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News Release
Organic
Trade Association sees promise
in Minister of Agriculture's support
for “going organic”
(Sackville,
NB, March 11, 2008) - The Organic Trade Association in Canada (OTA)
is encouraged by Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz's suggestion on
Monday that new federal programs will support farmers interesting
in “going organic”.
As the Canadian
organic market booms with annual growth above 20%, the need for
more farmers to transition into organic production methods is a
real concern.
OTA in Canada is calling on the federal government to go one step
further and identify organic farming as part of its environmental
“green plan”.
“It's time
to take a new look at organic farming in terms of what it can do
for farmers, the environment and the Canadian economy,” said
Matthew Holmes, managing director of OTA in Canada. “Organic
products now make up a significant part of the overall food sector,
and organic farming offers a rare success story for Canadian agriculture.”
But more is needed, says Holmes: the Canadian government should
also consider organic farming an environmental priority as it introduces
new measure this week to address climate change.
“The federal
government has a real opportunity here to recognize the increased
carbon sequestering, reduced chemical inputs, and lower carbon outputs
of organic farming methods,” Holmes said, “particularly
now that it is negotiating a new agricultural framework with the
provinces and developing its green plan.” Recent studies out
of Canada, the U.S. and E.U. have found organic farming, when compared
to other production practices, can be more energy efficient, absorb
more carbon into the soil from the atmosphere, increase biodiversity,
and reduce the “nutrient loading” of excess nitrogen and
other harmful residues in soil and water.
On Thursday,
a group of the country's 11 largest environmental and conservation
organizations, including the David Suzuki Foundation and the Sierra
Club Canada, also released a report on climate change which identified
support for organic farming as an environmental priority.
One barrier
to continued growth of the organic sector has been a lack of coordinated
support for transitioning into organic farming. Last year, OTA launched
HowToGoOrganic™.com, to help North American farmers and processors
find information on transitioning to organic production.
OTA is the membership-based
business association for the organic industry in North America,
with offices in the U.S. and Canada. OTA's mission is to promote
and protect the growth of organic trade to benefit the environment,
farmers, the public, and the economy. OTA's vision is that organic
products are a significant part of everyday life, enhancing people's
lives and the global environment.
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For more information,
contact:
Matthew Holmes, managing director
Organic Trade Association in Canada
613.482.1717; mholmes@ota.com
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