| Organic Farms endangered by GMO crops |
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There's no standard yet for
organic honey, but you can bet this will be a problem when there
is. Bee Culture takes the lead in the September issue with an
extensive overview of organic standards for honey from around
the world, and a whole list of proposals for U.S. standards.
Even if organic honey isn't in your future as a niche crop, pure
honey always is. You don't want to miss the September issue. Organic Farms endangered by GMO crops. SANTA CRUZ, California, May
15, 2003 (ENS) - Certified organic farmers have reported the
first direct financial and operational impacts associated with
the threat of contamination by genetically modified organisms
(GMOs) in a nationwide survey conducted by the Organic Farming
Research Foundation (OFRF). One-third of the survey respondents
rated the risk of exposure and possible contamination of their
organic farm products by GMOs as high or very high. "In 1998, when OFRF conducted our previous survey, GMO contamination was not yet a national issue," said OFRF executive director Bob Scowcroft. "These new survey results based on the 2001 crop year document that significant impacts have begun to occur within a very short time frame. If this trend continues, what we're seeing now will prove to be just the tip of the iceberg." According to OFRF president Ron Rosmann, a diversified organic farmer from Harlan, Iowa, "This new data supports OFRF's call for a moratorium on the release of GMOs until there is a solid regulatory framework that prevents genetic pollution and assigns liability for the damages imposed by GMO contamination." The OFRF survey found that 17 percent of survey respondents have had GMO testing conducted on some portion of their organic farm seed, inputs or farm products. Eleven percent of those who had GMO testing said that they received positive test results for GMO contamination. Eight percent of respondents indicated that their organic farm operation has borne some direct costs or damages related to the presence of GMOs in agriculture. They may have had to pay for testing seed, inputs, or organic farm products for GMO contamination. They may have lost organic sales or markets due to actual contamination or perceived contamination risk. They have lost sales due to the presence of GMOS in organic products, and several respondents have lost organic certification due to presence of GMOs in organic products. Forty-eight percent of those surveyed said they have taken some measures to protect their organic farms from GMO contamination. The greatest percentage, 24 percent, indicated that they have communicated with neighboring farmers about GMO risks to their farm. Others have increased the size of buffer zones to neighboring farms, discontinued use of certain inputs at risk for GMO contamination, adjusted timing of crop planting, altered cropping patterns or crops produced, or changed cropping locations. Only 10 percent of survey respondents believe that a regulatory framework is in place to adequately protect their organic farm products from damages due to contamination from GMOs. The OFRF survey results will
be released this week at the Organic Trade Association's All
Things Organic Conference and Trade Show in Austin, Texas. The
complete results of OFRF's 4th National Organic Farmers' Survey:
Sustaining Organic Farms in a Changing Organic Marketplace will
be published in fall 2003. * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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