e x c e r p t f r o m a 2 0 0 6 s u b m is s io n t o g o v e r n m e n t b y o n e o f E u r o p e ’s p r e m ie r p r iv a t e o r g a n ic la b e ls ( S w e d e n ’s ‘K R A V ’) r e g a r d in g p r o p o s e d E U a m e n d m e n t s t o E C C o u n c il R eg u la t io n 2 0 9 2 /9 1 : If th e p r o p o s a l is a d o p te d , p r iv a te la b e ls w ill b e fo r c e d to a p p r o v e a ll p r o d u c ts th a t f u lfil th e E U r e g u la tio n , e v e n if th e s e d o n o t fu lfil th e ir o w n s ta n d a r d s . F o r K R A V , th is w o u ld m e a n th a t o th e r c e r tific a tio n b o d ie s w ill h a v e th e r ig h t to is s u e K R A V c e r tif ic a tio n . ..G r e a t im m a te r ia l v a lu e th a t h a s b e e n b u ilt u p o v e r tim e is th e re fo r e c o n f is c a te d . I f w e ta k e a lo o k a t th e K R A V la b e l , o th e r s w ill h a v e a c c e s s to a tr a d e m a r k th a t m o s t lik e ly w o u ld c o s t m a n y h u n d r e d s o f m illio n S w e d ish k r o n e r to b u ild u p … W e a r e a ls o d e c id e d ly a g a in s t d e ta ile d s ta n d a r d s b e in g in tr o d u c e d a b o u t w h a t c a n b e s ta te d in m a r k e tin g o f th e p r iv a te la b e l … T o a tte m p t to r e g u la te w h e th e r o n e m a y s a y th a t s o m e th in g is b e tte r o r n o t is th e s a m e a s in v o lv in g o n e s e lf in a r e g u la t io n o f v a lu e j u d g m e n ts , w h ich sh o u ld b e e x tr e m e ly d iffic u lt a t th e E U le v e l.22 3
223
KRAV, Response to request for comments on proposed amendment to EEC 2092/91 (2006)
<http://www.gfrs.de/fileadmin/files/vo-revision/krav_response.pdf> at 27/05/11
C h a p t e r 5 : C o n c l u s i o n 5 . 1 P u b l i c v e r s u s p r i v a t e o r g a n i c s t a n d a r d i s a t i o n In b o t h th e U S a n d A u s t r a lia n e x a m p le s p r e s e n t e d a b o v e , a c to r s fr o m w ith in a n d o u ts id e th e o r g a n ic s e c to r e x e r t e d p r e s s u r e o n th e ir g o v e r n m e n ts t o r e g u la t e a d y n a m ic a n d f a s t g r o w in g e m e r g e n t in d u s t r y . In b o t h c a s e s a p r in c ip a l d r iv e r fo r g o v e r n m e n t r e g u la tio n w a s t h e d e s ir e to c o n t r o l th e p r o life r a t io n o f c o m p e t in g in d u s tr y s ta n d a r d s . P r o lif e r a t io n w a s s e e n a s h a r m f u l b e c a u s e o f it s p o te n t ia l t o g e n e r a te c o n f u s io n in m a r k e t p la c e , in c r e a s e p o t e n tia l fo r m is in f o r m a t io n a n d fr a u d , a n d lo s s o f c o n fid e n c e a m o n g s t m a r k e t a c t o r s . L e g a l o r g a n ic s ta n d a r d s w o u ld h a v e th e fo r c e a n d le g it im a c y o f la w , a n d c o u ld m a n d a te a s in g le u n ifo r m s e t o f s t a n d a r d s t h a t a ll p r o d u c e r s w o u ld b e b o u n d t o c o m p ly w ith . T h e p r o b le m is t h a t o r g a n ic m o v e m e n t a c to r s , fr o m IF O A M d o w n t o th e s m a lle s t c o m m u n it y g a r d e n , c a n n o t c r e a te o r c o n t r o l la w in th e w a y th a t th e y c a n t h e ir o w n s t a n d a r d s . A le g a l s t a n d a r d is e s s e n t ia lly a m o n o p o ly s t a n d a r d c o n tr o lle d b y t h e s t a t e a n d its in s t r u m e n t a lit ie s . L e g a l s ta n d a r d s m u s t p a s s th r o u g h d e m o c r a t ic , le g is la t iv e p r o c e s s e s a n d a s s u c h a r e s u s c e p t ib le t o a b r o a d a r r a y o f v e s t e d in t e r e s ts . O r g a n ic f o o d s ta n d a r d s a r e p a r t ic u la r ly v u ln e r a b le in t h is p r o c e s s b e c a u s e o f a d o u b le th r e a t . O n o n e h a n d th e in d u s tr y o ff e r s lu c r a t iv e p o te n t ia l fo r c o r p o r a t e f o o d r e t a ile r s (i.e . p r ic e p r e m iu m s , n e w n ic h e m a r k e t s ) g e n e r a tin g in t e n s e p r e s s u r e o n o r g a n ic p r o d u c e r s t o c u t c o r n e r s in o r d e r to a c c e le r a te p r o d u c tio n a n d s u p p ly t o m e e t d e m a n d . O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , o r g a n ic a g r ic u ltu r e th r e a t e n s c o n v e n tio n a l in d u s tr ia l a g r ic u ltu r e b e c a u s e it c h a lle n g e s t h e v e r y
fo u n d a tio n s (i.e . m o n o c u ltu r e , G M O s , s y n th e t ic fe r t iliz e r a n d b io c id e s ) o f its e x is te n c e . T h e in t r o d u c tio n o f s ta te r e g u la t e d s ta n d a r d is a tio n to a n o r g a n ic s e c t o r w ill t r a n s fo r m , if n o t d e s t r o y , it s f u n d a m e n ta l n a tu r e . I t w ill c h a n g e fr o m a m a r k e t a n d c iv il s o c ie t y g o v e r n e d in d u s t r y , e m b e d d e d w it h in th e v a lu e s o f a s o c ia l m o v e m e n t, to j u s t a n o th e r g o v e r n m e n t r e g u la t e d in d u s tr y s e c to r v u ln e r a b le to r e n t - s e e k in g a n d c a p tu r e . O r g a n ic c e r tif ic a t io n o r g a n is a t io n s w ill c e a s e b e in g th e p r o p o n e n ts o f th e ir o w n p a r tic u la r v a lu e s a n d s ta n d a r d s to b e c o m e p r o p o n e n t s o f t h e g o v e r n m e n t’s s t a n d a r d s in s t e a d – in o t h e r w o r d s th e y e f fe c tiv e ly b e c o m e p r iv a te ly fu n d e d s u r r o g a t e in s t r u m e n t a lit ie s o f t h e g o v e r n m e n t. I n e v it a b ly , t h e ‘in d u s t r ia l a g r ic u ltu r a l c o m p le x ’ t h a t t h e o r g a n ic m o v e m e n t fo r m e d to o p p o s e , e m e r g e d a s a p o w e r f u l p la y e r in t h e r e g u la tio n o f t h e U S o r g a n ic in d u s t r y . T h e n e t r e s u lt w a s p r e s s u r e f o r b r o a d e r c o m p r o m is e , le s s r ig o r o u s s t a n d a r d s a n d d is p la c e m e n t o f o r g a n ic m o v e m e n t a c to r s in th e p u b lic s t a n d a r d is a t io n p r o c e s s . C o m m e n ta t o r s s u c h a s P o lla n a n d