Last week, COTA staff attended the Organic Trade Association’s (OTA) Organic Week in Washington. With the US organic market reaching nearly 70 billion USD in 2023 and the historic investments in the sector by the USDA, it was an opportunity to be inspired and learn from their organic successes. As we work to create a better business environment for the organic value chain and a thriving organic sector for Canadians, the collaboration between government and industry as well as the continued commitment to organic by the sector and consumers is crucial.
Key takeaways:
- Organic’s success is due to consumer demand aligning with its values; however, it starts with science. Continued investment in research as well as educating consumers about the value of organic continue to drive growth. Organic continues to be the most recognized sustainable claim amid the emergence of new “green” claims. There is still much more opportunity to grow and organic is expected to triple in the US in the next 10 years.
- The Honourable Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack Secretary thanked the organic sector for being the vanguard in encouraging a new way of thinking about farming and US agriculture. He reflected on the significant cost to small and medium sized farmers from the tremendous push for productivity that has been happening for decades, acknowledging that historic investments have been made in organic to “create an alternative to farms getting bigger and bigger and bigger”. Organic offers alternatives for small and medium sized farmers. US investment in organic is about diversification of markets and offering more value-add for American agriculture, strengthening local and regional food systems, providing a viable alternative for profitable farming, encouraging the new generation and fighting against the consolidation of farm income and farmland that has made the economics of farming difficult for small and medium-sized farmers.
Read about new US investments announced for organic in the press release.
- In contrast, in Europe, investments in organic farming align with their Biodiversity Strategy and Farm 2 Fork Strategy aimed at transforming the food system. Organic farming is viewed not only as a production method but also as a political and policy tool to change practices, encouraging a move away from an input-intensive agricultural system. Investments in organic are viewed as an investment in all of agriculture.
- Organic integrity is critical in the US to maintain consumer trust. The Strengthening Organic Enforcement rule has provided new tools and insights to protect the organic brand. As the organic market grows, challenges will also increase including ensuring that organic integrity takes a risk-based approach that protects the brand at the speed of business.
- There was a large turnout of industry and government officials at the conference. This confluence facilitated information exchange and an underlying spirit of collaboration and celebration of the success of the organic sector.
- The recipients of the organic leadership awards are always a key source of inspiration and learning!
As we reflect on the success of organic in other countries, we continue to advocate to Canadian policymakers and elected officials to keep pace with our own investments in organic, maintain consumer trust with strong efforts to ensure organic integrity, and ensure that farmers and processors can thrive with their sustainable practices.
We invite all organic stakeholders to join COTA’s Organic Summit and Parliament Day in Ottawa November 18 and 19 to continue our collective work of growing organic sustainably in Canada. With this year being the 15thanniversary of the Canadian Organic Regime (COR), we anticipate a record turnout. This event will also be a source of inspiration, learning, and action for the Canadian organic sector.
