Organic certification loophole makes scams possible, farmer says

An Alberta farmer is pushing the province to create its own organic certification system, saying some growers could take advantage of a loophole in the new national regulations.

'The farmer that's growing a dozen carrots can take it down to the farmers' market and whether they are organic or not he can claim they are organic at this time.' Allan Graff, organic farmer

Allan Graff, an organic grain farmer near Vulcan, said the anticipated federal regulations will only apply to food products that have crossed provincial or federal borders.

Graff said when the new regulations come into effect in two years, some farmers may try to sidestep the organic certification process by selling their products locally, orwithin the province.

"Anything that comes from B.C. [to Alberta] has to meet the Canadian standards," Graff said. "But the farmer that's growing a dozen carrots can take it down to the farmers market and whether they are organic or not, he can claim they are organic at this time."

Only Quebec, B.C. regulate organics

InSeptember 2006, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency proposed a new set of rules for farmers wanting to carry a new "Canada Organic" label.

The federal watchdog said farmers would have to submit an application for certification with information on the substances used in production and methods of production.

Under the current system, many organic foods in Canada are accredited by an assortment of authorities including the U.S. Agriculture Department, whose import rules require American certification.

Quebec and British Columbia are the only two provinces that regulate organic produce.

Michel Saumur, a manager with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, acknowledged that the new regulations wouldn't affect food grown and sold locally. He said some farmers have approached the federal agency with complaints about the improper labelling of non-organic goods.

"They didn't feel protected enough so that was one of the problems that was related to us," he said.

The organic industry has been growing steadily in Canada at an annual rate of 15 to 20 per cent over the past decade.

About 3,670 certified organic farms across the country produce about $986 million inproduce or livestock annually.