sust-mar: Organic Standards-we have a say in what we eat!!

Date: Mon, 8 Dec 2003 16:46:27 -0400
From: adainow <adainow@dal.ca>
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____________________________________________________________________________
>===== Original Message From Laura Jean <laurajean@eastlink.ca> =====

Organic Standard

Unlike the U.S., Canada does not yet have a national organic standard.
Instead we have a hodgepodge of standards that vary for each region. This is
confusing for consumers and threatens to leave us out in the cold when it
comes to trading with the European Union (EU). The EU is developing a list
of third party countries that it is willing to trade with. Without an
organic standard and progress on an organic regulation, Canada runs the risk
of being left off this list. However, there is a good chance that we can
meet the EU's deadline. After a long struggle and much work by members of
the Organic Regulatory Committee, Canada is finalizing a draft national
organic standard. Both the Permitted Substances List (PSL) and the Editorial
Working Groups have been working hard to finalize the draft standard.
Members of the committee will soon be asked to vote on the draft.  Please
get involved in this issue. If the government perceives a lack of broad
based support amongst Canadians for the standard, we could lose this
opportunity which could be a serious blow to the industry.

Here's How You Can Get Involved

If you're on the Organic Regulatory Committee, be sure to vote for the
standard;
If you're not on the Committee, write a note to the federal government
urging rapid adoption of the Standard. Send your letters to:

Bill Breckman
303 Main Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3C 3G7
Phone:  (204) 983-4596
Fax: (204) 983-4583
Email: breckmanw@agr.gc.ca

Or if you prefer to go to the top, send your comments to:

Honourable Lyle Vanclief
Minister of Agriculture and Food
930 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, ON
K1A 0C5
Fax: (613) 759-1081

Attend the public consultation processes and get informed. There will be
three consultation opportunities in different parts of the country:
Guelph University Organic Conference January 23, Guelph, ON
COABC AGM and Conference February 28, Naramata, BC
ACORN Conference March 26, Cornwall, PEI

If you have any questions on the standard or how you can make your voice
heard, please address them to COG's President:

Janine Gibson
Phone: 204 434-6018
Email: janine@mts.net

Or visit the Canada Organic Initiative web page at
http://www.certifiedorganic.bc.ca/COI/COI.htm

Representative Body for the Canadian Organic Sector

There are dozens of organic organizations throughout our country, but we
lack a national forum where participants can come together to initiate
policy discussions or make decisions on behalf of the entire sector. If
you're interested in participating in a dialogue on this issue, visit
http://www.organicagcentre.ca/ and sign up for the discussion forum. If
there is enough interest, there will be further discussion at the Guelph
Organic Conference. For more information contact:

Paddy Doherty
Phone: 250 747-3287
Email:  paddy@quesnelbc.com


/Laura
info@acornorganic.org
Atlantic Canadian Organic Regional Network (ACORN)

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