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2023
ORGANIC SEED: PROTECT
ORGANIC INTEGRITY FROM
GMOS
By Harriet Behar
As we wrap up the 2023 crop year, we evaluate what
With more genetic engineering in nonorganic seed
went well and what could have been improved. Weed
occurring, organic growers in the United States and
control, insect and disease pressure, resilience of the
Canada will need to aggressively increase their use of
crops to dry or excessive weather, overall vigor, and
organic seed over the next few years. Performing on-farm
yields are all issues that are affected by the variety and
seed trials is an important step to discovering which
characteristics of the seed planted, as well as how well
organic seeds have the characteristics needed for your
they grow in your soil type and overall climate. Plans for
farm. This also indicates a need for more participatory
buying next year’s seed start soon, especially to obtain
research in organic seed testing and breeding.
the prized organic varieties for your region.
In May 2020, the USDA’s APHIS agency published the
As genetic engineering becomes more and more
SECURE
dominant in nonorganic agriculture, and the regulatory
Uniform, Responsible Efficient). APHIS (Animal and Plant
system overseeing GMOs becomes weaker, it will
Health Inspection Service) oversees biotechnology within
become more difficult to keep genetically altered seeds
agriculture. This new rule focuses on the seed or
out of organic, especially when producers plant
organism’s properties and not the method used to
nonorganic seed. In the European Union, there are now
produce that seed or organism. This was done to reduce
certain crops that are obligated to be grown from
the regulatory burden on the biotech developers.
organic seed, in order to be sold as organic.
rule
(Sustainable,
Ecological,
Consistent,
This rule will not regulate nor require disclosure on the
method of seed development if the seed developer
declares: 1) the seed will not be considered a plant pest,
or 2) if the seed could have been produced through
hybridization or the natural process of mutation. APHIS
will still regulate when DNA is passed between two
different organisms.
made it
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Organic
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organic.
GMOs in
However, gene-editing technologies like CRISPR are not
traceable or trackable since there is no marker to test if
gene-editing occurred. These types of gene-editing
technologies do not introduce new DNA, they just
modify what is in the original organism. This same
deregulation has been done in Canada. At the time of
this article, the only gene-edited seed available in the
U.S. is mustard greens, but corn, soybeans, rice, wheat,
and more are in the pipeline and could be introduced
within the coming months.
The seed requirements now allow each individual EU
country to determine which organic seeds (by species)
are sufficiently available in their own country and to
mandate organic seed use for those species. Belgium,
Denmark, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Holland, and
Switzerland all have numerous listings. The EU and U.S.
have an organic equivalency agreement that allows free
market movement of organic products. This agreement is
periodically reviewed. The recent EU strengthening of
RECOGNIZING CRISPR AS GENETIC
ENGINEERING
The
National
Organic
Standards
Board
organic seed requirements might be a reason for the U.S.
to adopt something similar in the near future.
has
recommended that the National Organic Program
Implementing the organic seed requirement in the U.S.
specifically recognize CRISPR as genetic engineering,
has had some successes, but organic seed is not
and therefore be excluded from use in organic
universally used, even if there is sufficient supply for
production.
been
equivalent varieties to the nonorganic varieties planted.
addressed by the NOP. Currently, university research in
Farmers do not want to risk their livelihood and their
process has shown some unintended chromosomal
crop yields on an unknown variety. The higher price of
damage and mutations when genes are edited,
organic seed is not one of the allowed exemptions for not
shattering the biotech developer’s assurance that this
using organic seed, but does affect the volume of organic
technology is very precise and safe. It appears that
seed purchased. Farmers have loyalty to local seed
without change to the SECURE rule, the only option
suppliers and many of these do not carry organic seeds.
organic producers have to avoid gene-edited seeds, is to
With the impending risk of biotech gene-edited seeds
use organic seeds.
leaking into organic agriculture due to the lack of
This
recommendation
has
not
regulation and traceability of these nonorganic seeds, the
The U.S. requirement that organic seed be used unless
use of organic seed on certified organic land becomes
the equivalent variety is not commercially available in
much more important to protecting the integrity of the
the quality and quantity desired was somewhat
organic label in the marketplace. Organic consumers
influenced by the European Union’s organic requirement
have made it very clear that they do not want GMOs in
to use organic seed. In 2021, the EU strengthened this
organic.
aspect of their organic regulations.
SAVING AND BREEDING DIVERSE SEEDS
The quality and quantity of organic seed varieties has
grown over the past decade. For some farmers,
growing organic seed provides another income stream
and makes regionally adapted seeds available to other
organic growers. The Organic Seed Alliance has
numerous publications and webinars on how to save
READY TO START SEED TRIALS?
Addressing the need to do on-farm organic seed trials
to determine which varieties work well for you is
covered in the Organic Seed Alliance booklet: The
Grower’s Guide to Conducting
On-Farm Variety
Trials.
your own seed, as well as how to develop your own
seed varieties.
Organic seed breeders take into account that there
may be more weed pressure in an organic system, so
they build in characteristics to deal with that situation.
The seeds they select grow well using slow-release
natural fertilizers, rather than the quick release
soluble fertility inputs used in nonorganic agriculture.
Since organic seed breeders are typically smaller,
family-run businesses, they are more responsive to
new traits they include and encourage feedback from
This publication goes into great depth on helping you
growers using their seed. By supporting these smaller
determine what characteristics you’re looking for, how
businesses, you are protecting the open sharing of
to optimize the growing area so the trials are equal
diverse genetic material for continuous improvement,
versus the dominant seed businesses who patent and
do not share their genetics with others.
The organic community is facing a crossroads where
genetic engineering is posing a risk to organic integrity
and trust in the organic label. The investment that
organic growers make in using organic seed helps to
promote quality and quantity of organic seed available
to all. It is unknown yet if the US will move towards
obligating some types of organic seed, similar to the
EU. The more organic seed you have trialed and
determined works well for you, the more ready you
will be for possible future regulatory changes, as well
as protecting your crop from unwanted genetic
engineering.
between varieties, and prioritizing yearly trials.
There are worksheets to help you document variety
performance throughout the season. For larger acres of
field crops, planting an acre or two of the organic variety
in the middle of your field is much better than choosing
the poor ground in a different field. Replicating the trial
over a few years will inform you of the resiliency of the
varieties over a variety of climatic conditions and
management methods.
When evaluating the trial, many factors are important:
quality, taste, yield, as well as pest and disease
resistance and characteristics such as leaf canopy for
controlling weeds. Some traits, like a hairy leaf on alfalfa,
can deter leafhopper feeding. Look for characteristics
you need, and trial a few to see which ones give you the
Harriet Behar is OFA’s Farmer Services
Consultant, and serves on the Governing
Council and Policy Committee. She has
been involved with federal, state, and local
policy advocacy for over 30 years. She runs
organic Sweet Springs Farm in Gays Mills,
Wisconsin.
best options. Many organic growers who did organic
seed trialing on their farms told OFA they found the
organic varieties superior to the nonorganic varieties
they had been using.