Montana Organic Association 17th Annual Conference and Business Meeting

Agriculture largely occurs in an open environment where various types of production systems exist and impact one another. This open environment includes producers who are not only nearby, but also potentially much farther away from one another (as with the long-distance transport of pesticides, for instance). Organic producers are acutely aware of this reality. For instance, others’ use of agrichemicals has led to crop damage from pesticide drift or accidental aerial application onto organic fields. Recently, unavoidable contamination of organic grains at very low levels has threatened markets. Specifically, residues of glyphosate have exceeded a standard for organic products (10 ppb) in Italy and France. The dynamics of exactly how this low-level contamination is occurring (even in isolated fields) is under investigation, and concerns about the cost and reliability of laboratory testing further complicate the situation. In essence, some EU member states have added a kind of “product” standard for organic. Similarly, at least two new “glyphosate-free” certification programs are operating. Of course, organic certification has traditionally been a “process” standard with regulations that govern how a product is grown, harvested, and prepared.

This panel will explore how this situation impacts the organic industry and how it should respond.