When labeling something "organic"?

Question

...do they only look at whether no pesticides were applied to that (current) crop, or do they actually test the produce (or the soil) for contaminants? ie, could I be hosing my fields down with pesticides, and then next growing season not apply any, and get my crop labeled "organic"...?

Answer 1

In the UK, you can prepare the ground anyway you like and then rest it for one year. After that you can apply for Organic status which does include mandatory soil sample tests.

I do know of one farm that has been resting for 4 years, the chemicals have not leached from the ground yet. Thier land is currently idle and they go through a lot of mechanical weed removel every year with no return - thats partly why organic is more expensive.

Random soil and admin tests are done each year.

In the UK, To get a certificate costs about £2K ( $4K USD )

Although it seems lax, i see both organic and non-organic farms and can clearly see a difference between the way they manage the land, animals and crops.

While not great, Organic is certainly better.

With the current system I don't necessairly think you are getting perfect "Organic". However, by buying products currently labelled as "Organic" you are are telling the farming community that "Organic" is a market differentiator and you will encourage more farms to sign up.

As more farms sign up you will find the market diffrentiator is lost and so some farms will tighten up the Organic standards to try to get ahead.

So, if you buy it today you will have "some" benefits but you will also be improving the situation for tomorrow.

In the UK, Certified Organic is managed by the "Soil Association".

I don't think farmers are the cheats here - their land is carefully managed and "covered" in paperwork. The cheats are the small food processing places that label stuff as Organic just because the ground wasn't cleared with Napalm.

If you really want Organic, go for Certified Organic.

Answer 2

the biggest problem with labeling anything organic is, in my opinion, this.  I can have the most pesticide/herbicide free land in the world, how do I prevent the drift from pesticides and herbicides coming from the land next to mine?? I can be certified to death, I cannot stop that kind of contamination, nor can I stop running water after a rain from bringing with it contaminates from other lands.  I feel that no matter what stringent standards are followed and met, until that little issue is solved, there is no such thing a truly pesticide/herbicide free food.

Answer 3

I will answer this from a farmer perspective. It has been a while since my farm was certified organic and i was never certified under the USDA system but the USDA NOP is about the same as the OEFFA regulations I followed for 8 years.

The farmer must keep excellent records as to where all inputs (seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, etc) came from and where they were applied on the farm. the farmer must also have a diagram/map of the farm and each field (in my case I have 250+ 4' x 50' beds, each one is considered a field). Once a year an inspector comes out to the farm to check over the records and the farm. once a year the farmer collates all the information she/he has collected from the previous year and sends that into their certifier along with a check and after being inspected should recieve organic certification

rhe water and soil are rarely tested for pesticide residues unless the USDA/NOP has had some complaints about the farm. than they will reinspect it and take samples of water, soil and plant tissue

Since the farm is inspected once a year it is very easy for an unscrupulous farmer to get certified but continue to use chemical 'cides all over the farm and than a week or so before inspection time (which is always announced) get rid of the evidence so the farm appears to be something it is not.

That said, any farmer who truly understands organic farm management would never do that as we are trying to achieve a balance in our farm eco-systems and using such chemicals destroys the balance very very quickly, does nothing to build soil (the foundation on any organic farm) and is bad business lying to ones customers.

It is impossible in this day and age for any farmer to grow chemical free food. toxins are falling out of the sky all the time, our food and water is comtaminated (especially anyone who uses county/city water which has chlorimine and flouride in it-both bad toxins). Organic farmers simply do the best they can which what they have and try to make the soil/air/water a bit better.

One thing from a consumer perspective. if organic food got all the testing done that is assumed by the general public the food would cost a lot more. testing is very expensive (soil tests cost $25 a test for a basic test that does not test for pesticide residues, those tests are much more expensive. A 1 acre farm should have 2 to 4 of these tests done twice a year to get a decent profile). larger farms would need more testing. farmers do not make a lot of money so the cost of testing soil, plant tissue and water would have to be passed along to the consumer, otherwise the testing cost could put the farmer out of business.

I agree that more testing should be done, especially water tests but not just for organic farms-all farms need this done as it is the conventional food that seems to get hit with deadly pathogens, almost always from irrigation water, than organic farms

Answer 4

Organic really means nothing by itself. Loads of unscrupulous manufactures stick the word organic on their label, when it is nothing of the kind.

You need to look for certified organic produce, which are certified by a proper organic governing body.

The certifying inspectors are very strict and randomly spot check organic farms to make sure they are complying with organic standards. There are huge fines for not following organic guidelines. At least that is how it is in Australia. I would presume other countries are just as strict.

Sorry you can’t hose your fields with pesticides, and then next growing season not apply any, and then get your crop labeled organic.

You need to go into supervised conversion for five years, as it takes five years for all the pesticides to disappear from your soil.

During this period, you normally have your crops labelled as “organics in conversion” and you are and your fields are checked and tested regularly.

EDIT: Sorry Jazz, I thought you were asking from the point of view as a farmer, you certainly seemed to word your question that way. Sorry I misunderstood your intention.

I will mention something else regarding organics. This is just an example, there are plenty more examples where this came from. We have a shampoo in Australia called “Organics” with a bold proclamation on the front that they use organic essential oils. You then read the ingredients on the back and there are all these long chemically names that you can’t pronounce. Unscrupulous manufactures like this play on the popularity of organic products by fooling the public into thinking they are getting something healthy and natural when they are not. It makes my blood boil.  

For anybody interested in organic food, natural pure foods or vitamin supplements, I would strongly urge you to watch the following four films:

1) “Codex Alimentarius” by Ian R. Crane.

Codex Alimentarius is non-copy right protected, so you can legally download it. Ian Crane certainly encourages people to copy it, share it and spread the message.

2) “Nutricide and Codex - Criminalizing Natural Health” by Dr. Rima Laibow

Dr. Laibows film can be viewed (in five parts) on YouTube.

3)  ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚€ÂœThe World According to Monsanto”

A true horror movie if ever there was one.

4) “The Future of Food”

If these films are based on 100% truth, then you won't have to concern yourself with organics, natural pure foods or vitamin supplements, as the concepts will be banned and cease to exist after 2009.

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