USDA Deputy Secretary Pledges Organic Integration

STEVENSON, Wash.—Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan pledged that organic will be integrated across all agencies at USDA in a message to attendees of the third annual Organic Summit on Thursday. Delivering pre-recorded comments, Merrigan stated, “Here is where I’d like to fulfill a promise I made to many of you…and that is, organic should be integrated across all the agencies, not just the NOP (National Organic Program), but each and every agency at USDA should have some engagement with the organic sector.” In addition to the integration, Merrigan said, “Organic can no longer be stove-piped at USDA.”
The Deputy Secretary provided an overview of the organic policy trajectory at USDA, which included the organic provisions in the 2008 Farm Bill. She praised the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) for its work in garnering strong support for organic from “both sides of the aisle.” She also noted the upcoming deadline of June 17, 2009 for the Organic Production Survey – the first ever wide-scale survey of organic farming in the United States. Information from the survey will be used to shape policy and priorities with an eye toward helping small organic producers grow their operations into mid-sized farms and ranches.
“This kind of data will help us do more at USDA and help us in conversations with members of Congress to talk about the organic need,” said Merrigan. She urged the organic community to encourage full survey participation among organic producers.
Commenting further on the future of organic policy within USDA, Merrigan said she was confident the US will have a historic Canadian equivalency agreement in the near future that is beneficial for both producers and consumers.