Unchartered Waters

Will the Trump/Perdue USDA Defend or Kill Organics?

[This article was previously published in the spring issue of The Cultivator, Cornucopia’s quarterly newsletter.]

by Mark Kastel, Codirector at The Cornucopia Institute

President Trump named former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue as his pick to head up what President Lincoln called “the People’s Department”—the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Perdue (no relation to the giant Perdue poultry company) holds a doctorate in veterinary medicine, grew up on a farm, and ran a small fertilizer business before running for elected office. When he left the governor’s office in 2011, Perdue’s agricultural involvement shifted to ownership in crop export companies, farm transportation, and grain/feed processing.

During his political career he accepted $328,000 in campaign donations from agribusiness interests according to published reports.

Like outgoing Secretary Vilsack, who was named biotechnology Governor of the year when he was the chief executive in Iowa, Mr. Purdue received the same recognition from the industry.

Illustrating the bipartisan nature of leadership at the USDA and the power of the agribusiness and biotechnology lobbies, Mr. Vilsack threw his support behind Purdue after his nomination was announced.

Perdue’s perspective on organic food and agriculture is a mystery; he has never publicly spoken about it.

During his campaign, President Trump expressed his disdain for federal regulations and vowed to relieve regulatory burden on businesses. So how will this apply to the National Organic Program (NOP) at the USDA?

The NOP was established by an act of Congress, the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990. The organic community—farmers and consumers —actually asked Congress for strict regulation. We wanted the organic label to mean something!

Ever since, large agribusiness, agrochemical, and biotechnology interests like Monsanto, have been doing their best to discredit organics and have appealed to politicians to pull the plug.

Now that $40 billion a year is at stake, the industry lobby group, Organic Trade Association (OTA), and their powerful members have done their best to expand and weaken the working definition of organic.

Which powerful lobbying faction in Washington will win out? Or will the swamp truly be drained at the NOP?

During its final days, the Obama administration published two exceedingly controversial rulemaking initiatives as gifts to the OTA and business lobby.

First, over the objection of certified organic farmers, they have paved the path for a proposal from corporate lobbyists to tax farmers and other participants in the organic industry to pay for promotion and research (the organic checkoff).

Then, after a years-long delay, the USDA published an anemic rule, purportedly improving organic animal welfare. But even that is too much for the largest corporate factory livestock operators. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts told the Associated Press that he will work with President Trump to reverse the rule.

And speaking of Congress, the most conservative group of lawmakers in the legislative wing, the Freedom Caucus, has called for eliminating the National Organic Program altogether.

Cornucopia will continue to carefully monitor and report on the agency’s activities and engage with the new Trump/Perdue administration in an attempt to:

1. Spark vigorous enforcement, cracking down on confinement of organic dairy cows, beef cattle, laying hens, and other livestock in industrial settings. Lack of enforcement has disadvantaged ethical family farmers and betrayed consumer trust.
2. Seek a vigorous investigation, and ongoing oversight, of vast amounts of organic animal feedand food ingredients being shipped to the U.S. from China and other non-reputable sources.
3. Reverse the arbitrary and capricious power grab (subject of federal lawsuits) that have undermined the authority of the National Organic Standards Board, set by Congress to buffer organic regulations from corporate corruption.

Cornucopia is adamantly nonpartisan, supported by a diverse membership. We all unite in the conviction that shifting to ecological agricultural practices and eating the very best food pays dividends for our families and society as a whole.

However this new administration shakes out, please be assured that The Cornucopia Institute will be there to protect and defend the integrity of the organic seal.

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