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Organic Trade Association Praises Talks on Organic Equivalency Agreement Between U.S. and Canada

Posted on: Thursday, 26 March 2009, 13:43 CDT

GREENFIELD, Mass. and SACKVILLE, New Brunswick, March 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Organic Trade Association (OTA) today expressed support and encouragement for the Canadian and U.S. governments in their efforts to reach an organic equivalency agreement. Progress on the Canadian-U.S. talks was announced yesterday at OTA's Policy Conference in Washington, D.C.

Speaking at the conference, Barbara Robinson, deputy administrator at USDA in charge of the National Organic Program, announced that the two governments had agreed to sign a letter of intent to complete the negotiations and finalize an agreement by this summer, when Canada's new organic regulation comes into effect.

An equivalency agreement would allow for the smooth flow of certified organic goods between the two countries, supporting the continued growth of this rapidly expanding market in North America.

"OTA is grateful for the efforts of both governments to make such important progress toward an agreement, especially the way in which they have worked with the organic sector to understand our need for trade between Canada and the U.S. to continue. Canada is the U.S.'s most important customer when it comes to organic products, and we don't want to see any unnecessary disruption to this relationship," said Christine Bushway, executive director of OTA.

"Canadian consumers will definitely benefit from this, and will continue to enjoy quality year-round organic products from the United States," said Matthew Holmes, managing director, OTA in Canada. "At the same time, Canadian farmers and manufacturers will be able to certify to our organic standards without having to take on additional, redundant certifications to sell into the United States -- so everybody wins."

Founded nearly 25 years ago, the Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the membership-based business association for organic agriculture and products in North America. Its 1,600 members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers' associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers and others. OTA's mission is to promote and protect the growth of organic trade to benefit the environment, farmers, the public and the economy. www.ota.com

SOURCE The Organic Trade Association

Source: PR Newswire

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