not include the use of traditional breeding, conjugation, fermentation, hybridization, in vitro fertilization, or tissue culture” [GPO 2013, emphases added].
Notice how these are excluded methods (while under certified organic production) and nowhere is it stated that already genetically modified seeds or crops cannot be used for the purposes of organic production. There is no “excluded lifeforms” provision.
Now that we have that all cooked up, how about livestock?
PART 205—NATIONAL ORGANIC PROGRAM, Subpart A—Definitions. §205.236 Origin of livestock.
(i) That, crops and forage from land, included in the organic system plan of a dairy farm, that is in the third year of organic management may be consumed by the dairy animals of the farm during the 12-month period immediately prior to the sale of organic milk and milk products; […] (3) Breeder stock. Livestock used as breeder stock may be brought from a nonorganic operation onto an organic operation at any time: Provided, That, if such livestock are gestating and the offspring are to be raised as organic livestock, the breeder stock must be brought onto the facility no later than the last third of gestation” [GPO 2013, emphasis added].
It’s already bad enough that the plants and seeds used in USDA organic standards (for direct consumption by both humans and animals) can be of genetically modified stock, and possibly exposed to pesticides and radiation by Codex Alimentarius standards whenever deemed necessary. But then the livestock can be directly, or by lineage, genetically modified — even biopharmed, hormone altered, exposed to those non-organic foods as well as pesticides, all up to the last third of gestation or hatching, or in the case of dairy, up to the last year of production? I think we need to distinguish between “Pesticide-Free” (USDA Organic) and “Non-GMO,” at the very least. If there was one label that could guarantee both, we’d be better off. The Non-GMO Project organization aims for that, and their standard testing covers 99.1% of genes (there could always be up to 0.9% GMOs in your food). They review and label many foods today, so keep your eyes out for them. If their label is on a product with a USDA Organic label on it, too, all the better!
McEvoy, Miles 2011 Policy Memorandum. Policy Memo 11-13: Clarification of Existing Regulations Regarding the Use of Genetically Modified Organisms in Organic Agriculture. USDA Agricultural Marketing Service. National Organic Program Handbook. Guidance and Instructions for Accredited Certifying Agents and Certified Operations. Created 15 April.
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5090396. Accessed 10 April 2013.
“The use of GMOs is prohibited in organic production and handling. The NOP regulations prohibit the use of GMOs as “excluded methods” under 7 CFR §205.105” [McEvoy 2011:1], and, “the use of excluded methods, such as planting genetically modified seeds, would require a specific intent, and would render any product ineligible for organic certification” [McEvoy 2011:2].
But we’ve already gone over that section, haven’t we? This isn’t a total truth. “planting genetically modified seeds” is not an excluded method, and neither is using them; only the process – the method – of genetic modification is prohibited. Let us be clear.
“That is, certifying agents attest to the ability of organic operations to follow a set of production standards and practices which meet the requirements of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 and the NOP regulations,” and “if all aspects of the organic production or handling process were followed correctly, then the presence of a detectable residue from a genetically modified organism alone does not constitute a violation of this regulation” [McEvoy 2011:2, emphasis added].
In fact, even though “certifying agents evaluate the preventative practices and buffer zones [of the producer’s farm] to determine if they are adequate to avoid contact with GMOs,” and they “are responsible for working with organic producers to identify the source of [any] inadvertent GMOs and to implement improvements to avoid contact with GMOs in the future” [McEvoy 2011:3, emphasis added], if the seeds or stocks are in fact tested for the presence of GMOs, the NOP regulations only “establish a tolerance for the presence of pesticides registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that is set at 5% of the EPA tolerance level for the specific residue detected,” whereas “no federal agency, including EPA or USDA has established tolerance levels for the inadvertent presence of the products of excluded methods (GMOs)” [McEvoy 2011:4, emphasis added] so, if a certifying agent found GMOs in a company’s stock or product, that company might get a slap on the wrist, depending on the agent, and would otherwise lawfully get to keep their organic certification.
OJEU 2007 Council Regulation No 834/2007 of 28 June 2007 on Organic Production and Labelling of Organic Products and Repealing Regulation (EEC) No 2092/91. Regulations. Official Journal of the European Union.
Firstly, (9) “Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and products produced from or by GMOs are incompatible with the concept of organic production and consumers’ perception of organic products. They should therefore not be used in organic farming or in the processing of organic products” [OJEU 2007:L189/2].
[in (a)(iii)]: “exclude the use of GMOs and products produced from or by GMOs with the exception of veterinary medicine products;” [OJEU 2007:L189/6].
Thank you for this article we flash here in France.
I did not know your blog but it is really intéréssant.
I relayed your article on my blog with your link early on. I used google translation to understand French which also happens to you.
For us it is literally fighting against GMOs. And we will never stop.
We win? I do not know.
But either way, a lot of people wake up and it’s good to know that other people around the world do too. It is that we find the strength to fight. The world leaders are corrupt to boot lobbyists and therefore industries.
We have the power to change things, it is our wallet is so weak that it will change things.
The use of Canola (high oleic acid rapeseed oil) in organic food is a great confirmation of this.
Canola oil (or ANY rapeseed oil approved for human consumption) is GMO by its very definition!
Not to mention how the ‘sales clerks’ at organic stores have been brainwashed that it IS organic.
I still like my Idea about slipping in an amendment that would state something like anyone in Congress whores for a corporation, or does something unconstitutional are tarred, feathered, then hung on live TV!! Oh I forgot all them Monsatan bastards in all the cabinate posts!
Hello, everyone. I am the author of this article. If anyone would like to help expose those companies which have used questionably-sourced nonorganic seed in their certified organic operations, please offer a monetary Paypal gift to b.bombaci@mac.com; the funds will go directly to the fees charged for a comprehensive Freedom of Information Act request that I am in the process of filing. Feel free to email that same address if you have any questions or would like to remain as an anonymous contributor when I write my report on the matter. Thank you so much!
Grow your own or know who grows your food.
has made it possible to cite availability of organically produced seeds as a limiting factor and instead cite the availability of GMO seeds as the only possible choice. All this courtesy of a monopoly created by the corrupt biotech industry to deliberately force people to buy and use GMO seeds that they produced because they deliberately and corruptly skew the market availability of non GMO seeds to favour only their products. It is their avowed intent as part of their agenda for global control of the entire food supply system to deliberately force GMO food upon us all and against our wishes but, and I make no bones about this, with the full and unequivocal blessing of the relevant national governments both in the US and overseas in the EU block. Yes they are trying it on here in the UK too.
But they have bitten off more than they can chew and the fraud is fast becoming exposed and falling apart.
Keep pressing the alarm buttons and spreading the truth about this corrupt form of food production. Use the truth and use the facts. Never surrender. Your children and their children are depending upon us to do the right things for their future.
As an aside I was in one of my local garden centres today here in Oxfordshire in the UK. I noticed tomato plants for sale. Several varieties available. Not one of them heirloom. Every single variety was an F1 hybrid. No seed saving possible. It is all part of the agenda to remove the freedom of the people to grow their own food from saved seeds and hand it totally to the seed sellers with the monopoly.
Rules and laws do not protect you. It is your own goodness and the goodness of those with whom you associate that protects you.
If you’ll notice, the last three letters in the word bureaucrat spell R-A-T.
If anyone thinks certified organic is anything other than another government and industry operated coullusion and scam, another slab of HIGHLY organized corporate crime and cowardice and greed, they are fools’ fools.
Please people start tending your own gardens, sell modestly share and trade and become neighborly again. You have only a few days or years to live. Do not end your life believing in bureaucrats and sales reps and industry execs and hucksers and criminals of the worst imaginable kind.

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