A lack of leadership

It's a plus to see the federal government finally moving forward in regulating organic foods. But was there really any reason for the move to wait until a deadline set by the EU?

Faced with a year-end trade deadline from the European Union, the federal government is moving to regulate and certify organic foods.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is proposing national regulations that would allow agricultural producers to display a “Canada Organic” label on their food products...

The European Union has passed regulations that will shut its members' borders to Canadian organic food exports on Dec. 31 this year unless the federal government comes up with a national certification regime...

There are about 4,000 organic farms in Canada certified by various bodies, producing about $1 billion worth of produce or livestock. The sector is booming, with growth estimated at between 15 per cent and 20 per cent annually for the last 10 years...

Consultations on a new certification regime have been under way since early 2004.

Based on the timing since the consultations began, both the Libs and Cons bear some blame for failing to move forward on the issue. Hopefully the grudging action now will make sure the sector is able to keep growing in the future - both for the immediate good of the farmers involved in organic production, and for the longer-term sustainability of the industry. But it would be all the better if the federal government was willing to be proactive in boosting the organic industry, rather than doing nothing more than the bare minimum required to make exports possible.