OSA Takes Mission to Washington, DC

Organic Seed Alliance (OSA) advocates for policies and procedures that support the expansion and integrity of organic seed systems. Our work typically addresses four needs toward fulfilling these ends, which are:

• Rebuilding public breeding programs to better support organic plant breeding;
• Protecting the genetic integrity of seed used in organic systems;
• Challenging concentrated market power and ownership in the seed industry; and
• Increasing the availability and use of organic seed.

We recently provided public comments at a USDA listening session focused on the agency’s priorities and activities related to organic agriculture. Our comments first call attention to the need to adequately fund public plant breeding programs, with an emphasis on organic seed system projects.

Next we highlighted the importance of protecting the genetic integrity of seed. We asked the agency to establish contamination prevention measures that include a compensation plan to lessen risks associated with genetically engineered (GE) crops. (Prior to our trip to Washington, DC, OSA joined more than 130 organizations and businesses in a joint letter to USDA that outlined specific recommendations for responsible and fair agricultural biotechnology regulations.)

We didn’t pass on the opportunity to emphasize ongoing competition concerns in the seed industry. We reminded USDA that the 2010 competition workshops ignited hope in farming communities that agencies were confronting the abuse of market power, including the abuse of utility patents on plant. We urged the agency to continue working with the Department of Justice on a formal response to the thousands of public comments personally delivered at these workshops last year. Given the inaction, OSA recently published this piece that notes the irony of President Obama’s visit to an independent seed company.

Finally, we responded to the National Organic Program’s (NOP) draft guidance document on the program’s organic seed requirement. OSA identified eight ways the NOP can better support organic seed systems and the farmers who rely on them.

All of these issues will be the focus of workshops and keynote talks at our upcoming Organic Seed Growers Conference. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from policy experts and strategize with other seed advocates on how to strengthen community seed systems that meet the diverse needs of organic farmers.