Greenfield, Massachusset
May 1, 2002
OTA dismisses "high-yield
campaign" as disinformation promoting high-input agribusiness,
urges public to protect and support the organic standards
The Organic Trade
Association (OTA), the business association which
successfully brought about the U.S. organic standards being
implemented this October, today denounced new efforts to dismiss
organic agriculture's production capabilities and set the record
straight: organic agriculture yields are not only on par with
conventional agricultural methods, but they are sustainable and
well suited to feeding a growing world population.
"These attacks on organic agriculture are efforts to promote the
chemical and pharmaceutical industries which, unlike organic
agriculture, depend upon the continued use of pesticides,
antibiotics and hormones in the production of the world's food
supply, all practices which put the environment and future
generations at risk," explained Katherine DiMatteo, executive
director of OTA.
DiMatteo noted a study published by the Organic Farming Research
Foundation ( www.ofrf.org), which found that organic production
yielded 95% of crops grown under conventional high-input
conditions for a total of 154 growing seasons for different
crops in different parts of the U.S. and on both rain-fed and
irrigated land. Study highlights included: organic corn yields
were 94% of conventional corn yields, organic soybean yields
were 97% of conventional soybean yields, and there were no
differences between organic and conventional tomato yields.*
The benefits of organic agriculture also include improved soil
quality, which means the soil can hold water better and have
higher yields during drought conditions, a key consideration in
many parts of the world, noted DiMatteo. Benefits of organic
agriculture also include reduced nitrogen leeching, so water
pollution is reduced. In conventional agriculture, massive
fertilizer pollution causes dead zones, making thousands of
miles of the world's waterways unable to support aquatic life.
"Because organic agriculture challenges the status quo,
consumers should anticipate these types of attacks on organic
agriculture especially as we get closer to the implementation of
the standards this October or as Congress considers key
legislation, such as the Farm Bill," said DiMatteo. "The
important fact to remember is that a record-breaking number of
Americans commented on proposed organic standards and demanded
that the U.S. government implement the most stringent
agriculture standards in the world."
Representing the organic industry in North America, the Organic
Trade Association (OTA) is a membership-based business
association. Its mission is to encourage global sustainability
through promoting and protecting the growth of diverse organic
trade. OTA's approximately 1,200 members include growers,
shippers, retailers, processors, certifiers, farmer
associations, brokers, consultants and others. For further
information, visit the OTA website at
www.ota.com or its new consumer
website at
www.theorganicreport.com.
*Organic Farming Research Foundation Information Bulletin Summer
2001 Number 10
Company news release
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