OMRI participates in international anti-fraud initiative
The two-day conference will run September 21-22, and will include international importers, traders and feed mills, exporters, organic farmers and other stakeholders including the USDA National Organic Program and foreign government officials. Attendees will look at risk and other fraud issues, including a recently discovered and widely publicized case of organic grain that was mishandled during export. The organic grain in question originated in Ukraine, as do many U.S. grain and soy imports. Miars will also participate in an invitation-only pre-conference study tour along with government authorities, certification bodies operating in Ukraine, and accreditation bodies from Ukraine, the EU and the United States.
According to Miars, "I'm looking forward to connecting directly with participants from Ukraine and around the world. We all have a stake in organic integrity, from retailer to distributor to exporter to buyer to farmer, and even down to input suppliers and input reviewers. It's critical that each of us takes responsibility for our own part of the process, and that we work together to find systematic solutions."
Conference organizers acknowledge that the popularity and profitability of organic products mean that fraud is a persistent issue. For 10 years, IFOAM and AFI have been taking a proactive approach to addressing risk in the international organic market. The conference will focus on promoting awareness of anti-fraud controls and improving risk-oriented inspection methods. Interested parties are encouraged to visit the AFI website for more information: www.organic-integrity.org.