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Organic grain imports meeting U.S. standards

The deputy administrator of the USDA National Organic Program says as the U.S. continues to secure most of its organic grain from other countries, proper control measures are in place to ensure American standards are being met.

Miles McEvoy tells Brownfield there are concerns about an increasing amount of corn and soy being imported from Eastern European countries like Turkey.

“There has been a very large increase; a three-fold increase in corn and more than that in terms of soy coming from that region.  So the questions are: where’s that coming from?  Is there the same certification system in place?  Where are these organic farmers coming from?”

There are more than 80 accredited organic certifiers around the world, which the USDA frequently audits and inspects.

McEvoy says certain countries have similar standards to the U.S., which allows resources to be targeted more effectively.

“Those areas where there might not be as strong of government oversight.  There still are excellent certifiers that are doing quality verification, and we’re going to those places to ensure that they’re doing their job appropriately.”

A recent report from CoBank showed imports of organic corn more than doubled between 2015 and 2016, and nearly 80 percent of last year’s U.S. organic soybean supply was imported.

Brownfield interviewed McEvoy at the MOSES Organic Farming Conference in La Crosse, Wisconsin last week.