HR 5326, introduced by Congressman Mike Conaway, would repeal the National Organic Certification Cost-Share Program
The National Organic Certification Cost-Share Program assists small and mid-sized organic operations in paying for the annual certification process, which is a lengthy, expensive process required for the use of the USDA Organic label. The National Organic Certification Cost-Share Programs provides assistance up to $750 or 75% of the total cost of certification per organic operation. The Farm Bill provided a total of $22 million to fund this program over 5 years. This tiny investment helped the organic industry grow at an average rate of 20% per year for several years. In 2009, organic grew by 5% to $26 billion in sales during one of the worst economic downturns in the country’s history.
Continued growth in the organic sector requires continued investment through the Cost-Share Program. Repealing the program would significantly increase the barriers to organic production for farmers by making certification a more expensive process.
Rep. Conaway claims the Cost-Share Program is subsidizing organic “hobby” farmers. However, organic farmers that sell less than $5,000 per year are exempt from certification and the annual inspection process that the National Organic Certification Cost-Share Program supports. The Agriculture Census reports that 3,637 of the 14,540 organic farms in America are exempt. The average American organic farm has annual sales of $217,675, much larger than what most people would consider hobby farms.
Organic farms provide multiple benefits to society through the reduction of pesticide loads, the improvement of rural economies, and the provision of healthy foods to Americans. This bill and any future efforts to end the program must be stopped!
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