Cornucopia’s Take: In an apparent handshake with the biotech industry, the USDA has declared that crop insurance does not cover organic crops contaminated by chemical or GMO drift. Other problems also plague crop insurance programs for organic farmers, as the insurance doesn’t include pesticide contamination in inputs like compost. A good insurance program would pay the organic farmer for the loss incurred. And then the insurer would go after the perpetrator that caused the harm and legally extract from them payment for causing the loss.
Organic crops contaminated by GMO drift not insurable, say feds
Sustainable Food News
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USDA’s Risk Management Agency provides coverage for certified-organic acreage and acreage transitioning to organic
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Wednesday released an Organic Farming Practices Fact Sheet, which said organic crop production losses due to contamination by drift of prohibited substances, such as genetically engineered crops like corn and soy, are not insurable.
The USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) said it “continues to move forward in improving crop insurance coverage for organic producers and producers transitioning to organic production to make viable and effective risk management options available.
The RMA said other losses in organic crop production that are not covered include:
- failure to follow good organic farming practices
- failure to comply with the USDA National Organic Program standards
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