Key organic priorities for the next farm bill include investment in organic research and cost share, new legislation to modernize organic regulations and support for farmers making the transition to organic agriculture, according to the Organic Trade Association’s CEO and executive director Laura Batcha.
In March 29 testimony before the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research, Batcha also cited the need for recognition of organic as the original “climate-smart” agriculture.
“Organic is at a critical juncture and inflection point,” Batcha said in her testimony. “We know that consumers recognize and trust the USDA organic label...but consumer preferences on how their food is produced are evolving and shifting rapidly. Organic’s greatest opportunity in the next farm bill lies in living up to the expectations that farmers, businesses, and consumers have of the organic seal and in taking a hard look at how to best structure the public-private partnership for future success.”
The Organic Trade Association has been developing farm bill priorities over the past year, according to a news release. The group will host a “fly-in” on March 30, at which association members will head to Capitol Hill to meet with their congressional representatives on farm bill, the Continuous Improvement and Accountability in Organic Act and fiscal year 2023 appropriations priorities, the release said.
Those association appropriations priorities for fiscal year 2023, according to the release, include: $24 million for the National Organic Program; $5 million for the Organic Certification Cost-Share Program; $10 million for the Organic Transition Research Program; and funding the Organic Data Initiative at $1 million.
