•   O N T A R I O O R G A N I C   •

FACTS

USA : 4% QUEBEC : 3 . 3% ONTAR IO :

LESS THAN 2%

% o f A G R I C U L T U R A L L A N DF A R M E D O R G A N I C A L L Y :

Y O U R C O N S T I T U E N T S W A N T O R G A N I C

5 3 %o f On t a r i a n s pu r c h a s e o r g a n i c g r o c e r i e s wee k l y

6 4 %o f n o n - c a u c a s i a n On t a r i a n s pu r c h a s e o r g a n i c we e k l y

5 0 %o f h o u s e h o l d s w i t h a n n u a l   i n c ome s l e s s t h a n $ 5 0K bu y o r g a n i c

5 9 % o f To r on ton i an s ,  

5 3 % o f sma l l c i t y dwe l l e r s , and

5 1 %s u b u r b a n i t e s & r u r a l dwe l l e r s bu y o r g a n i c

ONTARIO'S ORGANIC MARKET IS WORTH $1.4 BILLION, BUT ONLY 2% OF FARM LAND ISCERTIFIED ORGANIC.

OVER

O R G A N I C I S G R O W I N G

Canada is now the 5th largest organic market in the world.

Ontario's organic sales are expanding by over 10% annually.98% of Canadians plan to increase or maintain their organic food

purchases in future.

Since 2001, the number of organic farms in Canada has increased

by more than 66.5%.

Several provinces directly subsidize organic transition costs.

Quebec will spend $1M per year and up to $20,000 per

producer on organic transition supports over the next 7 years.

This year, the USDA began offering reimbursements for

transition costs, and created a “transitional certification” for

operators during the 3 year transition period.

Support for organic in Ontario is limited and inconsistent.

ONTAR IO I S   FA L L I NG BEH IND

•   A C T •THE ONTARIO ORGANIC

T H E R E ' S A G A P I N T H E O R G A N I C R E G U L A T I O N S Y S T E M

Canada adopted the Canada Organic Standards in 2009. Under this regulation, products labelled organic that are traded outside of their provinces of origin or use the Canada Organic logo must be certified.

Within the provinces, however, this is not the case.

In July, the Canada Organic Trade Association rated Ontario lowest among all of the provinces for regulation, support, and development of organic.

As more stories of false claims emerge, consumers lose trust in organic. And yet, there are over athousand certified organic businesses in this province, whose claims are legitimate and verified.

Ontario is Canada’s largest organic market. Without regulation, data collection, and sector-specific supports, organic businesses in Ontario are at a competitive disadvantage against our neighbours.

W H A T ' S I N T H E B I L L ?

W H Y C H A N G E I S N E E D E D

This Private Members’ Bill, co-sponsored by MPPs from both parties, is designed to initiate a consultation process among organic stakeholders throughout the province to create a regulation that works for all. The proposed bill was based on Manitoba’s Organic Agricultural Products Act, with amendments that fit in the Ontario context. The wording of the bill:

Allows for the creation of a made-in-Ontario solution that could include a tailored certification program more appropriate for small-scale and direct market producers, Necessitates the creation of an “Organic Products Register” to list all organic products in Ontario, Allows for the possibility of provincial solutions for the regulation of body care products & textiles,Includes enforcement options for different types and scales of offense, and Creates a complaints-based enforcement system, which requires fewer resources.

Anyone in Ontar io i s f ree to use the term , “organic ” on any product , even i f they are not cert i f ied , as long as they do not use the logo or trade across provincial borders .

As Ontario's market grows, this opens the door to fraud. Five other provinces have already enacted organic legislation to address this gap.

Lack of regulat ion means that Ontar io r isks “water ing down ” the organic brand .

•   I N T H E M E D I A   •ORGANIC REGULATION

B R O A D S U P P O R TThe following organizations have endorsed or indicated support for the Organic Council of Ontario's request for regulation of organic in the province of Ontario:

"Without a provincial regulation requiring producers to get certification, businesses can claim a product is organic without going through a certification and audit process, establishing an unequal playing field for businesses that have received the necessary certification for their food."

"It's about limiting the opportunity to take advantage of a marketing claim when you're not in fact practising that," she said. "For a farmer to say that this product is an organic product or it's grown using organic practices -- it's important for the organic consumer base to know there is oversight and enforcement of that claim because there are people who could be taking advantage of it."

"The strong consumer demand for organic products should be enough of an incentive to motivate governments to regulate the term, regardless of the number of producers."

"With the increasing demand for organic products, there are huge market opportunities and economic benefits that could be reached with adequate regulation."

Fa rm & Food Ca r e Onta r i o

Canad i an Organ i c Growe r s

Eco Ce r t

Ch r i s t i an Fa rme r s Fede r a t i on o f

Onta r i o

Onta r i o Tende r F ru i t Growe r s

Fa rme r s ' Marke t s Onta r i o

Deme te r

Soc i e t y f o r B i o -Dynam i c Fa rm ing

and Ga rden i ng i n Onta r i o

Canada Organ i c T r ade As soc i a t i on

Onta r i o Fede r a t i on o f Ag r i cu l t u r e

Na t i ona l Fa rme r s Un i on - Onta r i o

Onta r i o App l e Growe r s