An outside audit for USDA's organic program; more West Nile virus cases in Washington horses
Washington Ag Today August 20, 2009 The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program, its system of rules for organic production and handling, will be getting an audit by an outside agency. Agriculture Department Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan recently announced that the sometimes controversial organic program will get a complete review. Merrigan: “It is a peer review. We actually have a peer government agency, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, will conduct this peer review for us. It is one of many different sorts of procedures and policies I hope to put in place early in my tenure to strengthen the program.” Merrigan says a total review and audit will help improve the program and build trust in it both in the U.S. and internationally. USDA’s program has been criticized because its advisory board has approved an increasing list of non-organic ingredients. Also third party certifiers set their own criteria for determining what qualifies for federal organic labeling, which has led some producers to shop around for certifiers. The Washington State Department of Agriculture reports two cases of West Nile virus in Grant County horses. It says a horse from Ephrata and one from Grand Coulee were euthanized. Neither animal had been vaccinated for West Nile. The total number of confirmed cases of WNV infection in Washington horses this year now stands at 17. I’m Bob Hoff and that’s Washington Ag Today on the Northwest Ag Information Network.
