[All] Fw: REMINDER: Protect Organics from the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations-Comment Deadline Tomorrow

Thu Apr 20 17:28:39 EDT 2017

REMINDER: Protect Organics from the Safe Food for Canadians Regulationsfyi. Lori S.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Ashley from COG 
To: Lori Strothard 
Sent: Thursday, April 20, 2017 4:37 PM
Subject: REMINDER: Protect Organics from the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations

      Dear COG Supporter, We hope you had a chance to read the email we sent out earlier this week about the major changes that may be coming for the Canad

                              Dear COG Supporter,

                              We hope you had a chance to read the email we sent out earlier this week about the major changes that may be coming for the Canadian organic sector if the proposed Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) and the associated changes to the Organic Products Regulations (OPR) are implemented. We only have until Friday, April 21st to comment on the SFCR - join us in standing up for organics before it's too late!

                              Canada Organic Growers and the Organic Federation of Canada have partnered on a response to the government; however, it's important that they also hear from you! Watch my video below and read on about the recommendations that you can use for your own comments - we need every organic operator to speak up and let the government know we do not support the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations as it's currently proposed.

                              Status of the Organic Products Regulations 

                              The Organic Products Regulations (OPR) was established in 2009 through an industry-government partnership, which resulted in a robust regulatory framework upon which Canada’s Organic Sector could succeed. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) enforced the OPR and worked closely with the organic industry to implement the Canada Organic Regime of organic standards CAN/CGSB 32.310 & 32.311.

                              In 2012, the passage of the Safe Food for Canadians Act resulted in a number of regulations being combined into a single document called the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations. As a result of this amalgamation, the OPR is now codified as Part 14 of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations.

                              The Organic Products Regulations is not a food safety regulation and does not belong in the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations. Furthermore, in completing this migration, regulators have made substantial changes to organic regulations some of which, if left unchanged, will undo the entire Canadian organic supply chain. How can the organic industry with so many benefits to Canada’s environment, economy, and trade thrive when the governing regulations work against it?

                              Don't let the Organic Products Regulations become just another set of clauses in a massive food safety regulation. We need you to Stand up for Organics!

                              What will change in moving the Organic Products Regulations to Part 14 of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations:  

                              ▪ The scope of organic commodities that can be certified to the Canadian Organic Standards will remain limited to food, livestock feed, aquaculture and seed. There is a large market opportunity for Canadian organic textiles, pet food, Natural Health Products, body care and marijuana - but this market cannot be realized as long as organic regulations are housed within a food safety regulation. Keep the Organic Products Regulations out of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations.

                              ▪ Activities such as slaughtering, transportation and storage of organic products will now require organic certification - overriding the current system of attestations of compliance. Our organic supply chain is not prepared for these dramatic changes and they are not necessary in maintaining organic integrity. Keep the status quo of using attestations which confirm that theses service providers are meeting the requirements of the Canadian Organic Standards.

                              ▪ Organic certificates will now have a 12-month expiry date even if the activity and product remains compliant with the Canadian Organic Standards and the operator is in the process of renewing their certificate, which they are required to do on an annual basis. It will also create confusion because products bearing an organic claim will remain in the market place beyond the expiry of their certificates. The organic certificate, once issued, should remain valid, unless suspended or revoked by the certification body or surrendered by the operation.

                              ▪ The organic certificate will now need to declare the exact organic content percentage of multi-ingredient products on the organic certificate. This is not a realistic expectation because the percentage of organic contents may very depending on the availability of organic ingredients at the time of processing. The current system of categorizing the product as either organic (95% or more) or 70-95% organic content should be maintained.

                              Here’s how you can stand up for Canadian organics: 

                              COG, in partnership with the Organic Federation of Canada and working with industry stakeholders, has been actively involved in commenting on the proposed Safe Food for Canadians Regulations - however the government needs to hear from as many people as possible. We need everyone – organic producers, consumers, gardeners and operators – to submit their comments about the proposed changes to the Organic Products Regulations.

                              We have until April 21st to submit our comments, let’s act together on this!

                              We’ve made it easy for you to submit a written comment to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, by creating a Template Letter. All you have to do is fill in your contact information, sign and send to:

                              CFIA-Modernisation-ACIA at inspection.gc.ca

                              Please CC me (ashley at cog.ca) and your local MP on the email!!

                              The template letter provides more details about these recommendations and others. You, of course, also have the option of submitting your own letter and may choose to copy and paste contents of this email with your information and send it to the email address above.

                              Thank you for joining us in Standing up for Organics!

                                Template Letter 

                              Thank you for taking the time to act on this issue with us. If you have any questions or comments please don't hestitate to contact me at ashley at cog.ca or 1-888-375-7383.

                              With appreciation,

                              Ashley St Hilaire 
                              Director of Programs and Government Relations 
                              Canadian Organic Growers

                        ©2017 Canadian Organic Growers | 410 - 100 Gloucester St, Ottawa ON K2P 0A4 

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