Initiated by the OTA's Certifiers Council and developed in cooperation with the Quality Assurance Committee of the Organic Trade Association, the American Organic Standards project is designed to update OTA's organic industry guidelines and to build consensus in preparation for the release of federal organic regulations. The draft standards have been compiled by Jim Riddle, Emily Brown-Rosen and Lynn Coody.

"Commenting on the Draft of the American Organic Standards is one way that the organic community can participate in updating the organic industry's existing stringent standards," said Katherine DiMatteo, executive director of the Organic Trade Association. "The work going into the American Organic Standards Project will also be used to guide the industry through the next comment period on regulations proposed by the United States Department of Agriculture."

Comments from within every sector of the organic community will be analyzed and used in subsequent drafts of the standards. The American Organic Standards second draft is slated to go through a second public comment period in August, and the final draft will be completed by the end of October. Funding to complete the project is still needed. Businesses or individuals interested in contributing to the project can make payments available to: Organic Excellence Fund, c/o Oregon Tilth, 1860 Hawthorne NE, Suite 200, Salem, OR 97303.

The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the business association representing the organic agriculture industry in North America. Its 1000 members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers' associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers and others. OTA's industry advisory boards, which include Organic Certifiers Council, Organic Fiber Council, and Organic Suppliers Advisory Council, focus attention on and recommend service for their particular sectors of the organic industry. Founded in 1985, OTA's mission is to encourage global sustainability through promoting and protecting the growth of diverse organic trade.

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From the American Organic Standards, Draft 1

The aims of the American Organic Standards are to:

• Encompass principles of organic production for crops, livestock, processing, handling, and labeling, and establish certification and accreditation criteria.
• Harmonize standards for the production, processing, handling and labeling of organic plant and animal products;
• Establish a consensus-based set of standards supported by the United States organic industry and community, including existing public and private certification agencies;
• Provide a set of standards to be used to protect consumers and producers against deception, fraud, and unsubstantiated product claims in the market place, including misrepresentation of other agricultural products as being organic;
• Enable producers, processors, handlers, inspectors, and certification agencies to assess an operation's compliance to a uniform organic standard; Provide a baseline standard for certification of growers, handlers, and processors as well as the accreditation of U.S.-based organic certification agencies without precluding certification agencies or governments from creating more restrictive standards;
• Provide a baseline standard for the negotiation of mutual recognition agreements between certification agencies; and Facilitate equivalence with international guidelines for organic certification, accreditation and labeling in order to encourage local, regional, and international trade in organic products.

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