We could all take a page from OFVGA chair Jan VanderHout’s plea for peaceful coexistence between organic and conventional growers, in his column on page eight of this edition of The Grower.

Among other things, the chair notes that sharing innovations that could help all growers is key, regardless of their production method.

Of course, he’s right. The ag sector is not well served by one part of it talking down the other. Internal squabbles tie up time and money that could otherwise be dedicated to improving profitability and showing Canadians their food is safe, matters that really count. Besides, when internal squabbles go public, they look ugly to consumers. They lead to no-win arguments, and ignore a couple of modern ag realities.

Take the ongoing kerfuffle over biotechnology, for example. Talking down this modern staple of conventional agriculture is not going to make it go away.

In 2016, 185.1 million hectares of biotech crops were planted on the planet, about 5.5 million more than the previous year. Brazil just approved insect-resistant sugarcane, its fourth genetically modified crop. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is now promoting the development of nutritionally enhanced crops, with seemingly little opposition. Expect biotech acreage to grow even further.

But by the same token, organic products are not likely to go away, either. Consumers say they want to have the opportunity to buy them, and agriculture responds to con- sumers. As long as consumers put words into actions and actually buy organic products, it behooves Canadian producers to take advantage of the opportu- nity and deliver on it, rather than see even more imported fruit and vegetables on our shelves.

The Canada Organic Trade Association, the national lobby group for organic growers across the country, says the framework for taking up national standards for organic production is inconsistent.

For example, although Ottawa introduced national organic regulations in 2009, Manitoba, British Columbia, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are the only provinces to adopt national standards. Quebec has its own regulation, and the remainder of the provinces and territories don’t have any. The association says that leaves significant gaps. “Provinces and territories without regulations cannot enforce or regulate intra-provincial/territorial organic claims,” it says.

So, it’s calling for a “level playing field” to help organic businesses and to increase consumer confidence. Such national standards would help with uniformity and give consumers assurances about consistency, it says.

The association is clearly frustrated that standards are available, but not being adopted, particularly in Ontario.

Tom Manley, president of the Organic Council of Ontario, says consumers here are confused by unverified organic claims. And he says conventional farmers who might want to switch over to organic production are reluctant to do so as long as regulatory confusion remains.

These concerns and others are all in a new report released in July called The State of Organics: Federal-Provincial- Territorial Performance Report 2017. In it, the organic trade association says Ontario – which has the largest organic market in Canada -- is the province with the most ground to gain with organic market consistency across Canada.

Yet Ontario has no provincial regulations. And according to the association, provincial government support is limited and inconsistent.

So as part of its work in 2017- 2018, the council says it will dedicate resources to pushing the Ontario government for legislation and regulation. That will include special considera- tions for small, diverse farms, the kind you might find at a farmers’ market, who may face multiple barriers to organic certification . . . but should still be in line with some kind of standards.

Ontario’s not the only target. The association is also calling for an investment in expanded and improved organic data col- lection systems, and increased organic policies and programs across jurisdictions. But Manley’s focus is really Ontario.

“We're calling on the Ontario government to level the playing field before it's too late," he says.

I don’t think it’s too late. In fact, I think the sector is poised for more growth. The local food movement has given additional profile to small producers and organic products, and the report itself says the sector has enjoyed double-digit growth rates over the past decade. While that exacerbates the need for standards, it also means con- sumers’ interest is still strong. However, as Manley sug- gests, if growth in the number of new organic farmers is limited, offerings to consumers will be, too.

Jeff Leal, Ontario minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs, is listening to the organic farmers’ concerns. He says Ontario has invested more than $12 million since 2009 to help organic farmers build their capacity and support market development. He says the province also provides on-the- ground support to growers through accessible production insurance options, technical advice and the Foodland Ontario program that helps promote local organic foods in the province.

He says the diversity of Ontario’s organic sector – from small growers to some of the country’s largest producers – are an important contributor to our province’s economy, one which his ministry continues to engage with...to gain their perspective on issues impacting their sector.”

There’s no question the sector and the government are engaged. Now it’s time for change.