NOC Holds Virtual Fly-in
Members of the National Organic Coalition met with nearly 40 members of Congress and their staffers last week in a virtual fly-in focused on the needs of the organic community during the pandemic, strengthening organic enforcement to prevent fraud, ensuring fairness for organic dairy producers, and advancing organic as a climate change solution.
KEY ASKS
We have asked that Members of Congress:
Urge USDA Secretary Perdue and the White House to immediately publish the Strengthening Organic Enforcement proposed rule and the Origin of Livestock final rule.
Support organic as a climate change solution by co-sponsoring Rep. Pingree’s Agriculture Resilience Act (H.R. 5861) and the Booker-Haaland Climate Stewardship Act (S. 2452 and H.R. 4269). Members of Congress should also urge USDA to tighten organic rules that require on-farm practices to build soil health.
Increase funding for the National Organic Program at USDA to $20 million annually through the FY21 appropriations legislation. This is one of several priorities NOC is pushing through the FY21 appropriations legislation – full details are available here.
While NOC recognizes that responding to the pandemic is top of mind for Congressional offices, we believe that our message about the need to clarify and strengthen enforcement of the organic standards and address climate change resonated with many Congressional offices.
PANDEMIC RESPONSE
As Members of Congress consider how best to address the needs of farms, farm workers, businesses, retailers, organic certification agencies, organic inspectors, and consumers during the pandemic, we believe the following actions are necessary:
1. Organic Certification Cost-Share: As an emergency measure, USDA should reimburse organic certification agencies directly for certification fees and the reimbursement should be increased to a 100 percent during the pandemic, rather than the 75% that is typically allowed in the certification cost-share program.
2. Direct payments: Congress should authorize additional funds for direct payment to farmers with explicit provisions that allow farms to use whole farm revenue to demonstrate losses, and to include losses that occur over the course of 2020 (not just losses during the first several months of 2020).
3. Food Access: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants should be able to purchase food online in all states. Farmers, distributors, and food retailers need technical assistance to set up online systems so SNAP recipients can purchase food directly from farms, CSAs, and cooperative grocery stores.
4. Grants: Congress should authorize funding to provide farms, farmers markets, farm stands, and food co-ops with grants to cover COVID-19 expenses, such as PPE, equipment and technology modifications, sanitation and staffing costs that essential businesses are incurring to protect workers and consumers during the pandemic.
5. Hazard pay: Federally funded pay bonuses should be provided to front line food system and grocery workers, to compensate them for their essential work under hardship conditions.
6. Small Business Administration programs: Funding for the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) programs should be replenished, and procedures to ensure farmers’ access to both programs should be expanded.
NOC continues to urge Congress to include these provisions in the next coronavirus response package.
The full details of our requests are available in this letter to Congress (from May 7, 2020).