NOTE: The USDA announced, yesterday, the opening of the nomination process for candidates to the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). The Cornucopia Institute will once again write USDA Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack formally asking him to make all nominations available to the public. There is no reason that it should take a request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for organic stakeholders to understand who is applying to represent their interests.
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n the past, during the Bush and Obama administrations, a number of corporate agribusiness executives have been appointed to slots on the NOSB that are reserved by Congress for individuals who “own or operate” certified organic farms. We are sure many stakeholders would like to help Secretary Vilsack select the best and brightest in the organic community and prevent him from making the same mistakes (currently, one “farmer” seat filled by Mr. Vilsack is held by an employee of Driscoll’s, the giant berry producer in California, and one is held by an employee of Vital Farms, an egg producer — both of these businesses do not actually operate farms but rather purchase commodities from independent farmers under contract).
Mark Kastel
Senior Farm Policy Analyst
The Cornucopia Institute
by Sustainable Food News (published here with permission)
For the first time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has notified potential nominees to the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) that their application documents may be released if requested under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
The NOSB is a 15-member board of organic industry stakeholders recommending organic food and agriculture policies to the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP), which administers federal organic regulations. The board is comprised of four organic farmer/growers, two handlers, three environmentalists, three consumer advocates, a scientist, an organic retailer, and an organic certifier – each serving a five-year term.
In a Federal Register notice Thursday, the agency announced it was seeking nominations to fill five upcoming vacancies on the NOSB and serve a five-year term starting on Jan. 4, 2016, and ending Jan. 23, 2021.
The open positions incude:
- two farmers/growers, who own or operate an organic farming operation
- two advocates representing public interest or consumer interest groups
- one USDA Accredited Certifying Agent (ACA), of which there are currently 82. There are 48 ACA’s based in the United States and 34 ACA’s based in foreign countries
But, for the first time, the agency warned potential nominees that if it receives a FOIA request for any application records, they should know they can be released to a third-party asking for it. However, the USDA did say “personally identifiable information protected by the FIOA Privacy Act will be redacted.”
The new language in the agency’s typical request for NOSB nominations comes after organic industry watchdog The Cornucopia Institute filed a FOIA request last summer with the USDA asking it to make public all candidates looking to fill four NOSB vacancies.
Cornucopia has been critical of past appointments that were more representative of the agribusiness sector than meeting requirements detailed in the federal law that created the NOSB.
“As powerful food processing interests have increasingly sought to add synthetic and non-organic materials to foods, the NOSB has become a focal point of controversy over what some deem a watering down of organic integrity,” the Wisconsin-based nonprofit said.
More specifically, Cornucopia alleges that NOSB appointments during the Bush and Obama administrations violated the letter of the law, and congressional intent, by appointing agribusiness executives to fill slots on the NOSB reserved for farmers and other independent stakeholders, and ultimately votie in favor of weakening organic standards.
The NOSB also evaluates substances for approval on the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances, which identifies synthetic substances that may be used and nonsynthetic (natural) substances that may not be used in organics.
“Transparency has been a hallmark of organic food and agriculture. We think that letting the organic community know who has applied for the vacant positions will allow for feedback and help the Secretary make the best possible appointments,” Will Fantle, Cornucopia’s co-director, said at the time. “Appointments have been made in the past of individuals who do not meet the legally mandated criteria for a seat on the NOSB. Sunshine on the secretive process could have prevented such ill-advised moves.”
The USDA ignored Cornucopia’s FOIA request and filled the four NOSB positions by September, which brought renewed criticism of the process used for selecting the new appointees.
Fantle said in a statement that the selection process was “conducted in secrecy despite requests to cast sunlight on the decision making and solicit input from a very engaged community of organic farmers, businesses, and consumers. We think a more transparent process would ensure the selection of the best and brightest for the various vacancies on the board – instead of, once again, appeasing the organic corporate lobby.”
Written nominations, with cover letters and resumes, must be postmarked on or before May 15. Nominations can also include endorsements or letters of recommendations.
Email nomination applications to: [email protected]. Or snail mail: Rita Meade, USDA-AMS-NOP, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Room 2648-S., Ag Stop 0268, Washington, DC 20250.
The copywritten story above is courtesy of Sustainable Food News, an authoritative daily industry newsletter. For subscription information: http://www.sustainablefoodnews.com/register.php
