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Watchdog Calls on USDA to Boost Transparency in Organic Governance

By Lynn Buske  Posted by Will Fantle (about the submitter)       (Page 2 of 2 pages) Become a premium member to see this article and all articles as one long page.   No comments

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Cornucopia's letter went on to say that although they are an aggressive governmental and corporate watchdog they are in no way "anticorporate." They state there are many examples of larger corporations that subscribe to the ethical foundation of the organic movement. But both the Bush and Obama administrations have given disproportionate prominence on the NOSB to major corporate players. "Without denigrating Whole Foods, and their commitment to organics, you have to question why this giant corporation again has a seat on the board, whereas the approximately 275 consumer-owned cooperatives, with hundreds of thousands of members and shoppers, have again been shut out," Goodman said.

In a side note, The Cornucopia Institute also called upon Secretary Vilsack to consider providing a modest stipend for NOSB members who are not affiliated with a corporate entity or well-funded nonprofit organization.

"There are many working farmers, and other citizens, who cannot afford the extraordinary amount of time away from work necessary for NOSB meetings, committees and the reading of important materials necessary to help advise the Secretary, as Congress had intended, on managing the complex, $25 billion organic industry," said Fantle. "The corporate representatives sitting on the Board are collecting their salaries. It's a shame that some of our most qualified potential candidates are so economically disadvantaged."

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I work for The Cornucopia Institute. We are a non-profit that works to protect sustainable/organic food and small-scale farming. We often write press releases surrounding what is happening in the industry and what our research discovers. You can (more...)
 
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