State eliminates organic certification program
Move decried » Utah's program was the only one backed by enforcement powers.

> Without knowing how much the state will save, Utah is eliminating its nationally recognized organic certification program that has provided small farmers and processors a niche market. Lewis said that if growers and consumers want the state program to continue, they should contact state lawmakers or the Agriculture Department.

> Stephanie Greenwood said that Bubble and Bee Organic, her Utah-based company that makes bath and body products, will have to pay $8,000 to hire a California firm to provide the certification -- compared with $800 the state would have charged. When she completed all the paperwork for state certification in January she received an e-mail informing her that the Utah program had been shut down.

> But Clair Allen, director of the Agriculture Department's Plant Industry division, argues that organic businesses make up only a small sector of Utah agricultural industry. "If all farmers went back to organic farming, we'd be starving by now, and that's the reality," he said. "As far as organic certification is concerned, I'd rather cut programs than people." Since Utah implemented its organic program, there has been a change at the state Agriculture Department toward focusing on more conventional farming practices.

-- 
The Salt Lake Tribune

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