vol. 6, no. 1 spring 2003...assessing soil health to marketing to aquacul-ture. saturday night there...

Vol. 6, No. 1 Spring 2003

What a difference tenyears makes!

AGM Report

What Research do weNeed?

Parasites in Lambs

Livestock and Forages

COABC, #8A, 100 Kalamalka Lake Rd. Vernon BC V1T 9G1

Soil Health

Bridging Biodiversity

Food Safety on Farms

Standards Review Report

Organic Farmed Salmon:two views

Getting Water Tests

BC Organic Grower, Volume 6, Number 1, Spring 2003

In 1994, a year after the formation of theCOABC, the first AGM was held in the livingroom of a house I was renting in OkanaganCentre. It was attended by 4 people — HansBuchler, Fred Reid, Rob Hettler, Brian Mennellplus Lee Taylor via phone. Five certifying bodies,SOOPA, COPA, NOOA, BCARA and OPACK weremembers of the organization. There were only 5items on the agenda. The meeting was over inone hour and 7 minutes.

The 2003 AGM, at Camp Alexander in WhiteRock, occurred on a much grander scale. Itbegan Friday, Feb. 14 with a keynote speaker,Bob Williams, Chair of the Board of VanCityCapital Corporation, andwas followed by a fullday on Saturday of work-shops and seminars ontopics ranging fromassessing soil health tomarketing to aquacul-ture. Saturday nightthere was a banquet, adance, an auction and awonderful evening ofsocializing. Over 120 per-sons attended.

Sunday at the AGM,attendance and theagenda were much largerthan in 1994 and it took all day. In addition tothe directors, over 70 persons also attended themeeting. Following are parts of my openingaddress to that meeting.

Today and in the coming year, the COABC mustfocus on two major challenges.

The first is in regard to the very nature of theCOABC itself. In this, the 10th year of its opera-tion, the COABC has undergone significantstructural changes. It began the year with 13certifying bodies, increased to 14 with the inclu-sion of Living Earth Organic GrowersAssociation during the course of the year andnow has 11, as a result of the formation ofPACS, which now certifies 40% of the member-ship of the COABC.

We had all become uncomfortable with the factthat PACS had the same representation on theBoard as CBs with 12% or less, and after a longdiscussion which began at the 2002 AGM, theBoard of Directors, voted at their Decembermeeting to adopt proportional representation forthe COABC Board, allowing a certifying body toelect one representative for every 50 members.With the adoption of proportional representa-tion, CROPS, OPACK and PROPA, which sub-contracted out their certification to PACS, ceaseto be certifying bodies. In turn, PACS which hasover 180 members, will elect 3 representatives tothe COABC board. All other certifying bodies are

eligible to elect onerepresentative each.

If PACS continues togrow, as it seems itwill, one of the chal-lenges for the futurewill be to decide if theCOABC wants to main-tain a broad geographi-cal representation onthe Board and to keepthe organic movement,beyond certification,alive across theprovince. If that is thewish, one possibility

would be to develop – or retain – non-certifyingassociations in geographical areas to maintainan organic presence, sponsor projects andevents etc. Such organizations could alsobecome more broadly based to include foodsecurity initiatives, environmental and healthgroups and others. PROPA in the Peace River isan example of that: the members of this formercertifying body now have their certification doneby PACs; however, they are continuing to func-tion as a community group. Such organizationsmight also become a way to recognize and pro-mote local production of food for local sales aswell as or even instead of it being certifiedorganic. This might be an alternative for thosewho do not want to assume the costs andresponsibilities of a regulatory system should itcome to pass.

What a difference ten years makes by Linda Edwards

Linda Edwards thanks our many generous sponsors at the2003 AGM.


BC Organic Groweris received by all members oforganizations belonging to theCertified Organic Association ofBritish Columbia. BC OrganicGrower is published quarterly byCOABC.

Letters & submissions to:Cathleen Kneen, EditorS6 C27 RR#1Sorrento BC V0E 2W0phone/fax: [email protected]

Advertising (rates & copy) &non-member subscriptions($20/year) to:COABC #8-A 100 Kalamalka Lake Rd.Vernon BC V1T 9G1phone: 250-260-4429fax: [email protected]

For general information or tocontact your local CertifyingBody, call the office in Vernon –or check our website:www.CertifiedOrganic.bc.ca

Cover Photo courtesy of SOOPA

Layout & Design: Rebecca [email protected]

Disclaimer:Products advertised in the BCOGare not necessarily approved foruse by organic farmers/processors.Please consult the Materials List.

Canadian PublicationsMail Agreement#40047167

Should the COABC play a role in the promotion of suchgroups? What will be its relationship to them? Where willthe initiative and energy to explore these options come from?

Still on structural changes: There has been another signifi-cant change this past year in how the COABC does busi-ness. The Board used to do (or try to do) everything. Theonly committee especially designated for a specific task wasthe Audit Committee. Over the past year, a number of com-mittees, some on-going and others short term, have carriedout many important functions on behalf of the COABC.

Standards ReviewThe Standards Review Committee — created at our last AGMwith representation from all of the certifying bodies —assumed responsibility for receiving and processing suggest-ed changes and additions to the Standards.

Trust CommitteeThe Trust (Organic Sector Development Program) Committeewill function for two more years handling applications fortrust funds.

Web SiteThe Web Site Committee, previously managed by HermannBruns, is being transformed under the leadership of JodiKoberinski and others into a Communications Committee.

Food SafetyThe Food Safety Committee, chaired by Lee McFadyen, withassistance from Kathleen Zimmerman from the provincialgovernment, carried out a survey this past fall to identifyareas for action in on-farm food safety (see p.19).

Short-term committees established procedures for handlingfraudulent use of organics, and developed a media protocolfor crisis situations.

Our Strategic Plan was completed and as a result theOrganic Sector Development Program fund was initiatedwith a committee of 4 COABC representatives, along withone each from AAFC, BCMAFF, and Investment Agriculture.

Last but certainly not least, the Spring Seminar and AGMCommittee of Cathleen Kneen, Mary Forstbauer, StephenGallagher and Deb Foote have organized the last two days’events. Harvie Snow has also worked with this committeeespecially in regard to organic presence and COABC’s inputto the Pacific Ag Show.

These committees have greatly lessened the load on theBoard of Directors and made for much shorter conferencecalls; they have also brought in many members and others

continued on page 4...


in the industry who had not previously beeninvolved, to work for the organic movement.However, committees need support and theirwork needs to be integrated into the whole. Thisdoes not happen automatically and without itanything can happen — from chaos to nothing.This is the sort of job an executive directorwould do, and without one it was not done aswell as it could have been, or increased the workof a few already overloaded volunteers.

Looking at the organization’s achievements in2002, one must nevertheless conclude that thisis a thriving organization, serving its membersin a responsible and effective way. (See box)

Our second, and I feel our major challenge is alack of adequate funding for core services. Thiswill evolve into a major crisis this year if we donot make changes in our financing. It is neces-sary to increase COABC fees just to cover a barebones budget in 2003. Keep your fingers crossedthat the computer at the office doesn’t breakdown, that liability insurance rates don’t go upor anything else unforeseen that we must dealwith doesn’t occur because there is no leeway inthe budget. The proposed budget also does notprovide for launching any more COABC projectswith Trust funds, since Some matching fundsare always needed. The next time someonecomes up with a great idea and suggests theCOABC should put together an application tothe trust, the Board will have to say no – a greatopportunity missed.

A couple of AGMs ago we adopted the practice ofnot putting an increase adopted at one AGMinto effect until the next year. I know all of thearguments for doing that and in theory itsounds fine. In practice it is not working. Lastyear, we ran a deficit and had to use some ofour reserves. This year, if we stay with the feesset last year, we will use up most or all of therest. Without reserves, there are no cushions foremergencies or for cash flow shortages to coverbills and expenses throughout the year.Budgeting for 2004 now might very well result inthe same situation we find ourselves now. Ifyour tractor breaks down, it doesn’t matter if itwasn’t in this year’s budget.

To maintain even a modest reserve and to not

...continued from page 3

Achievements in 2002The COABC Strategic Plan was completed and thefunding process under the Trust Fund was begun. Sofar eight projects have been funded. Some havebeen initiated by outside parties but most have beenlaunched or hosted by the COABC itself in responseto issues the membership identified in the StrategicPlan.

There has been continued work on the national andinternational scene. There was participation inIFOAM, trade negotiations and meetings in Ottawaand hours and hours of working on the CanadianStandards.

Through the Trust, and with generous assistancefrom many processors and handlers, a project hasbeen set up to establish a representative body inCanada to deal with national issues: everything fromissues like regulatory vs. voluntary, to convincingagencies like the CFIA that organics is an entity initself and cannot be lumped into commodities.

COABC continues to maintain a presence on the BCAgricultural Council. One recent concrete financialbenefit was funds that have enabled a number of theCBs to promote their CBs, and to increase member-ship through the development of websites, eventsetc. Some of these funds are also being used tomake our application forms more user friendly and tostandardize the verification officers’ forms.

The COABC Guidebook was re-written and publishedin 2 volumes — one on policies and procedures andthe other about the management standards.

New procedures were developed for theAccreditation Board and an internal policy manualdrafted. These were done on special projects moneyand volunteer effort.

The COABC also participated in a review of market-ing boards and an appeal to the BC Marketing Boardby organic egg growers, and attended meetings,seminars and conferences regarding environmentalissues, educational opportunities and marketing ini-tiatives.

The Organic Advisory Service continued to be activebut is now out of money.

The office, still operating on 24 hours of paid stafftime per week is busier than ever — up 45% sincelast year.

The BCOG magazine continues to be an importantpart of the glue that holds us together, and there hasbeen expansion and much greater use of the web-site.


run into this problem again,we need to base budgets onreal time preferably startingthis year.

Last year at our AGM wewent through an extensiveexercise of assessing whatparts of our core services wewanted to keep and whichones were not necessary.The very clear consensuswas to keep doing what wewere doing. No one hasquestioned that over thepast year. We are happybeing the kind of organiza-tion we are. Also, most ofthe things we undertake areones we are bound constitutionally to do. Tostop taking care of the Standards, the audit etc.would mean we would have to change our con-stitution.

As president over the past two years, I waspainfully aware too many times of things fallingthrough the cracks. In my opinion, this organi-zation needs something else that is not in thebudget: this is at least a part time paid coordi-nator/executive director to assist the Board andCommittees of COABC, to keep all of the partsconnected and to make volunteering more of apleasure and less of a burden. Because theremay lie the real crux of the most serious prob-lem of all that we are facing: it is more and moredifficult for the CBs to get people to representthem on the Board. The commitment requiredcan be frightening. Many have left because it istoo much work – or as someone who quit toldme, because they feel guilty that there is somuch to do and they are not able to contributemore. The new Board will have to find some wayto ensure whoever they elect to be President isnot burdened with feeling they have to become avolunteer CEO and give up farming!

Each of you, ask yourself how much you canvolunteer. If the answer is not much or none atall, I understand. But maybe it is time to startthinking if you should be contributing morefinancially to help hire people to do the thingsyou want and need. In fact, unless we decide toscale COABC down to about where it was 10

years ago – even 5 years ago – get-ting more volunteers won’t help.The more volunteers, the moreprojects, the more you need some-one to coordinate them. A sizableminority and I think soon themajority of COABC members aredemonstrating through the growthof PACS that they are willing topay the real cost of certification.The question now is, are we willingto pay the real cost of operatingCOABC? Project money is easilycome by these days because of thecredibility we have built up, butnobody pays for basic operations.The only source of funding avail-able for core services is member-ship fees.

We have run the race and won to this point, andI am sure the COABC will continue to findanswers to the problems that arise and will con-tinue to represent and serve its members well!

Thank you for letting me be your Presidentthese past two years.

Founders’ award given to Paddy Dohertyfor his unstinting efforts on behalf of the

organic movement in general and theCOABC in particular for many years.

Pacific Agricultural Certification Society#8-A 100 Kalamalka Lk. Rd. Vernon BC

Tel: 250-558-7927 Fax: 250-260-4436email: [email protected]

www.certifiedorganic.bc.ca/CA/pacs_list.asp

ProfessionalA c c re d i t e dCertification

Services

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The AGM was preceded this year by a SpringSeminar event at Camp Alexandra in White Rockto celebrate the 10th anniversary of COABC.

Keynote speaker on Friday night was BobWilliams, Chair of VanCity Capital Corporation,who described the success of Emilia Romagna, apoor region of northern Italy, in developing astrong local economy on the basis of coopera-tives and small enterprises, largely agriculturallybased, which have integrated themselves bothvertically and horizontally. Businesses sub-con-tract with one another and collaborate in everylevel of their enterprises to achieve amazing effi-ciencies. This is a model that holds a lot of cre-ative ideas for B.C.’s organic sector, particularlyin the ways in which independent businesses ofdifferent sizes have learned to collaborate fortheir mutual benefit.

As intended, the workshops, panel presentationsand poster sessions sparked much discussionand proposals for further action. For example, inresponse to a dynamic discussion on MarketingStrategy, led by Doug Rushton of IMPACS alongwith Gunta Vitins from Pro Organics, Deb Footefrom Wild West, and Bob Morriseau fromCapers, a decision was made by the Board towork with others in the sector to develop a sig-nificant marketing action strategy. The presenta-tion on salmon farming and the poster sessionon oyster farming have encouraged the organiza-tion to move towards a position on this contro-versial issue (see page 26). The wide diversity ofpresentations is matched by the diversity of

opinions, which is one of the great strengths ofour movement.

An important highlight of the weekend was themarvellous organic food, donated by organicfarms and businesses and expertly prepared byDiane Kolida. For once, a banquet that deservedthe name!

The AGM began with the President’s report (seepage 1), followed by reports from the commit-tees:

Audit Committee [Harvie Snow] Accrediting for ISO compliancehas made the work of the Audit Committee morecomplex. It must operate as a separate entityfrom COABC, but may use COABC resources indoing so. While still auditing for level one andtwo regional compliance, the board engages in amuch more comprehensive review for ISOaccreditation, which is required for marketaccess in Quebec and outside Canada. Thisreview is almost beyond the ability of a volunteercommittee, and it was agreed that the new com-mittee would be provided with expenses andhonorarium. PACS and FVOPA underwent levelII ISO Accreditation audits this year. Harvie sub-mitted his resignation from the committee, andAnne Macey was welcomed as the new AuditCommittee Chair, with members Brian Mennell,George Zebroff, Peter Johnston, Nancy Korva,Brian Roberts (BCMAFF), and one more memberexternal to COABC being sought.

Organic Sector Development Program[Gunta Vitins] Three new projects are beingdeveloped by Gunta on behalf of COABC. Onedeals with the research needs of organic farmers(see page 9). The second will hire a contractor todevelop a consistent, user friendly set of applica-tions and VO inspection reports for all. Therewill be electronic versions, and line by lineguides. The third, arising out of the work of theWebsite Committee and the Marketing Strategyproject, will propose further market developmentwork, working closely with partners in organicbusinesses at every level of the marketing pro-cess, refining the target audience and message,and developing and restructuring our website.

2003 AGM Report by Cathleen Kneen


Office[Kristen Kane] The COABC office is the hub ofthe organisation, and its role and responsibili-ties has increased exponentially over the lastyear. Cara Nunn shared office duties withKristen who also coordinates the Organic SectorDevelopment Program. Job-sharing has allowedCOABC to have an office presence 5 days aweek, which, along with the Shaw cable connec-tion which frees up the phone lines, has enableda 45% increase over 2001in the number of contacts tothe office, including calls,emails, and post. In addition toprojects, the office deals withmember and CB services, media,public and consumer inquiries, offi-cial marks administration, logoitems and book sales, and websitemaintenance. The increased websitetraffic is reflected in the number ofcalls which begin: “I was on your web-site and......”

The COABC has been able to providenew opportunities and funding for itsCBs and their members due to theoffice’s project administration capacityand hopefully can continue to do so inthe months and years to come.

Organic Sector Development Program[Hans Buchler] Two proposals arecomplete, 8 more are currently inthe works. An annual report hasbeen submitted to the InvestmentAgriculture Foundation.

Website Committee[Jodi Koberinski] The commit-tee has been working hard todevelop a maintenance poli-cy. It is also looking at therecommendation from theMarketing Strategy project that the websiteneeds to be consumer friendly. Suggested thatthe website committee become aCommunications Committee.

Standards Review Tracy Schimpf is acting Chair. Other membersso far are: KOGS - Abra Brynne, SOOPA - JimBagley, PACS - Rebecca Kneen, Jill Tyndale,

Carmen Wakeling, NOOA - Tracy Schimpf,FVOPA - Alyssa Bell Stoneman. Bio-Dynamics,LEOGA, IOPA, BCARA, BOPA, and STOPA stillneed to confirm their members on thisCommittee. (see page 24 for report)

BC Agriculture Council [Paddy Doherty] COABC is a member of theBCAC through Community Agriculture, and rep-resented by George Hamilton. Environmental

Farm Planning is the major current issue ofinterest to COABC. Paddy’s work at BCAC

was commended and it was agreed thatwe should continue our membership

despite a potential increase in cost.Membership in BCAC may costmore this year ($3000).

Budget[Sharyn Pollitt] In the 2003budget Sharyn proposed a feeincrease of 25% to cover corecosts. She also requested amore realistic time-frame forpreparation of financialstatements for the AGM,and suggested that theorganization needs to con-sider the need for an execu-tive director. The budgetwas accepted with theunderstanding that the feeincrease would not set aprecedent; that the Board isto develop and implement a

new funding formula for thefuture of COABC; that the

Board will develop options forCOABC to acquire an executive

director, and that the Board seekfunds to match OSDP project propos-

als.

USDA Organic Program[JoAnn Sandhu] Negotiations with the USDANational Organic Program are going well, butsome changes will have to be made to our pro-gram, for example, that non-farm members arefull voting members of the Board. It was agreedto give the Consumer-Environment representa-tive a vote on the COABC Board, and to make

2003 Board of DirectorsPresident: Pat Mallett

Vice-President: Jodi Koberinski

Vice-President: StephenGallagher

Treasurer: Sharyn Pollitt

Secretary: Arlene SolomonBCARA: Stephen Gallagher, ( John

Switzer)BioD: Jill Rothe, (Mary Forstbauer)BOPA: Jodi Koberinski, (TBA)FVOPA: Harvie Snow, (Annie Moss)IOPA: Peter Johnston (Dave Friend)KOGS: Patrick Mallett (Brenda Elder)LEOGA: Lee McFadyen (TBA)NOOA: William Hayward (Bob

McCoubrey)PACS: Sharyn Pollitt, Tim Ewert, TBA

(Jill Tyndale, Carmen Wakeling,Gunta Vitins)

SOOPA: George Zebroff (HansBuchler)

STOPA: Arlene Solomon (DavidNelson)

Consumer /Environment: CathleenKneen

BCMAFF: JoAnn SandhuSPCA: Alyssa Bell Stoneman



AGM[Cathleen Kneen] The AGM broke even financial-ly this year. Agreed that planning for next yearneeds to begin immediately; Mary Forstbauerwas appointed co-ordinator (with some remuner-ation attached) and Nancy Korva and Deb Footevolunteered to be on the Committee. Naramatawas agreed to be a suitable site.

The new Executive of the Board was elected atthe Board’s first full meeting by conference callon March 4th. Peter Johnston will arrange andchair the conference calls.

Full minutes, including reports from theCertifying Bodies, are available from the COABCoffice to members.

whatever similar changes are required for recog-nition by the USDA NOP. Negotiations withQuebec are also on track and no difficulties areanticipated.

SPCAThe SPCA was accepted as an Associate Memberof the COABC (Associate Members do not havevoting rights).

Growing Green[Kathleen Gibson] Growing Green is a project todevelop policy recommendations for sustainableagriculture. The project is interested in workingwith organic farmers in relation to supply man-aged production. COABC took the opportunity tothank Kathleen for her work with the COABCAccreditation Board during the past year.

Canadian Heritage OrganicsCliff FarmCulinary OrganicsDaily Scoop Ice Cream ParlourDragon Mountain FarmDrive OrganicsEatmore SproutsEast End Food Co-opEcho Oils IncNatalie ForstbauerForstbauer Natural Food FarmFour Creeks RanchGiva OrganicsGlen Acres/Mclennan Creek FarmGlen Valley FarmGlorious Garnish & Seasonal SaladHeron Bay FarmHills FoodsImagine FoodsBrewster KneenCathleen KneenMariposa Organic Farm

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Organic Sector Development FundGrowing Green ProjectAgriculture & Agrifood CanadaWild West Organic HarvestCapers Community MarketsThomas Reid Farm

Avalon DairyCrannóg AlesDiscovery Island OrganicsNature’s PathPacific Western Brewing Silver Hills BakerySummerhill Estate Winery

Anita’s Organic Grain & Flour Mill

Aran Spelt BakeryArtizens’ Pasta KitchenA’very Fine WineryBasil Olive Oil ProductsBig Root Organic FarmWJ Boughen & Sons

Sponsors make our Conference possible: Thank you!

The Certified Organic Associations of British Columbia thanks the following businesses, organizations and individualsfor their support for our 10th Anniversary Conference.

Pro Organics Marketing • Happy Planet Foods • Jerseyland Organics

Mennell OrchardMuir Glen Organic ProductsNathan Creek Organic FarmPaula and John NicholsonCara NunnOddball OrganicsOlera FarmOlympic Dairy Products LtdOmega Nutrition Canada IncOrgana FarmOrganic Gourmet Coffee & TeaOrganic GrocerPenny Farthing Bed & BreakfastRichmond Specialty Mushroom FarmSipco IndustriesSkrypt PressSmall Potatoes Urban DeliverySnow FarmSunflower OrganicsSweet Cherubim Natural Food StoresVanCity Savings Credit UnionZebroff’s Organic Farm



Too often research is undertaken which does notmeet the real needs of farmers – or farmers com-plain that there is no research to support theirparticular situation. With support from theOrganic Sector Development Program, COABC isundertaking an initiative to identify specificareas of research needed to help increase thesupply and quality of locally grown certifiedorganic foods for local and international mar-kets. This will give us solid information on theresearch needs of the sector. It will also providethe OSDP Committee with the tools to makesound decisions when evaluating succeedingresearch proposals.

The contract for this project has been awardedto Smith and Associates – a team which hasextensive knowledge and experience in organicagriculture, as well as strong research skills andfacilitation expertise. They will conduct work-shops during March 2003 with certified organicgrowers, agricultural researchers and technical

experts throughout the province to determinewhich research needs are priorities for the com-mercial production of organic foods.

Certified organic farmers who want to be part ofsetting the production level research agenda forthe future should contact one of the following:

Bill Smith - Tel/Fax: 250-780-2378 Email:[email protected] Bill will be working primarily inPrince George and points north (Peace River, Smithers)

Elaine Spearing - Tel/Fax: 250-747-3237 Email:[email protected] Elaine will be working primari-ly in Quesnel, Kamloops, Cariboo, Thompson,Shuswap, North Okanagon

Oscar Somasco - Tel/Fax: 250-354-1931 Email: [email protected] Oscar will be working primarily inthe South Okanagon, Similkameen, Boundary,Kootenays

Sarah Davidson - Tel: 604-322-4061 Fax: 604-301-1017 Email: [email protected] Sarah will be facili-tating workshops in the Fraser Valley, VancouverIsland, and Gulf Islands

What Research do we Need?

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Intestinal parasitism caused by trichostrongyle(hairworm) nematodes is probably the mostcommon disease of domestic sheep at pasture.The infection is present in nearly all sheep andlambs at grass, and under circumstances thatfavour the survival of infective larvae in heavilystocked pastures, the infection progresses to thedisease in susceptible animals.

In wild sheep, non-pathogenic infections withtrichostrongyles are regarded as natural. Theinfection is acquired every spring by the lambsborn that year as they begin to graze. The lifecycles of the trichostrongyles have evolved toensure the survival of the worms. These lifecycles have two basic patterns.The first is that of the gen-era that are transmittedfrom the ewes to thelambs each year(Haemonchus,Ostertagia,Trichostrongylus andCooperia).

One aspect of immunity in the ewe toworms of these genera suppresses the produc-tion of eggs in the worms. In the last month ofpregnancy and under the influence of the hor-mone balance of the ewe at that time the immu-nity of the ewe to the worms declines. The resultof this lessened suppression is an increase innematode egg production that translates withina week or so to a rapid build up of infective lar-vae on the pasture at the time the lambs beginto graze.

The second pattern is that adopted by the tri-chostrongyles of the nematode genusNematodirus. Worms of this genus produce largethick-shelled eggs within which the nematodelarvae develop to the infective stage, which staysin the egg. The larvae hatch under favourableconditions, usually the spring of the year follow-ing the year in which they were passed in thefaeces and thus infect the lambs born a yearlater. In this pattern, the lambs of one year arethe source of infection for the lambs of the fol-lowing year. Thus, depending on the genus ofthe trichostrongyles involved lambs acquire their

infections from their dams and their flockmatesborn the previous year.

Under normal or free ranging conditions for wildsheep, lambs become infected but not diseased.Domestication, in which sheep are not permittedfree range, produces situations in which sheepbecome hyperinfected. Such hyperinfection pro-duces the clinical signs of illthrift, diarrhoea,dehydration, possibly anaemia and not infre-quently death. The factors that select for diseaserather than just infection involve both parasitesand sheep. As a general rule, the more parasitesin the sheep the more severe are the clinicalsigns. The more susceptible the sheep are, e.g.

lambs versus ewes, the smaller thenumber of parasites are

required to produce clinicalsigns, and the closer thepasture quality is to beingmarginal or inadequate the

greater will be the effects ofa given number of nematodes.

Restriction of grazing within fencedareas again favours the transition from infectionto disease as it greatly increases the contactbetween sheep and their faeces and, by implica-tion, infective larvae. Increasing the stockingrate has the same effect. As the pasture isgrazed and the blade length of grass stems isreduced the infective larvae become more con-centrated on the herbage and the result ishyperinfection.

Finally, the type of ecosystem in which theabove situations occur also has a great bearingupon whether the result is one of infection orone of disease. Thus in a climate such as theOkanagan Valley of British Columbia the hostparasite balance is generally that of infection.This is because the infective larvae experiencehigh mortality due to two factors. The first is thefluctuation of winter temperatures through thefreezing point and the second is the extremedryness of the summer months leading to desic-cation of the developing and infective larvae. Onthe coast of the Province, climatic conditionsfavour survival of infective larvae and theappearance of disease.

Parasites in Lambs by P.H.G.Stockdale


Strategies for Disease Control

Mimicking Natural Infections As described earlier the purpose of this is toalter the balance of domestic sheep and theirparasites from that characterized by disease tothat of infection; that is the “normal” for wildsheep. Wild sheep usually lamb in steep, brokencountry (escape terrain) often characterized bytalus slopes in which ewes and newborn lambscan evade mammalian predators. These aremost often found close to benches or valley bot-toms where ewes can graze close to their lambsand where the first flush of grass occurs inspring. For the first few weeks, lambs obtainnearly all their nutrition from milk althoughthey will pick at herbage from 2-3 days of age.By the time they are two weeks old, they willaccompany their dam as she follows the newspring growth from the valley floors to the highcountry.

This movement reduces the time that the lambswill be in contact with their dams’ faeces and,more importantly, less likely to contact theinfective larvae from the faeces, as it usuallytakes at least a week before the faecal larvaeattain the infective stage. Thus, the combinationof events is more likely to result in infectionrather than disease.

Promoting increased mortality of infective larvae This can be done in a number of ways but twowill be considered here. The first is to preventthe eggs and early larval stages from becomingthird stage infective larvae. The second is tomanage pasture toincrease the mortality ofthe infective larvae them-selves.

Strategic treatment of infectionsof adult worms within the host Under most conditionsdrenching of sheep againstworms is not permitted inorganic livestock produc-tion. There are two situa-tions where this does nothold. The first is if thesheep are extremely sickand suffering from the dis-ease and must be treated

on humane grounds. The second is in thoseecosystems such as coastal British Columbia orin other countries or areas with high rainfallsuch as the United Kingdom and New Zealand.In these situations, survival of infective larvae isextremely high due to high humidity and mildtemperatures and thus the interaction isfavoured in the direction of disease.

Recommendations for Disease Control

Rotational grazingIn this system ewes and lambs are moved ontonew, clean pasture every five to seven days toreduce their exposure to large numbers of infec-tive larvae. At warmer temperatures, 23°-30°Cinfective larvae will develop more quickly (4-6days) in cooler temperatures 5°-20°C they devel-op more slowly. Rotational grazing can be effect-ed with permanent or temporary, e g electric,fencing systems. It is essential that the sheepcannot gain access to the area recently grazed.

Forward or Creep FeedingThis can be done with electric fencing set up ina manner that allows lambs access to as yetungrazed pasture but that excludes the ewes.Temporary fencing that mechanically excludesewes but permits access by lambs can be usedin various ways, i.e. close to water sources ormineral licks, to allow access to creep feed.

It is important that ewes are fed well in the firstsix weeks of lactation to ensure a plentiful


grazing sheep and cattle together to reduce pest loads


supply of milk. Lambs that have an inadequatesupply of milk will graze more and thus pick upmore infective larvae and compound the problemof inadequate nutrition.

Promoting mortality of free living larvae on pasture In drier climates the lethal effects of desiccationon larvae can be enhanced by breaking up fae-ces and exposing the developing larvae. This isbest done in the first week after the faeces arepassed. Dispersing faeces in fall to expose larvaeto freezing and thawing also promotes increaseddeath of free living larvae. Harrowing or anymethod that breaks up and scatters faeces canachieve this.

Grazing cattle or horses with sheep This has the effect of reducing the numbers ofinfective larvae available for the sheep due totheir ingestion by these other species. Cattleshould not be used to do this during lambing asat that time they could be exposed to the virusof Malignant Catarrhal Fever.

Making hay to increase mortality of infective larvaeInfective larvae migrate up grass blades andother pasture plants in early morning andevenings and go down the blades at night andduring the mid day heat. Cutting hay from 1-4hours after daybreak and in the evenings shouldincrease the mortality of infective larvae.

Strategic treatment of sheep Sheep suffering from clinical disease can betreated with anthelmintics but lose their organicstatus. In coastal areas of British Columbiawhere temperatures are mild and humidity ishigh, treatment of ewes 2 to 4 weeks beforelambing will reduce the subsequent challenge ofinfective larvae to the lambs.

Conclusion

It is also hoped that producers of organic lambcan use this knowledge, in their role of appliedecologists, for the benefit of their own animalsand pastures and shift the balance of sheep andnematodes towards natural infections and awayfrom disease. �


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taken by the Organic Agriculture Centre ofCanada and the University of Manitoba. A fouryear crop rotation experiment was established inManitoba and Nova Scotia in 2002. The projectis designed to address questions related to theeconomic, agronomic, and environmental bene-fits of including perennial forages and livestockon an organic farm. The basic crop rotationunder study is wheat, soybean, barley, potato.The effects of one or two years of forage in therotation are being tested by replacing soybean orsoybean and barley with a forage crop suitablefor the study area. The forages are underseeded

in the prior crop. To exam-ine the importance of live-stock, composts made frommanure of either ruminantanimals or monogastric ani-mals are used as a nutrientsource in the crop rotations.

We will monitor the eco-nomics of these farmingsystems by tracking inputcosts and economic return.We will also monitor weed

populations, crop diseases and pests and cropnutrition to examine the agronomic performanceof each system. Environmental sustainabilitywill be measured mostly by studying indicatorsof soil quality. Such indicators may include thekind and amount of organic matter in the soiland the measures of the microorganisms andsmall animals in the soil. At the end of the pro-ject we hope to have be able to make a clear rec-ommendation about how important perennialforages and livestock are in an organic system.

Some of the preliminary results from NovaScotia show that the plots that received onlyalfalfa meal as a nitrogen source were delayed intheir early development compared with plotsreceiving compost. This delay seemed to resultin a slightly lower crop yield and kernel weight.Interestingly, we also found that it was not thenumber of weeds in a plot but the size of weedsand their total weight that affected yield.

For information contact 902.893.8037 or email [email protected]

Traditional agriculture, and many contemporaryorganic farms, include livestock and perennialforages as an essential part of the farm. As partof a crop rotation, perennial forages build soilorganic matter. In addition to becoming a sourceof nutrients, this decaying plant material alsoimproves soil structure. The soil can hold morewater, is better aerated, and is less likely toerode or compact. A perennial forage crop alsobreaks the cycles of weeds, diseases and insectpests. If your farm does not include livestock,however, perennial forages may seem to be acostly practice that removes land from produc-tion for up to five years,and selling hay removesnutrients that would oth-erwise stay on the farmand be used for cashcrops; it also generallydoes not warrant thecosts. An alternative mightbe to diversify crop rota-tions and grow fall-seededand green manure cropsto break pest cycles andsustain soils.

Livestock, however, not only diversify farmincome, but can utilize by-products of crop pro-duction. The manure from livestock can be avaluable resource for managing soil fertility inan organic system. The high availability of nutri-ents in manure, especially nitrogen and phos-phorus, makes it very valuable in the Prairies,although where the land base available for safelydisposing of manure is smaller, nutrient loadingmay become a problem.

Different animals use different feeds on the farmand their manure can be quite different in nutri-ent content. While ruminant animals such assheep and cattle can make good use of forage,mongastric animals such as chickens and pigsare less effective at digesting forage and needmore grain or other protein sources in their diet.

Are livestock essential to recycle energy andnutrients on an organic farm? This and relatedquestions are being addressed by an organicfarming systems research project being under-

Livestock and Forages by Andy Hammermeister

�


The purpose of the Organic Sector DevelopmentProgram-funded project, “Soil HealthAssessment in Organic Farming Systems,” istwo-fold: first, to start to understand how organ-ic farmers in B.C. currently assess soil health;second, to investigate what a process for thedevelopment of bioregionally adapted soil healthassessment strategies might look like.

What are the strengths and weaknesses with thecurrent use of the standard soil test which isrequired for organic certification? What otherapproaches are farmers using to understand soilhealth? Do farmers in a region share keysoil health management issues? Cansoil health assessment and man-agement be strengthened byfarmers working together?What is the process for devel-oping acceptable, reliable, anduseful soil health assessmentstrategies that contribute to bothshort-term and long-term soilmanagement and sustainabilitygoals?

In order to investigate these questions, a groupof organic farmers in the Similkameen Valley willbe involved in a pilot project facilitated by JuliaJamieson (M.Sc. candidate, UBC) and Dr. ArtBomke (UBC Faculty of Agricultural Sciences).While Similkameen Valley growers are intendedto benefit from a collaboratively developed soilhealth assessment strategy which addresses keyissues of farms in that region, we also want toknow how this process might be applied else-where in B.C. to benefit other groups of farmers.With this in mind, the Soil Health workshop atthe COABC AGM was organized to gain the per-spectives of farmers from different regions ofB.C. and to stimulate thought and discussionabout soil health.

The one-hour workshop was centred aroundthree questions:

1What methods are currently used to assess soilhealth and how do the results of these assess-

ments contribute to soil management decisions?

2Which indicators of soil health are relevant todifferent farms and most likely to provide use-

ful information to contribute to soil or farm man-agement decisions?

3What are the opportunities and barriers forfarmer collaboration in soil health assessment?

Current assessment methods:The standard analytical laboratory soil test (aka‘soil test’), which primarily assesses chemicalsoil properties such as macro- and micro- nutri-ents, pH, electrical conductivity (E.C.), and

organic matter, was the starting point forsome lively discussion. The question-

naire responses indicated that thesoil test is used primarily toassess and manage soil fertilityand adjust pH; it is also usedby some to assess overall soilhealth or for troubleshooting.

Although the majority of farmersseem to make use of this assess-

ment method, in part because they are(or have been) required to do so for organic

certification purposes, interpretation of theresults and translation into soil managementdecisions is generally agreed to be a difficult,non-farmer friendly process.

Part of the difficulty might stem from the natureof soil testing itself and the development of soiltesting systems/institutions. Farmers, both con-ventional and organic, have often been confusedand suspicious when they obtain differentresults and recommendations from different labsfor the same soil sample. As Dr. Art Bomkeexplained in the workshop, these differencesmay reflect the fact that there is more than oneanalytical method available for assessing manyof the different variables in a soil test. If twolabs are using two different methods for assess-ing available phosphorus levels, for example,then the nutrient level values on the soil testreports from the two labs will also be very differ-ent. However, while the numbers (nutrient levelvalues) themselves may be different, the recom-mendations for management practices based on

Soil Health by Julia Jamieson

Organicfarming’s basic tenet

is the creation of a healthy,fertile soil – on this base the

rest of the farm agro-ecosystem is built.



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these values (e.g. kg/ha of P to apply) should besimilar.

The workshop discussions suggested that improv-ing farmers’ capacity to understand the meaningof the numbers on their soil test reports requiresgreater transparency in the soil testing system;suggestions included more user-friendly soil testreport formats as well as information or a step-by-step guide to translate results into organicamendment recommendations.

The other main approach for understanding soilhealth emphasized by workshop participants wasobservation - seemingly simple, without any num-bers to create confusion, yet undoubtedly a skillthat requires honing through years of experienceand adaptation to site-specific farm conditions.The discussion and questionnaire responses indi-cated that farmers make strong connectionsbetween soil health and crop health. Observationof plant or crop growth and health were described

as being useful for assessing soil fertility andmaking cropping decisions, as well as for assess-ing overall soil health. Observation of soil itselfwas the next most commonly identified methodfor understanding soil health.

The discussion and questionnaires suggestedthat the range of ‘farmer-friendly’ soil healthassessment methods that have been developed,such as Soil Quality Test Kits (quantitative on-farm tests of soil physical, chemical and biologi-cal properties), Soil Health Scorecards (qualita-tive, descriptive assessment approach), SolvitaSoil Life Test (soil respiration), have limitedadoption by organic farmers in B.C.

Indicators:The discussion of observation as a method forassessing soil health quickly ran into a discus-sion of the indicators observed. The distinctionbetween methods and indicators was perhapsnot as clear as it could have been. Soil healthindicators are measurable properties (processes



or characteristics) that provide us with clues asto how well the soil is performing its variousfunctions (e.g. nutrient cycling, water regulation,sustaining biological productivity) to achieve thegoals of the system under study. The methodswe use to measure these indicators range fromsensory observation to complex analytical proce-dures using expensive tools, or from on-farmassessments to laboratory tests; indicators maythus be ‘measured’ qualitatively or quantitatively.

It was apparent from the discussion and ques-tionnaires that many different indicators areimportant to farmers. Some of the most com-monly identified indicators of soil health included:

• Earthworms (considered important forassessing soil fertility, overall soil health,and tillage impacts)

• Plant health andgrowth (as indicationof nutrient issues)

• Weed species andgrowth

• Organic matter

• pH

• Residue and manurebreakdown

• Soil colour

• Soil texture (useful formaking cropping decisions).

“Other soil organisms” were also mentioned asimportant to soil health, and there was somediscussion about the Soil Foodweb conceptwhich is gaining popularity. Although some spe-cialty labs in the USA now offer Soil Foodwebanalyses – basically counts of different soilorganism populations – the cost of such anassessment is considered prohibitive by manyfarmers (ca.US $250 for a “Total FoodwebPackage” for one soil sample). How to interpretthe results, and whether there has been enoughresearch to understand application of theresults in British Columbia, were also raised asconcerns with this approach. Whether furtherinvestigation into the acceptability, usefulnessand reliability of this method of soil healthassessment method for organic farmers in B.C.is warranted is a topic for further discussion.

Collaborative process:An underlying question throughout this processis: what is required to sustain the collaborativelearning process beyond the research project?Discussion of farmers’ experiences indicatedthat sharing of information occurs both infor-mally (e.g. one-on-one farmer discussions) andthrough organized educational events, includingseminars and farm tours or field days. Therewas general agreement that more of these edu-cational events were desirable. Certification bod-ies were identified as important organizations forbringing people together: As the certificationprocess continues to undergo change, is this arole CBs can continue to play? Identification oflocal resource people was also suggested as animportant element for successful collaborativeprocesses.

In Conclusion:The workshop discus-sion was intense, andthe one hour passedmuch too quickly togive the questions thedepth they deserve.Most workshop partici-pants would likelyagree that more ques-tions were raised thananswered - however,this only further

emphasizes the complexity of soils and the manyconsiderations in soil health management, andprovides impetus for more soil health discus-sions and learning opportunities within theorganic community.

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Over the years, members of COABC have workedhard to ensure that our standards are amongthe highest in the world. But those standardsare primarily concerned with organic productionand do not specifically address food safetyissues, although they do say (1.2.6) that all pro-ducers are required to adhere to all governmentregulations and laws affecting agriculture.

Food safety is an issue we must pay attentionto, particularly in light of the fact that 90 % offoodborne disease is caused by microbial con-tamination, and most producers do not haveeasy access to information about foodborne dis-ease prevention methods and techniques.

In order to safeguard and increase the safety offood produced in British Columbia, COABCteamed up with BCMAFF to implement a food

safety study to see if there were food safetyissues that need to be addressed for organicproducers. While the focus was on vegetable andtree fruit producers, the findings, presented byproject leader Kathleen Zimmerman at theSpring Seminars and 10th Anniversary AnnualMeeting of COABC, are of interest to all organicproducers.

In the study, COABC farm management prac-tices were compared with two existing MicrobialFood Safety Checklists by two organic inspectorsand a food safety consultant. The two inspectorsthen visited 37 farms in the Lower Mainland/Vancouver Island and Okanagan/Interior, espe-cially those that wash, grade and pack theirproduct. This is a summary of their report.

Fourteen food safety issues were identified inthe study; eleven in common with conventional

Food Safety on Organic Farms by Peter Johnston

As standards around the world are moving torequire certified organic seed, the issue of avail-ability is becoming more and more urgent.Trans-national seed companies and certifyingagencies are already meeting with the largerfood producers to work out guarantees for pur-chasing proprietary organic seed, despite specu-lated cost increases discussed as high as 20times.

To meet this challenge, the Planting SeedsProject is nurturing a plan called “The Bridge”.This project will make use of the skills, knowl-edge and inventories built by B.C. seeds peoplesince the 1980s, and our wide range of micro-climates. It is an educational project workingwith native youth/elder gardens and nativeyouth organizations such as Seeds for Survival,with the hope of linking the traditional peoples’emerging food security with local organic farm-ers. It is an opportunity for re-learning how tocontrol our local food supply through seed,learning the skills together and developing rela-tionships with each other.

“The Bridge” is looking for farmers who would bewilling to grow seed on their own farm, withvarieties they already grow and they know will

Bridging Biodiversity in BC By Mojave Kaplan

produce well for them.

Farmers are invited to plant an ideal minimumof an extra 1,000 plants of an agreed-upon vari-ety for seed production. This will provide sub-stantial amounts of seed as well as the opportu-nity for participating farmers to improve theirseed-saving skills, an inventory for further trade,seed bank development, and common food secu-rity. Protocols such as maintaining variety isola-tion will be developed by the project.

First maturing plants could be tagged by thefarmer. From there, the full crop selection canbe conducted as workshops attended by partici-pating farmers and seed growers. The programwill “bridge” youth who are eager to developtheir farming skills with experienced certifiedorganic farmers; they would return to the farmwith an experienced seed grower, as the handsto harvest the crop when ripe, further learninghow to dry, clean, label and store the seed.

Anyone seriously interested in participating inthis first year of the project should write or e-mail to the Planting Seeds Project, PO Box 536,Lytton, B.C. V0K 1Z0,[email protected] �



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agriculture and three identified as unique toorganic agriculture. Briefly, the issues are:

Food safety issues common to bothorganic and conventional agriculture

Food safety training for farmers and farmworkers, including “Foodsafe” training;

hygiene instructions or signage; eating, smoking,spitting and eliminating body wastes in andaround crop, processing and packaging areas;ensuring that physical hazards, as well asmicrobial and chemical hazards, do not contam-inate the produce; use and preparation ofcleansing and sanitizing solutions.

Seasonal or migrant workers and highturnover of workers present challenges for

consistency in food safety training and monitor-ing by supervisors, and sometimes workeraccommodation may be located on-site or actu-ally in the fields.

Toilets need to be available in adequate num-bers and located within acceptable distances

of the fields, and be cleaned to proper hygiene

standards. Hand-washing facilities need to beavailable near toilets, have an adequate supplyof potable water and soap and single-use papertowels, and covered waste receptacles. Hand-washing stations also need acceptable water col-lection facilities. There are no BC standards, butCalifornia requires one toilet and hand-washingfacilities for each 20 employees of each gender,located within one quarter mile walk of the fieldsite.

Washing, handling and storage facilities need tobe designed to prevent contamination and facili-tate cleaning. Foods must not be contaminatedby being in contact with unsanitary surfaces orby non-food substances. Windfall or droppedproduce are a source of higher food safety risksand need to be handled appropriately. Producemust be stored at proper temperature andhumidity, and free from pests and animals.Facilities should be screened and doors keptclosed, and floors walls and ceilings clean and ingood repair. Wastewater must be drained to pre-


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vent contamination of produce. Packaging mate-rials must be food grade, clean and appropriate,and stored in a protected area.

Harvesting containers must be food grade, cleanand appropriate. They should be separate andeasily distinguishable from containers used tohandle or move manures and other non-foodsubstances. Harvest totes should be kept off theground, especially when they are stacked. Glasscontamination can be reduced in packing hous-es by prohibiting glass bottles, shielding lightsand screening windows. Potable water in ade-quate quantities and pressure must be used forcleaning, and for washing crops and produce.

Temperature of water used for washing produceshould be controlled, as research has shownthat if the wash water is more than 10 degrees Fcooler than the produce, microbial contaminantson the surface or in the water can be drawn intothe plant tissues (especially in tomatoes, pep-pers, apples and potatoes). This contradicts the

recommended practice of removing heat asquickly as possible in order to maximize storagelife. Growers using hydrocoolers should use theappropriate amount of bleach in the hydrocoolerwater, to reduce any pathogens on the producesurface. (Section 15 of our Standards, in theMaterials list under bleach, suggests 100 to 150ppm total chlorine and other paramerers.)

Equipment must be suitable, cleanable andcleaned regularly. Adequate pest control pro-grams must be in place. In formal food safetyaudits of packing houses, finding insect, bird orrodent contamination or product or packagingsupplies is grounds for failing the entire audit.

Maintaining water quality demands adequatelysized and properly maintained septic systems.

They must be monitored regularly and pumpedout when needed. Irrigation water must comefrom a safe source that is regularly tested.Trickle irrigation is inherently safer than over-head irrigation. Current recommendation forgrowers using surface water is that it be tested



at least three times a year. Water sources (sur-face and ground) must be protected from con-taminants and inspected regularly. Rodentsmust be excluded. Potable water should alwaysbe used for field treatments, especially afterflowering stage when the edible part of the planthas started to develop. Anti-backflow devicesshould be used when filling sprayer tanks.Having an alternative water source in case asafety issue arises would be a good idea.

Manure management requires that rawmanures not be used on crops, or where crops

might become contaminated. Composting facili-ties should comply with regulations for environ-mental protection. Compost piles should beturned regularly, monitored for temperatures,and written records kept of composting and useof manure. Compost should be thoroughly incor-porated into the soil before the growing season,except that perennial bushes and trees usuallyneed to be top-dressed.

Chemical and fuel storage require proper stor-age. This includes paints, container of used oil

and all petroleum products, solvents, cleaners,etc. They should be properly labelled and storedin isolated and secured areas. Refuelling areasshould have cement pads for spill containment,and be separate from production areas. Foodproduct must not be stored in these containers.

Transportation – good practice would have inplace a protocol to ensure that all goods are

transported in clean vehicles, whether these arecommercial carriers or the producer’s own vehi-cle. Proper cleaning and sanitization should becarried out regularly, and especially when usedto haul compost, produce, domestic garbage, oreven family pets.

Paper trail and recall are critical in food safety,to document that best practices are being fol-

lowed and, in the event of a foodborne illnessoutbreak, so the source of the illness can betraced to its cause and all buyers of a productcan be notified to ensure the product is removedfrom the marketplace. Written procedures forfood safety practices, and a log of them havingbeen carried out, as well as written proceduresand a person responsible in the event of a recall,are strongly recommended. Produce lots shouldbe identifiable for recall, along with the fields thelots were produced in. Without them, even high-er than necessary economic losses would beincurred in a product recall situation. All grow-ers of edible crops should ensure that eachpackage leaving the farm can be traced to thefield or origin and date of harvesting and pack-ing; maintain records of lot numbers for allloads and packaged product leaving the farm;and maintain a list of all buyers so that affectedcustomers can be quickly identified and producecan be retrieved.

Separating farm and personal practices asmuch as possible is important, as our personal

practices are generally much less rigorous anddemanding than the standard that is expectedwith commercial activities. There is a very realrisk that personal and household food handlingpractices, unless rigorously separated from com-mercial ones, will lead to greatly increased risksof microbial contamination of product.

Direct farm marketing brings extra challengesfor food safety, such as controlling visitor

access and good hygiene practices by visitorshandling produce. Toilet and handwashing facil-ities need to be provided. Harvesting containers,boxes and totes need to be washed between uses.

Issues unique to organic agriculture:

Cleaners and sanitizersThe basic principle of food production

sanitation is the “rinse, soap, rinse,sanitize, and rinse” procedure. Achallenge to organic producers is to

find sanitizers that areacceptable to both

organic certificationagencies and to the



CFIA, so that cleanliness and sanitation areachieved satisfactorily. Water is not sufficient forproper cleaning. Having cleansers and sanitizerson the Regulated list probably discourages theiruse. Work needs to be done to put together anddistribute a list of cleansers and sanitizers thatis acceptable to both CFIA and COABC.Producers should also ensure that farmworkersare trained in the preparation and use ofcleansing and sanitizing solutions.

Compost TeaCompost teas are sometimesused on edible crops as anutrient boost and to sup-press disease, but raise sub-stantial food safety issues.Research should be done tomeasure the extent to whichany pathogenic organisms thatcould cause foodborne illnessesmay survive in the compost tea, andmight be sprayed on the edible portions ofplants. For example, OMRI uses E. coli andSalmonella as biological indicaters of composttea and compost. Maximim level for E. coli is 3colony forming units per gram, and Salmonellamust test negative. COABC should considerrequesting compost tea users to test their prod-ucts and meet these guidelines.

LivestockAnimals used in fields present significant foodsafety risk, unless they are controlled to excludethem from crop production areas. This includesdomestic livestock, poultry and household pets.Weeder geese and slug control ducks are some-times used by organic growers. These tech-niques and practices could also be addressed inCOABC standards.

Conclusions and recommendations

Overall, the survey showed that the conventionaland organic industries share many of the samemicrobial food safety risks, and that the sectorscould work together to share training materialsand experience. In terms of grower educationand awareness, the COABC should considerworking on the following areas:

� encouraging all growers to start the 2003growing season with adequate numbers of(portable) toilets and properly equipped hand-washing facilities. A suggested guideline is up to20 workers per toilet, and facilities located with-in one quarter mile of the field site.

� developing farmworker food safety informa-tion pamphlets in English, French and Punjabi.These might also be available on the COABC

website for easy grower access.

� making handwashing signsavailable to COABC members.

As mentioned in section A1,the BC Raspberry andBlueberry Councils havesome signs in English andPunjabi that might be modi-

fied with permission.

� encouraging members to befamiliar with the provincial water

quality guidelines for irrigation water(especially the guideline limits for E. coli and

fecal coliforms), and to test their irrigation waterat least three times a year (at the beginning,middle and end of the growing season).(see pg 30)

Sample food safety checklists are listed at theend of the References section.

In addition, the COABC should investigate incor-porating some food safety related changes intothe British Columbia Certified OrganicProduction Operation Policies and FarmManagement Standards. These would include:

� working with an expert who is familiar withboth the CFIA and OMRI approved list of materi-als to see if any cleaners and sanitizers on theCFIA list can be approved for use in the BCCertified Organic Production Operation Policiesand Farm Management Standards.

� supporting research on the food safety impli-cations of the use of compost tea and weederanimals, and adopting the OMRI standards forE. coli and Salmonella in compost tea.

ReferencesBC Ministry of Water, Air and Land Protection, 1988.“Water Quality Criteria for Microbiological Indicators.”Table 1. Available at

ifthe wash water is

more than 10°F coolerthan the produce, microbial

contaminants ... in thewater can be drawn into

the plant tissues



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http://wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/wat/wq/BCguidelines/microbiology.html

Canadian Food Inspection Agency, 2001. “Fresh Fruitand Vegetable Regulations, Part I.1, Health and Safety.“ Available at http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/c-0.4/c.r.c.-c.285/23016.html

Canadian Food Inspection Agency, 2002. ReferenceListing of Accepted Construction Materials, PackagingMaterials, and Non-Food Chemical Products. Availableat http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/ppc/refer-ence/cone.shtml

Cornell Good Agricultural Practices Program, 2000.Food Safety Begins on the Farm: A Grower’s Guide.Available at: www.GAPS.cornell.edu

PrimusLabs, 2002. “PrimusLabs.com Packing HouseAudit.” Available at www.PrimusLabs.com

Sample Food Safety Checklists

“Microbial Food Safety Checklist for Vegetables andBerries” is available at: http://www.bcveg.com/check-lists.htm

Reducing Food Safety Risks in Apples” is available at:http://organic.tfrec.wsu.edu/FoodSafetyWeb/Home.htm

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At the 2002 AGM, the COABC adopted a newmethod of handling standards changes, recog-nizing that trying to accomplish this once a yearduring the AGM was not very effective. A com-mittee made up of representatives appointed byall the certifying bodies was established to actover the ensuing year. Proposals were receivedand discussed via e-mail and conference calls bythe committee. The final draft of proposedchanges and additions was put out for publiccomment on November 3rd. This was publishedon the website as well as the BC OrganicGrower. Further feedback from the membershipwas assessed and recommendations submittedto the COABC Board of Directors for ratification.The job of the Board is to ensure only that anyrecommendations are not in violation of the con-stitution or basic principles. Changes becameeffective January 1, 2003

The COABC Standards Review Committee (SRC)dealt with the following issues in 2002.

Shellfish

Request for Certification of Shellfish Farming.Recommendation: COABC to research aquacul-ture in general and specifically the proposal ofoyster farmers for organic status. Considerationbe given to hiring of a consultant, contact withSuzuki Foundation and Naturaland (Germancertifier that made aquaculture presentation atIFOAM). There was also a poster presentationon this topic at the Spring Seminar.

Treated posts

Request to revise the standard regarding TreatedPosts to allow their use in some instances. Afterextensive debate and input the SRC voted to notrevise the standard.

It requested the COABC apply to the Trust tohire a contractor to identify and describe alter-natives and prepare a report for the membershipregarding them.

Standards Review Committee Report

Pacific Natural is a cold processed, enzymatically digested fresh fish fertilizer produced fromthe pacific dogfish at our plant in Delta, B.C. When applied to the soil, PN performs as anatural bio-stimulant, with the enzymes biologically unlocking nutrients contained in the soil.Because the natural oils and collagens have not been removed, our fertilizer does not leechout into the local water table, but remains in the soil providing a time-release effect. Inaddition to being a root-feeder, PN is suitable as a foliar spray and compost starter.

PN is completely natural, other than the addition of 3% phosphoric acid needed for pHstabilization. For application, it is mixed with water at a ratio of at least 10 parts waterto 1 part PN in order to bring the pH level to neutral to initiate bio-activity. PN has beenfiltered through an 80-mesh screen and can be applied through conventional methodsincluding aerial spraying and underground drip systems.

Application rate: 5-10 gallons of undiluted PN per acre (diluted at least 10:1, 3 times per year)

Pacific Natural is a cold processed, enzymatically digested fresh fish fertilizer produced fromthe pacific dogfish at our plant in Delta, B.C. When applied to the soil, PN performs as anatural bio-stimulant, with the enzymes biologically unlocking nutrients contained in the soil.Because the natural oils and collagens have not been removed, our fertilizer does not leechout into the local water table, but remains in the soil providing a time-release effect. Inaddition to being a root-feeder, PN is suitable as a foliar spray and compost starter.

PN is completely natural, other than the addition of 3% phosphoric acid needed for pHstabilization. For application, it is mixed with water at a ratio of at least 10 parts waterto 1 part PN in order to bring the pH level to neutral to initiate bio-activity. PN has beenfiltered through an 80-mesh screen and can be applied through conventional methodsincluding aerial spraying and underground drip systems.

Application rate: 5-10 gallons of undiluted PN per acre (diluted at least 10:1, 3 times per year)

To place an order or for further information, please contact Michelle – Bella Coola Fisheries Ltd.Phone: 604-583-3474 Fax: 604-583-4940 Email: [email protected]

PACIFIC NATURAL BRAND


Use of draft standards

When new commodities are being considered forcertification, draft standards will be developedand made available for comment and input for aminimum of a year. These will not be used forcertification during that time. At the end of theinput period, the Standards Review Committeewill consider them again.

A draft for new Greenhouse Standards has beendeveloped and is now available for comment onour website. Meanwhile, the old standards willbe used.

It should be noted in this regard that any certifierhas the right to certify to a higher standard thanthe BC Certified Organic Standard at any time forany issue; what is not permitted is to certify to alower (more permissive) standard.

Landscape Standards

A proposal for the development of Land Care(Landscape) Standards was tabled in 2002 forfurther consideration in 2003.

Land used for GMO crops

Clarification of use of land that has previouslygrown genetically modified organisms: this wasdeemed subject to the same transition period asany other land. Extra monitoring for contamina-tion by GMO’s may be required by the certifyingbody. Also an addition was made to Section4.1.1 2 banning use of genetically modifiedorganisms on farms with parallel production.

Christmas trees

Clarification of organic standards for ChristmasTrees: they are to be included in and covered byCrops Standards – perennials.

Specific Changes

The following were specific standard changesbest reviewed in the contect of the whole sectionaffected. These changes are can be found onthe website. A copy of the pages with changesare being sent to each certifying body for dupli-cation and circulation to the membership. Thefollowing is a list of sections with changes.

Section 3.3. Length of the transition periods, labeling and

inspections required were clarified for soil basedcrops, milk and processing.

Section 3.7.1. and 3.1.1: Clarification regarding importation of soil ontocertified organic land

Section 3.7.3 and 14.2: Clarification of use of synthetic fertilizers.

Section 9.3.2: Clarification regarding space requirements forlaying hens

How to Propose a Change

The 2003 Standards Review Committee is nowreceiving proposed amendments or additions tothe BC Certified Organic Standards from mem-bers or any members of the public. They mustbe sent to the committee (via the COABC office)by September 1 to be included in this year’sagenda.

For more detail about how the committee func-tions and the criteria for revisions, see theWinter 2002 issue of the BCOG. �

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resistance and fish densities are such that dis-ease problems have not been an issue – noantibiotics are used. They coexist with low levelsof endemic disease.

To determine the density they used the densityfound in natural school densities i.e. 5kg/m2 forthe feeding stage. Sea lice are found at levelsthat do not affect wild populations and thereforecould not possibly contribute to environmentaldisasters like that in the Broughton Archipelagowhere the native stocks failed completelybecause fry returning to the sea were infestedwith lice from the farms in the area.

Feed is fishmeal from the rejects of the herringroe fishery and waste from the Alaskan Salmonfishery, unlike other sources of fishmeal fromfisheries that could be used to feed humansdirectly. In Canada it is illegal to make fish feedfrom fish suitable for human consumption but itis obtained from South America. Wheat (organic)is used as a binder and the pigments to colourthe fish are from natural sources(Haematococcus and a yeast) unlike the chemi-cal colorants used by some fish farms such as

the Roche “Carophyll Pink” (astax-anthin). Farmed fish would be greyin colour without these additions.

Apparently in the wild, pigments playa significant role in disease resistance

and the disease problems in most farmedsalmon may be related to pigments only being

added late in the production cycle.

Net cages with top nets to keep out predatorsare used in an area of high water flow so thereis no accumulation of waste and researchshowed the marine ecosystem surrounding thefarm to be healthy. There was no impact at all10 metres from the pens. As part of theirresearch program, Yellow Island is about tointroduce a closed containment system usingalternative technologies adjacent to the net pensto see if such models can improve the environ-mental and economic performance.

Environmentalists often recommend closed con-tainment models and land-based systems as

Having seen “Net Loss”, a documentary aboutsalmon farming in BC and Chile at theSaltspring Film Festival the weekend before theCOABC Conference and listened to argumentsfrom both sides, I was pretty much convincedsuch practices were industrial, unhealthy andvery destructive to the environment and the wildsalmon stocks. Arguments about aquaculturebeing needed to feed a growing world populationwere no more credible than those used for con-ventional agriculture. Briefly, I wondered if therewas not some other design to address the con-cerns but as for organic production - no way.

As I listened to this controversial topic beingdiscussed during the Organic Salmon Farmingsession at the COABC conference my thinkingchanged and I realized that I had been guilty ofrejecting all fish farming based on problemswith the industrial model. We don’t reject thepossibilities for organic agriculture because weare against factory farming of chickens or pigs -in fact, we use the organic model to demonstratethere are better ways.

John Heath of Yellow Island Aquaculture did agood job in describing how their operation couldbe a model for a more responsible productionsystem and how it met standards for organicaquaculture production being used elsewherein the world (e.g. by the Soil Association inthe UK). He claimed that concerns raisedby the environmentalists had beenaddressed and that it was not reason-able for COABC to deny them the pos-sibility of applying for certification.

So, why is the Yellow Island Model sodifferent from other fish farms on thecoast? According to John Heath, they use nativespecies, not Atlantic salmon, thus eliminatingthe possibility of escaped farmed species dis-placing native species. Also, risk of escape is lowwith the lower densities used. The farmed fishare often triploid and therefore sterile (when hementioned that I thought of the insect sterilerelease programs, but presumably, the numbersof escaped farmed fish would not be enough toaffect the wild population). Transgenic fish arenot used. The farmed fish are bred for disease

Organic Farmed Salmon? By Anne Macey



having least impact but these are usually highinput systems and do not solve the waste dis-posal problems. John also spoke of possibilitiesfor recycling the nutrients through a polyculturesystem where waste settlement tanks could bestocked with rotifers which in turn could beused to rear shrimp.

Dr. John Volpe, a fisheries biologist from theUniversity of Alberta and a critic of fish farmingon the BC coast, was impressed by the YellowIsland operation and felt it was a huge step for-ward, but he still had concerns. He questionedwhether we had the knowledge to know what thelimits should be if organic standards are to bedeveloped for Salmon. Are 5kg/m2 realistic? If2-3 lice/fish on farmed fish is the threshold fortreatment why is 6/fish not a problem at YellowIsland? Fish farming profits are still dependenton natural subsidies. Dr. Volpe thinks conven-tional fish farms will not be in existence in 10years because of catastrophic events in anunsustainable system, resource depletion andconsumer rejection. He believes that the neededprotocol is still a long way away from where weare now and if we allow the adoption of a weakprocess it will be more of a detriment than nocertification.

The third speaker was Theresa Rothenbush fromthe Rainforest Conservation Society, one of themembers of the Coastal Alliance for AquacultureReform along with the David SuzukiFoundation, Georgia Strait Alliance, BCAboriginal Fisheries Commission and others.They work to educate consumers about the dan-gers of farmed salmon and to promote the adop-tion of a salmon farming industry that is safe forhumans and the environment. Theresa listed thereforms needed:

technology that eliminates risks of diseasetransfer and fish escapes,

feed that doesn’t deplete global fish stocks,

ensures that wildlife not harmed,

eliminates use of antibiotics,

prohibits the use of GE fish,

labels farmed fish as “farmed”,

stops locating fish farms in areasopposed by aboriginal groups or other

local communities and;

Guarantees waste is not released intothe environment.

Does Yellow Island meet these requirements?Should such a system be the basis for organicproduction?

I think this session helped but the COABCStandards Review Committee clearly still has adifficult task ahead to resolve the issues raised.Many of the reforms listed above are alreadycovered by the proposed organic standards butsome are more problematic. Social and ethicalimpacts are not yet specifically addressed inorganic standards although they are part of thevalue system of organic agriculture. What aboutthe closed containers - surely that is a long wayremoved from organic principles that includeworking with natural systems, recycling of nutri-ents, systems that meet the behavioural needsof livestock and so on? Would not an improvedmodel that allows interaction with the naturalenvironment without negative affects be more inkeeping?

If we look at the principles for livestock hus-bandry there are obviously other problems. Howimportant is behaviour? Caging salmon, even infree flowing water, can hardly be described asallowing natural behaviour if, in the wild, thefish roam freely and follow specific migrations.Moreover, what about Canada’s 100% organicfeed rule for livestock? There are indeed organicaquaculture standards being used elsewhere butfor the most part these are used for freshwaterspecies, filter feeding or omnivorous fish, shrimpand other species feeding low on the food chain.The farming of the higher value, carnivoroussalmon on the West Coast poses a unique set ofproblems; the challenge is whether organic stan-dards can be developed which address the envi-ronmental, ethical and social concerns here in BC.

Clearly, we need to continue the discussion withmembers of the Coastal Alliance and with YellowIsland Aquaculture to see if it is possible.

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tionship with con-sumers, in theform of their trustin the integrity ofour organic products.Whenever we push theboundaries of the organicdesignation, we are spendingthat equity.

There is more to the phrase “BCCertified Organic” than the apparentpurity of the product itself. Organicfarming is a striving toward closed-loop(sustainable) systems. This is an ideal objectiveand it is understood that there will be variationsand compromises. However, harvesting a cropfrom the wild is certainly not farming, nor is itnecessarily sustainable.

I believe we can certify organic seafood, but theprocess must satisfy the principles of organicfarming, it must be unique, and it must beacceptable to the scrutiny of our detractors.

Our organisation is facing some difficult issueswhen trying to decide whether to certify prod-ucts from aquaculture. We are compelled toadhere to our principles. We must also considerprecedents from other organisations and thelegal and political ramifications of our decisions.

We have an unwritten contract with our con-sumers whereby they agree to pay considerablymore (usually) for organic product based ontheir perceptions of our products. Consumerspurchase for different reasons (I’m a consumerand I buy organic because of the environmentalbenefits of organic farming - I’m in the minority)but they all purchase organic with the under-standing that this product is fundamentally dif-ferent from the non-organic counterpart.

I have had a number of seafood companiesapproach me with the proposal that wild caughtfood is the most organic of all - and that weshould certify it. The COABC (alone in the world)has resisted the certification of wild caught or“wild-crafted” foods until now. I believe this isbecause our conscience will not allow us toplace something on the market that is notuniquely organic in some way. Organic farmingis uniquely organic farming, organic processingis uniquely organic processing, and the con-sumer appreciates this. To label a wild-caughtproduct ‘organic’ when there is no distinctionbetween it and the same product next to it with-out the label, is to invite scepticism and distrustfrom the consumer.

We have laboured for many years to build upwhat amounts to substantial equity in our rela-

A second opinion by Paddy Doherty

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I asked Peter Johnston, our past coordinator,which tests he thought important. He said hethought a faecal coliform test and a test fornitrates were important. He didn’t feel particu-larly up to date, so I phoned various governmentoffices and ended up with my Provincial HealthOfficer, Jill Campbell, who took time to explainvarious levels of tolerance of bacteria in water. Ialso heard back from the Capital Health Regionwho gave me similar information about waterquality.

Water we use to wash our produce should meetthe same standards as water we drink, which is0 total coliform and 0 faecal coliform (CFU). Atotal plate count is a measure of the biologicalactivity. It is a count of all bacteria, fungi, andyeast that will grow in aerobic conditions. Thetest may be used to alert us that we may needto monitor the water supply on a seasonal basisor treat it. Less than 100 CFU/mL is recom-mended but treatment is not required unless thecount is over 500/mL. Our Capital RegionHealth Department define “potable water” ashaving >0 fecal and total coliforms/100ml.When I asked them about nitrates, they said thelimit is less than 10 parts nitrate in 100 ml, butaccording to the Analytical Chemist at M.B.Labs, that is a lot of nitrate and rarely found inwell water but can be found in surface waterwhich is surrounded by farms using high levelsof fertilizer or having stock yards with waterrunning into the surface water.

For irrigation water, the BC MinistryEnvironment seems to be saying that under 200CFU per mL or 100 cc is acceptable. Whereasthe Federal Health and Welfare Guide forRecreational Water Quality says under100CFU/mL is acceptable. Irrigation water hasto meet the same standard as swimming water.They do not usually require a test for nitrates.

I checked with two laboratories in Victoria: J.B.Laboratories on Fort Street and M.B. Labs inSidney. J.B. laboratories is quite a bit moreexpensive than M.B., so I will give M.B.’s costswhich include GST. They can be reached byemail at <[email protected]>. It is worthshopping around. Their faecal coliform test costs

Last year the quality of my water became aquestion during my certification visit in Julybecause I was using both well and pond water towash vegetables – well water for leafy greens andpond water for the root crops.

COABC’s requirements for water testing seemsto have undergone revision recently so I thoughtit would be helpful if I published my experiencewith getting my water tested.

The COABC guidebook (published 1997) says aminimum of one water test of the irrigationsource is required and lists 13 elements plus pHand conductivity as needed for the test.Livestock are required to be given water whichhas been tested for the same elements aboveplus a total faecal coliform count. In the pro-cessing section of the guidebook a water qualitytest is required for produce wash water includ-ing pH Electrical conductivity, 17 elements, col-iform test, total dissolved solids and total sus-pended solids. Our IOPA guidelines only talkabout the problem of possible contaminants andsay “ongoing analysis of water quality and soilsalinization is essential.”

Paddy Doherty wrote an article on water qualityin the Summer 2001 issue of BC OrganicGrower; on page 10 he says, “The Board ofDirectors of the COABC has determined thatenforcement of water quality regulations is bestleft to the agencies responsible for them. Thus,water tests will no longer be required of enter-prises in the BC Certified Organic Program. Thenew standard will state that, ‘It is the responsi-bility of organic enterprise operators to complywith all government regulated water qualityobjectives’ or some such form of words.”

The same article says the BC Ministry ofEnvironment has suggested that irrigation waterfor leafy vegetable crops should contain no morethan 200 faecal coliforms per ml. And theCanadian Food Inspection Agency requires thatproduce must be washed in potable water. Anenvironmental laboratory will issue a “PotabilityCertificate” for a water sample. They don’t testfor everything, just the most likely problemareas.

Getting Water Tests by Mary Alice Johnson


$16.05. A total and faecal coliform count and atotal plate count is $26.75. For $85.60 the laboffers a fairly comprehensive drinking waterquality test including a microscreen which willinclude yeasts, molds, and a total and faecal col-iform bacteria test and an ICP mineral analysiswhich give 30 minerals, pH and hardness. Anitrate test or a nitrite test costs another $15each. They are not usually part of a test ofdrinking water quality.

To do the bacterial test, one needs to take 2cups of water from the tap where the water isbeing used. Put in a zip lock bag without touch-ing the lip of the zipper and double bag it.Another litre of water is needed for the ICP test.The bags have to be kept cold and arrive at thelab within 24 hours, perferably by 2 pm,Monday through Thursday, so they can do thetest right away. The microscreen results will beready within two days and the ICP mineral anal-ysis within 10 days.

My thoughts after going through all this process,it is worthwhile getting the water you use towash your produce tested for total bacterial andtotal faecal coliform count if you have any ques-tions about its quality. I’m not sure the moreexpensive ICP test for permissible elements wasnecessary unless you are using that water forfood processing. For a little over $100 I learnedmy well water is fine for washing produce andfood processing, and I can use my pond waterfor irrigation but not washing produce – some-thing I could have probably guessed through myown common sense and observations. Feel freeto contact me if you would like to talk aboutthis.

Resources

websites

http://res2.agr.gc.ca/research_recherche/science/Healthy_Water/e04c.html

http://www.hc_sc.gc.ca/ehp/ehd/catalogue/bch_pubs/dwgsup_doc/dwgsup_doc.htm

labs

In the March/April issue of the newsletter, Daria Zovihad information about testing labs. Here are theones she listed:

Griffin Labs#2 2550 Acland Road, Kelowna V1X 7L4ph 1-800-661-2339, 250-765-3399, fax 250-765-3556

MB LabsPO Box 2103, Sidney V8L 3S610115C McDonald Park Road, Sidney V8L 5X5fax 250-656-0443email [email protected]

Norwest Labs#104 19575 55A Avenue, Surrey V3S 8P8ph 604-514-3322, fax 604-514-3323

Pacific Soil Analysis#5 11720 Voyager Way, Richmond V6X 3G9ph 604-273-8226, fax 604-273-8082

Soilcon Laboratories275, 11780 River Road, Richmond V6X 1Z7ph 604-278-5535, fax 604-278-0517email [email protected]

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