Dole's Bananas Go Organic
The world's largest producer of fresh fruits and vegetables joins Chiquita
Organic Food Gets Major Boost in U.S. & Europe
EU to Promote OrganicThe demand for organic foods is growing by 40 percent a year in the UK and much of Europe, according to the UK’s Soil Association, but it took the specter of the spread of Mad Cow Disease and a looming mountain of unwanted beef for the EU to actively promote it. In a dramatic shift from intensive farming methods designed to yield maximum beef production, the European Commission announced a plan to boost organic farming and reduce beef stock density. The plan includes incentives for farmers to plant organic fodder crops and subsidies for farms with fewer animals. Germany plans to boost organic farming to 10 percent of Germany’s farmland within five years by re-directing government subsidies to the tune of US$5 billion to organic farming. U.S. Releases Organic StandardIn the U.S., the final national organic standards were released on December 20. Then Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman called the 500-plus page document “the strongest and most comprehensive organic standard in the world.” There will now be an 18 month transition period for the industry to comply with the standard. Noted Katherine DiMatteo, executive director of the Organic Trade Association, “It’s a government program and we’ve voluntarily […]
Loading...