Past Events

This event is designed to provide the organic community the opportunity to connect virtually on critical industry issues and learn best practises from industry leaders from across the country and around the world. This year, the conference will be held over an entire week to ensure that we are able to provide our members from coast to coast the opportunity to maximize our speaker line up and attend all sessions. 

A phenomenal line up of speakers ranging from IFOAM International, Rodale Institute, leaders from the agroecological movement, authors, seed savers and of course, we welcome government to present to stakeholders. The content will focus on big topics such as resiliency and food security, Organics 3.0 and how it interfaces with the regenerative movement, how conservation efforts and organic play nicely together, Indigenous approaches to agriculture, organic consumer trends, Organic Standards update and much more. 

There will be three presenters daily with some workshops thrown into the mix so that we can continue to move the needle forward for organic. 

This webinar will be hosted by APEDA and COTA. It has come to light that there is a lack of clarity on import and export requirements on organic trade with India recently. COTA and APEDA are collaborating to ensure that Indian Exporters and Canadian importers are clear on the Canada Organic Regime requirements. We will also be using this session to allow importers and exporters to present their businesses during the session as we aim to make it an interactive session. An e-database will be created of all the attendees of the webinar to help facilitate trade between the two countries.

Opportunities for Organic Trade between Canada and India

Wednesday, Oct 14, 2020 11:00am-1:00pm EDT

Meeting number: 156 384 2529

Password: ORG@2020

https://apeda.webex.com/apeda/j.php?MTID=mc78cd78c4811db55a9f044454387bea6

3:00-4:00pm EDT

Tia Loftsgard, Executive Director , Canada Organic Trade Association (COTA)Sébastien Houle, General Manager, Ecocert Canada

With scientists estimates of only about 60 years of topsoil remaining at current practices, the need to have organic, regenerative and fair trade practices incorporated into one standard was seen as essential by the Rodale Institute who developed the Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) program.  Attend this session which will delve into the new ROC program which was piloted in Canada by Nature’s Path Foods on Legend Organic Farms (which is associated with the company).  We will discuss the merits of the program yet also discuss consumer confusion around the term regenerative, which is being used by non-organic businesses currently.

3:30-4:30pm EDT

Tia Loftsgard, Executive Director of Canada Organic Trade Association (COTA) and Stephen Tapp, Deputy Chief Economist of Export Development Canada (EDC)

Stephen Tapp is the Deputy Chief Economist and Director of the Economic Research and Analysis Department at Export Development Canada. In these roles, he helps oversee EDC’s global economic forecast, Canadian export forecast, and sur-vey of Canadian exporters. He also briefs senior manage-ment on global trade developments and manages the longer-term economic research program that helps guide corporate strategy.

Canada’s organic market is valued at $6.6 billion, growing on average 8% annually and is the 6^th largest organic market in the world.  Organic agriculture has grown 546% since 1999 globally so how can organic keep pace with growing organic demand, in light of current global trade challenges. COTA teams up with EDC to evaluate the current opportunities, given certain trade realities in this session.