Did you know all government subsidies to the organic industry pass through the hands of organic farmers and go right into the coffers of left-leaning, urban political activists? The global organic industrial-complex promises everything and delivers nothing. Just don’t blame organic farmers! They’re victims of this political subterfuge, along with millions of consumers.
Did you know all government subsidies to the organic industry pass through the hands of organic farmers and go right into the coffers of left-leaning, urban political activists? The global organic industrial-complex promises everything and delivers nothing. Just don’t blame organic farmers! They’re victims of this political subterfuge, along with millions of consumers.
If you’re spending your hard-earned money on “organic” food at a grocery store instead of getting it directly from a farmer, you might want to stop and try to become a part of the solution.
The root of the problem lies in the fact that organic farms, processing facilities and brokers are NEVER tested to ensure they’re actually organic and that harmful pathogens are being safely eliminated. Let me repeat, there’s NO TESTING in the organic industry! The lax system was set up according to the dictates of organic brokers, traders and importers who are all too busy turning tidy profits to worry about whether the product they’re hocking is really organic.
Back in 1998, the Clinton administration turned its back on the only people who matter when it comes to organic food: those who grow it, and those who eat it. Farmers and consumers were ignored as bureaucrats in Washington caved in completely to the desires of the urban activists.
The American Consumers Union wanted organic field testing and so Clinton’s people had no choice but to pay lip service to it during negotiations. By the time the “Final Rule” came out, testing was undermined with the addition of the crucial wording that it would “not be routine practice conducted on every operation.” Sadly, when the Clinton administration said organic field testing “is seen as a useful tool,” the definition of “is” again turned out to be the critical factor. He then placed the whole watered-down mess on the back burner and left it for George W. Bush to pass into law.
A decade later Canada followed suit. In spite of the better judgment of leading members of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, along with consumer groups who all wanted testing, the powers-that-be in Ottawa managed to implement the exact-same watered-down system the Americans had. What we’re left with on both sides of the border is a politicized honour system that aims to fundamentally change the way you feed your family whether you like it or not. Hey, c’mon man…it’s for your own good!
“Trust us,” the political activists who run the organic industry say. Really? Should we?
Among the many things President Obama promised to do during his first term, was to finally begin testing organic crops. Unfortunately it’s a promise that will be difficult for him to fulfill considering the great resistance that exists within the upper ranks of the organic industry, which donates heavily to the Democratic cause. Sadly, organic farmers don’t carry anywhere near as much sway in Washington or Ottawa as do the handful of millionaire brokers, traders and importers who want to keep things just the way they are…nice and lax.
When the lid is finally blown clean off this multi-billion-dollar scam, taxpayers everywhere will rejoice; and that includes the thousands of honest organic farmers who’re getting shafted by the current system.
Being organic is no longer about farming fields. It’s about filling forms. Your taxes underwrite this marketing subterfuge and help drive a stake into the heart of the most efficient food system ever known.
Please go to my website for more information: www.isitorganic.ca.
This Democracy
Mischa Popoff is a freelance political writer with a degree in history. He can be heard on Kelowna’s AM 1150 with host Phil Johnson on Friday mornings between 9 and 10.
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Comments
Posted by Shane on February 16, 2011 at 4:29:17pm
Your *american* assertions are interesting (if true), however, as someone involved in organic farming and distribution in Canada; I can assure you that from Canadian farmers to processors, and distributors there are many inspections and monitoring processes.
To buy organic is to affect the flow of consumer products away from "non-organic" food production and towards the promotion of a healthier, more natural method of food production in our country.
Let's face it... the young urban professional families in Canada's metropolises are not about to pack up and go schlepping out to the country in search of a farmer that claims to be "organic" everytime they need something from the grocery store. That suggestion crosses the line into the rediculous.
If you are unhappy with the controls of the organic food production industry, then lobby to have them changed. You cannot advocate the abandonment of the nations food stores (an economic pillar of Canada, especially in a recession [everyone wants jobs]) and expect to be taken seriously.
In urban centers, people are dependant on food store supply channels to provide them with an accessible supply of food. If you do not like what product is comming down the chain, change your purchasing habits. Whatever the consumer market demands, the supply market will provide. If you want only certified organic food, stop buying non certified organic food. The suppliers will respond to the change in demand rapidly.
If you seek stricter regulation and monitoring of organic food producers... lobby the government, circulate petitions, stage demonstrations, or other wise make your voice heard by those who have the power to affect the changes you want to see. To say "I don't wanna play anymore... I'm not gonna play with you!" will affect the same change it does on the elementary school play ground (which is where that attitude belongs). Playground business continues as normal and one pouty kid sits in the grass by himself.