Friday, January 30, 2009
For Immediate Release                                          Jennifer Hanson
January 30, 2009                                                     916-651-4016

Senate digs into reports of “organic” fertilizer fraud
First hearing under Florez’s chairmanship question’s state’s delay in pulling product

SACRAMENTO – Little more than a week after what appears to be the second case in two months of synthetic fertilizer being passed off on unsuspecting California farmers and consumers as organic, Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez (D-Shafter) will hold the first hearing the newly-revamped Food and Agriculture Committee into this emerging issue and the state’s slow response time.

In December, the Sacramento Bee reported that an investigation by the California Department of Food and Agriculture found that Salinas-based company California Liquid Fertilizers sold as organic a liquid fertilizer containing synthetic nitrogen -- which cannot be used on farms certified as organic -- for at least several years.  The nitrogen is cheaper than other nutrient sources and hard to detect in a lab, and while it does not pose a threat to public health, it does deplete soil fertility and water quality, according to the newspaper.  CDFA reportedly had concerns about the company’s product in 2004, but only pulled it from market in 2007.

Then, on January 22, federal agents raided Kern County’s Port Organic Products Ltd., one of the state’s largest producers of “organic” liquid fertilizer.  While the exact charges are not yet known, the company has been stockpiling thousands of gallons of chemicals used to produce synthetic nitrogen for several years.  The company purported to make its fertilizer from fish.

These raids brought out news of drawn-out investigations and raised questions about oversight in the growing industry of organic farming.  Florez will question state regulators and those who certify farms as organic on how such a fraud could have gone on for so long.  Other witnesses will include fertilizer producers and organic growers looking for avenues to renew confidence in their products.

“Consumers who understand the needed for sustainable agriculture and respect for our finite resources are willing to pay a premium for organic products,” Florez said.  “Unfortunately, there are also those unscrupulous characters who will take advantage of that environmental concern for a profit and who clearly need to be more closely regulated.” 

Tuesday’s hearing will be held at 9:30 a.m. in Room 113 of the California State Capitol.

*** MEDIA ADVISORY *** MEDIA ADVISORY *** MEDIA ADVISORY ***

WHO:    Senator Dean Florez, D-Shafter
            Chair, Senate Food and Agriculture Committee

WHAT:
Hearing: “Assuring the Integrity of Organic Food and the Use of Organic Fertilizers”

WHEN:    Tuesday, February 3, 2009
             9:30 a.m.

WHERE:  State Capitol, Room 113; Sacramento, CA