THOMAS THOMAS · THOMAS THOMAS . Title: cata1302-puthicase Created Date: 6/28/2016 3:43:34 PM
Thomas Redick
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Transcript of Thomas Redick
Thomas P. Redick
Global Environmental Ethics Counsel, LLC
www.geeclaw.com
Emerging Sustainability Standards
Illinois Soybean Association
July 24, 2012Chicago IL
ANSI Leonardo/SCS standards tilt to organic model.
The Sustainability Consortium – Univ of Arkansas based, seeking input from producersMajor food and ag companies paying $50,000 to play Now seeking more grower input without paying $10,000?
NRDC Stewardship Index for Specialty Crops:Technology neutral, but very few biotech crops in specialty
(squash, sweet corn in small amounts – apples on way?)Grower participation/data quality a barriers - “value
proposition” needed to get growers to fill out forms, discloseNew round of funding from UDSA $761k, 10/2011-9/2013
National Initiative on Sustainable Agriculture (NISA)
Ag Sustainability Standards -- USA
“Keystone Field to Market” for commodities in pilotsBunge N. America -- NebraskaSyngenta – Mississippi Basin
WWF Sustainability standards are all “Roundtables”, e.g.:Industry, NGOs, Retailers, Producers – balancedCrop-specific – otherwise too complex
Healthy Grown Potato (Wisconsin) – shelf space?RT Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)
UK Green marketing law invalidated it RT Responsible Soy – first sale to Unilever 2011
EU RED recognizes it for certifying producers
Ag Sustainability Standards – WWF
Jason Clay “freeze the footprint of food” via top food companies cutting impacts but double production.Global Harvest Initiative (www.globalharvestinitiative.org) Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (www.saiplatform.org) “21st Century technology allows faster selection.”
Food companies are all cutting energy usage, water, waste and want their supply chain to follow alongUnilever: 100% of agricultural inputs “sustainable” and
reduce footprint via LCA by 50%, but double revenue.Unilever, Nutreco and Rabobank will “bundle” carbonKelloggs commits to 15% reductions – supply chain next to
reap the same “low hanging fruit”
Leveraging the Big Cos to Lead
Wal-Mart environmental goals:100 percent renewable energyReach “zero” wasteSustainable packaging
Wal-Mart “sustainability index” reaches overseas Sustainable seafood requirements drove South
American changes in fisheries practices Chinese small producers signed up to meet index
Do not fall into the 5% that fail to meet the supply specification du jour that takes 5 years to sort out!
Contractual Drivers – Wal-Mart
EU Renewable energy directive – ADM touting compliance
Japan/UK “Voluntary” Carbon contracts on more products
UK Green Marketing Law & US FTC “Green Guides” Liability
Asian soy crushers starting to ask US soy to prove it is sustainable
Overseas Regulatory Drivers
USDA uses voluntary support (WTO “green box”) for environmental measuresCrop insurance? Report annually (erosion etc.)Energy Efficiency audits using ANSI standard (ASABE)Funding innovation in agri-environmental management.House Farm Bill may cut these programs
Environmental Protection Agency role Funding - e.g., Lodi Wine Group grant for integrated pest
mgt on pesticides Clean Water act – Trading credits with factories, dairies etc.
US Regulatory & EPA Drivers
Specialty & CommodityUS has “Keystone Field to Market” for commodities, Stewardship Index for Specialty Crops etc.Sustainability Consortium still figuring out its pathProduction contracts allow tracing to farm
“Precautionary Agriculture” (Organic/EU/UN)Plenty of Food, Poor distribution, African political strifeANSI Leonardo/SCS standards tilt to organic modelRainforest Alliance, EU’s “SAI”, Global GAPUN “Agroecology” & “Livestock’s Long Shadow” don’t
mix --- “natural” nutrients start with emitting animalsOrganic model needs protection from “GMO” mix-in?
The Great Divides
USDA regulatory overhaul segregated RR beets pending final approval.
US Litigation about coexistenceNational Env. Policy Act (NEPA) injunctionsNuisance-Negligence liability under common law
Overseas Regulatory Moves Hitting US Producers: State “nonGMO” zones, at home and abroad
West Coast – CA , OR, WA, BC (Canada)EU cities and Austria etc.
Regulatory coexistence
Area planted worldwide increased by 10%+ each year over last 15 years
Pockets of resistance in the EU and markets that depend on it (Africa)¨NonGM¨ zones pop up in EU, US and Latin
AmericaMore EU nations banning planting of
biotech cornFour California counties votes to go ¨Non
GMO¨
Biotech Benefits, Pockets of Resistance
No Votes on Non-GMO all over2005 snapshot
Brown are Marin, Trinity, Mendocino
Add Santa Cruz ’06 All the rest – No way!
Community standards for nuisance can be statutory
Industry stopped NonGM in production ag counties
VT backed down from its seed purity law and cannot pass bio-liability
No thanks, we like GMOs!
B.t. corn is safer for livestock!
Hey, man, don’t ban
my biotech
marijuana!
Borrowing from “Non-GM” zone movement, standards bar biotech (genetically modified, “GM”)US Green Building Counsel unfortunately may be adopting
anti-GM FSC standard just as biotech trees show up on scene?
Rainforest Alliance sustainable ag standard anti-GMO Tech-neutral WWF RT on Responsible Soybeans (S.America)
Non-GMO grower must maintain buffer in GM areaUnless local law or practice requires segregation of GM
RT Sustainable Biofuels – Technology neutral now. Global GAP – similar requirement to prevent migration. Also
considering whether this should apply in US, Canada, (Arg. too?)
Sustainability Standards & “GM”
Precaution keeps benefits from market for testing hypothesis after hypothesis, using “weight of evidence” analysisReduced agricultural chemicals, mycotoxins, positive
increase in soil etc. are well documented benefit of biotech crops
Organic crops cannot do “no till” conservation tillageOrganic “mycotoxin risk” under-estimated?
B.t. corn reduces in some well-documented studiesLatin American mothers and babies paying for ignorance
Balanced approach applies precaution to organic too.
“Precautionary Approach” applied to all ag?
Most organic crops cannot do “no till” – need biotech crops, herbicides
UK Prof. cites “lower yield” + “limited biodiversity benefit” of organic farming. Not “sustainable” or “best/only agriculture”.
Not enough manure to go around, making organic approaches a niche market – even when governments legislate organic in 25% of farms (e.g., Sweden)
More fuel used to get same yieldTilling weeds uses more tractor passes across a field, and more fuelEnergy use of laborers, more of whom are required,Residue in no-till is a “skin” or solid surface that will support
tractor/ sprayer wheels in wet field – in and out quicker, more reliable yields.
“Halo” effect of B.t. crops benefits nearby organic corn.Organic consumers always an elite minority?
Life Cycle Analysis Standards – Which method wins, and where? Is Organic ag more sustainable?
2007 - California judge stopped Roundup Ready Alfalfa 2009 -- California judge stopped Roundup Ready
Sugar Beets on same basic “protect nonGMO” theory2010 – US Supreme Court rules on RR Alfalfa
No Nationwide Injunctions! USDA must contain “contamination” using partial
approval2011 – USDA approves RR Sugar Beets partial planting
(not in parts of California, Oregon etc. -West Coast seed production).
Bottom Line – middle path through AOSCA and other certifiers of seed purity – coexistence possible, but not cheap.
Litigation Prods USDA on EIS
2008 Farm Bill encouraged specialty crops, funding energy audits etc. and ordered USDA to overhaul biotech regs.
USDA overdue in mandate to revise regs, under pressure to expand authority beyond “plant pests” to regulation “other effects” of “noxious weeds”.
USDA formed AC21 committee to advise it on coexistence (again) which might find common ground.
U.S. industry, courts establish “due care” for commingling at low levels (“LLP” or “AP” ), but EU has “zero tolerance” which complicates exporting
USDA & Coexistence Debate