Organic sector wants Ontario to adopt standards

HERE IN THE HEART of the best farmers’ markets in Canada, the term organic, or certified organic, comes up often.

Do you know what it means, and is it consistent?

It’s an important question, especially when you’re paying a premium for organic products that you expect to be produced in a certain manner.

The Canada Organic Trade Association, the national lobby group for organic growers across the country, says the framework for taking up national standards for organic production is inconsistent.

For example, Ottawa introduced national organic regulations in 2009. Provincially, Manitoba, British Columbia, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick adopted national standards. Quebec has its own regulation. And the remainder of the provinces and territories don’t have any.

The association says that leaves significant gaps.

“Provinces and territories without regulations cannot enforce or regulate intra-provincial/territorial organic claims,” it says.

So, it’s calling for a “level playing field” to help organic businesses and to increase consumer confidence. Such national standards would help with uniformity and give consumers assurances about consistency, it says.

I’m sure consumers agree. A huge question with organic produce is what do you mean by “organic,” which although understood nationally varies from province to province to territory.

The association is clearly frustrated that standards are available, but not being adopted, particularly in Ontario. Tom Manley, president of the Organic Council of Ontario, says consumers here are confused by unverified organic claims.

And he says conventional farmers who might want to switch over to organic production are reluctant to do so as long regulatory confusion remains.

These concerns and others are all in a new report released Monday, The State of Organics: FederalProvincial-Territorial Performance Report 2017. In it, the organic trade association says Ontario is the province with the most ground to gain with organic market consistency across Canada.

That’s because Ontario has the largest organic market in Canada. Yet, it has no provincial regulations. And according to the association, provincial government support is limited and inconsistent.

So as part of its work in 2017-2018, the council says it will dedicate resources to pushing the Ontario government for legislation and regulation. That will include special considerations for small, diverse farms, the kind you might find at a farmers’ market, who may face multiple barriers to organic certification but should still be in line with some kind of standards.

Ontario’s not the only target. The association is also is calling for an investment in expanded and improved organic data collection systems, and increased organic policies and programs across jurisdictions.

But Manley’s focus is really Ontario.

“We’re calling on the Ontario government to level the playing field before it’s too late,” he says.

I don’t think it’s too late. Indeed, the sector is poised for more growth, people are confused and there are impediments to expansion. I understand organic producers’ frustration about that, and tools like a report card are a way to add credibility to arguments for more standards.

But the local food movement has given additional profile to small producers and organic products. Indeed, the report itself says the sector has enjoyed double-digit growth rates over the past decade. While that exacerbates the need for standards, it also means consumers’ interest is still strong.

However, like Manley suggests, if growth in the number of new organic farmers is limited, so will be offerings to consumers.

Agriculture responds to consumers. And as long as consumers put words into actions and actually buy organic products, it behooves Canadian producers to take advantage of the opportunity and deliver on it, rather than see imports on our shelves.