Farmers along with food activists have sued the Trump government for its decision to let hydroponic operators use the prized ‘organic’ label.
The Centre for Food Safety and few growers from Maine to California claimed in the lawsuit that the decision ‘undermines the very integrity of the nation’s organic food label, “that customers trust & that organic farmers rely upon.”
Hydroponic operations actually grow plants with their roots in air or water and get nutrients from solutions created by the operators.
According to the lawsuit filed in US District Court in San Francisco earlier this week, under the federal rules, organic crops - aside from being grown without pesticides & other detrimental chemicals – should promote ‘soil fertility’. But farmers asked as to how you can foster soil fertility without soil.
Farmers want a judge to announce that the hydroponic operations do not meet the soil fertility mandate and to order the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to adhere to the requirements for Organic certification.
The USDA had issued a statement saying that the certification of hydroponic operations is allowed & has been since the programme started, according to the lawsuit.
The farmers said, “USDA offered no supporting rationale for its statement and made the statement in a website announcement, without any opportunity for public input.”
