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Uruguay Social Justice Forum
U.S. Cites 61 Countries in Unfair Trade Practices
Canadians Interested in U.S. Poultry System
Cases to Watch in 2005

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Uruguay Social Justice Forum

Embedding indigenous peoples’ rights into social justice food standards was a major focus of the February 2-5 Uruguay Social Justice Forum.  The forum, held in Montevideo, was the latest in an international series designed to move forward on social justice food labels.

In the social justice standards agricultural model, food labels would go beyond organic. These labels could provide consumers background information on farmers’ working conditions, wages, fair trade agreements and indigenous rights. The food labels would be verified by a third party, ensuring the integrity of the products production and marketing efforts.

One outcome of the Uruguay forum was agreement from the South American contingent to provide ongoing feedback on the Social Justice Standards, as they continue to be refined and readied for marketplace application. In preparation for this marketing movement, delegates from Boliva, Columbia, Brazil and Uruguay worked on ways to integrate indigenous rights into the social justice standards agricultural model.

Delegates then ventured out into the country to hear farmers’ concerns firsthand. “The farmers we meet are poor and recently had their income cut in half by the sudden removal of subsidies,” said Michael Sligh of RAFI. “On the other hand, they are superb agriculturists with a good vision of how to farm, and they are the custodians of many heirloom varieties.”

The growers expressed a need for information on how they can interface with large outside entities such as fair trade. They also showed interest in organizing farmer and farm worker cooperatives. “We got a very instructive look,” said Sligh, “at what industrialization looks like on the ground in a very poor area.”

RAFI and the Florida Organic Growers are pilot-testing social justice standards labels in the United States in 2005. Marketplace rewards like social justice labels will reward farmers all over the world. Social justice labels add value to small farmers’ and groups of farmers’ product, providing financial incentives for adopting sustainable farming practices.

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U.S. Cites 61 Countries in Unfair Trade Practices

Article based on facts presented in Canadian Broadcast (CBS) reported by Martin Crutsinger

The United States released a 672 page report that accuses Canada and 60 other countries of having significant trade barriers. Over the next year, American negotiators will use the report to prioritize the worst barriers to American manufacturers and farmers.

One section of the report emphasized America’s 2004 65.8 billion trade deficit with Canada. The trade deficit has increased 14.1 billion over one year. Canada’s tight restrictions on imports of wheat, dairy products, eggs and poultry were seen as economic obstructions to American farmers.

Canada limits the amount of American exports of “supply-managed’ agricultural products by enforcing tariff rate quotas. American negotiators will be meeting with Canada and other countries to discuss these obstacles. If there is no agreement, the United States government can bring its case to the World Trade Organization or pursue litigation.

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Canadians Interested in U.S. Poultry System

A local branch of the Canadian National Farmers Union invited Mary Clouse to speak to them about the US chicken industry, especially the problems U.S. chicken farmers are having with their system of production.

Clouse is former director of RAFI’s Contract Agriculture Reform Program. On February 19th, Clouse spoke to the local poultry growers around London, Ontario. “There is nothing that would ever lure me to Canada in February … unless it is to talk chicken,“ she said.  She agreed to give a slide presentation of the basic structure of the U.S. poultry system.  While the Canadian growers don’t expect to lose their system anytime soon, they want to know what will be needed if they ever have to compete with lower priced chicken from the U.S.

Protected by a strict quota system, the poultry farmers in Canada enjoy independence and good incomes from their poultry operations.  Once they buy a certain amount of quota, they are guaranteed the opportunity to raise that number of chickens for their province’s poultry markets.  They buy their own feed from independent feed mills, their own birds from independent hatcheries and sell to independent processors at the pre-arranged price set each year by regional marketing boards.  They even have what they refer to as “chicken police” who monitor their farms to see that they are following production procedures and other farms to see that they are not raising more chickens than they need for their own personal use.

The newly developing market for free-range, organically grown chicken has young Canadian farmers frustrated that they can’t buy into the quota system.  A representative of those “sustainable” poultry growers also spoke at the meeting.

“There was a great exchange of ideas at the meeting,” Clouse commented.  “It felt wonderful to be at a meeting of poultry farmers who were free to come and to speak up about whatever is on their minds. I realized once again how oppressed and fearful our poultry growers are here in “the land of the free and the brave.”

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Cases to Watch in 2005

Guest Column by David R. Moeller and Susan E. Stokes of the Farmers’ Legal Action Group

There are a number of cases farmers should keep an eye on in 2005. The U.S. Supreme Court will issue at least four decisions that will be important to farmers. In Veneman v. Livestock Marketing Association, the Court will decide whether the federal beef checkoff violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. In Bates v. Dow Agrosciences, the Court will decide whether state law claims based on defective pesticides are preempted by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. In Kelo v. city of New London, the Court will decide whether government has the power to condemn or take private property for private redevelopment uses. And in Orff v. United States, the Court will decide whether farmers have the right to sue the federal government over breach of water rights contracts.

In addition, the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Harvey v. Veneman will decide an organic farmer’s challenge to rules implementing the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990. There may also be a decision in Been v. OK Industries, a case involving the cancellation of more than 400 Oklahoma poultry growers’ contracts. The trial in that case is scheduled to begin in Oklahoma state court in March 2005.

FLAG will continue to follow these cases and other legal developments that concern family farmers. Links to the decisions can be found at www.flaginc.org.