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Organic food industry leaders tell Congress to boost funding

Source: ofrf.org
Topic: Food Industry

Sort Desciption: With organic foods now claiming about 2.5 percent of total U.S. food sales, industry leaders are calling for even more specific. boosts. ...

Content Inside: Organic food industry leaders tell Congress to boost funding Lack of research, education in organic agriculture inhibits growth, says expert McClatchey Newspapers April 19, 2007 Lawmakers are giving organic farmers more respect these days. Manuel Vieira hopes that translates into more tangible help, as well. Vieira grows yams and sweet potatoes organically near the town of Livingston, Calif. in Merced County. He speaks English with the accent of his native Azores Islands. He wants Congress to seriously step up its organic investments. "I would like to see more (attention) from the Congress, from the government, paid to the people like myself who are trying to have better food, and a better life," Vieira said Wednesday. And then he made history. Vieira joined other farmers in what was billed as the first-ever House hearing solely devoted to the subject of organic agriculture. For the first time, a congressional subcommittee has the words "organic agriculture" in its name, and lawmakers are recognizing that the $14.5 billion-a-year industry is not simply a fringe player. To read the testimonies of all 12 organic industry members, click here. "This broad acceptance and perception of quality is a far cry from where organic food was 20 years ago," said Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced. "It once was the domain of ugly broccoli, dried-up apples and wormy tomatoes." Cardoza chairs the House subcommittee on horticulture and organic agriculture. That gives him a potentially big say in writing this years farm bill. Still, a multibillion-dollar, 121-page specialty crop bill Cardoza introduced along with 86 co-sponsors in March only included only one, minor reference to organic farming. On Wednesday, Cardoza called for sufficient staffing to ensure the "continued integrity" of federal organic standards. He cited concerns about impure foreign imports and said organic food programs should "better integrated&q ...

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