Canada’s organic community has taken its first significant step toward negotiating continued market access with the European Union.
After more than two years of debate, numerous drafts and a couple of ballots, the committee on organic agriculture has come to a consensus on the general principles of a new national standard.
“Progress is being made and that’s a good thing. It’s exciting,” said Debbie Miller, president of the Organic Crop Improvement Association and voting member of the committee.
“It means that we’re that much closer to moving ahead with our application to the EU for third country status.”
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On Dec. 31, 2005, the European Union will close its doors to imports of organic goods from countries using standards and regulations deemed to be substandard.
Trade will only be allowed with countries that have negotiated equivalency agreements with one of the world’s largest organic markets.
Before Canada can apply to get on that coveted list, it must first have an updated standard in place, a process the Canadian General Standards Board has been wrestling with since March 2002.
On Aug. 27, the agency announced the organic committee had reached consensus on the first of a three-part standard. It received the nod of approval from 61 percent of committee members who voted on the matter.
The next step is to address some of the lingering concerns.
The federal government wants the industry to get as close to unanimity as possible before it takes the standard forward for negotiation with the EU, said Jodi Robinson, trade policy officer with International Trade Canada.
“As soon as that’s done, the government will basically be going full throttle to start negotiating with the EU,” she said.
While many organic certifiers and growers feel Canada has no chance of meeting the EU deadline, Robinson remains hopeful.
Despite assertions within her own department that talks will take a minimum of two years, she thinks the process can be shortened by negotiators rolling up their sleeves and getting to work.
“We haven’t completely shut the door for December 2005 yet.”
But she did acknowledge it will be a considerable challenge to iron out significant differences in that short a time.
“This could mean that we’re going to spend a lot of time in the EU or vice-versa negotiating this. I mean this is going to be some hard negotiating. It won’t be easy.”
Canada’s new standard is similar to the one used by the United States, but equivalency negotiations between the U.S. and the EU have stalled.
Some people think it’s too early to trot out the new national standard. Gordon Hamblin, of Hamblin’s Organic Farm Milling, was one of seven members who returned a negative ballot on the general principles section.
“The standard is very confusing,” said the farmer from Qu’Appelle, Sask. “It’s just too long for people to read and understand.”
A document with that much detail can create headaches. For example, where the old standard simply stated castration is allowed on livestock farms, the new one specifies it has to happen within two weeks of age, which could prove problematic for producers who want breeding stock.
He also thinks the idea of separating the standard into three parts is undemocratic because some clauses in the general principals section conflict with what has been outlined in the guidance document.
Hamblin said the committee should take its time and get the standard right because there’s no way Canada is going to meet the EU’s deadline anyway.
Miller agreed that negotiating an equivalency agreement before next December is highly unlikely, but there still has to be a sense of urgency.
She said a working group will address suggestions as expeditiously as possible from people like Hamblin and the four Quebec certifiers who returned a 25-page critique with their negative ballots. Then the document will be passed on to the federal government.
The second and third parts of the standard, a guidance document and permitted substance list, have been sent out for comment.
Miller hopes they will go to ballot before year’s end.
