Policy Statement

March 23, 2001

The Organic Farming Research Foundation believes that the profitability of farming and food security will both improve without genetic engineering if farmers and researchers put more effort toward developing ecologically sustainable systems. Therefore we generally oppose the use of genetic engineering in agriculture. Our specific positions are as follows:

1. A moratorium on genetically modified organism (GMO) releases should be imposed unless and until the regulatory regime has been greatly strengthened to include, at least, extensive evaluation of environmental consequences and secondary ecological effects, and pre-market safety testing of genetically modified foods and ingredients.

2. The manufacturers and distributors of genetically engineered products must bear liability for any external costs to individuals and the environment caused by physical spillover effects.

3. At such time that adequate regulatory conditions have been put in place to warrant the release of some GMOs for use in non-organic agriculture, then the products, byproducts, and derivatives of genetic engineering should be explicitly labeled as such at every stage of manufacture, production, and sale, to allow growers and consumers to freely decide if they want to use or consume GMOs. The costs of such labeling and verification should be borne totally by the manufacturers of genetically engineered products.

4. As determined by international norms, U.S. consumer demand, and as codified by the U.S. National Organic Standards Board and the USDA National Organic Program regulations, the products, byproducts, and derivatives of genetic engineering should continue to be excluded from organic production and handling systems.