Overview of CropLife Canada's Campaign Against Organic

by Ann Slater
October 29, 2006

This is an overview of the activities that I am aware of that have been part of CropLife Canada's campaign against organic in 2006. EFAO now has a CropLife Canada Watch section on our website.

CropLife Canada is the trade association for the manufacturers, developers and distributors of pesticide and GMO products - companies like Monsanto and Sygenta. It has an ongoing campaign called 'Food for Thought', designed to help the public "learn more about the crop protection methods and rigorous standards that provide Canadians with a safe, abundant and affordable food supply."  Note: crop protection or plant protection products are products which protect crops and plants from pests, i.e. pesticides. Some news releases that are part of the campaign can be found on the CropLife Canada website under their Food for Thought section.

I first became aware of their media campaign in April, 2006 when a reporter from the Kitchener Waterloo Record called me to say they had had a visit to their newsroom from two dietitians working for CropLife Canada. The reporter was looking for another opinion on the cost, etc. of organic food. From this conversation I also learned that other newsrooms where also being visited. The two dietitians quoted in a CropLife Canada press release and news stories are Mary Wiley, a home economist and Lois Ferguson, a registered dietitian.

The Toronto Star, around Easter time, carried a full page article done by a reporter who purchased only organic food for a week and compared the price of organic and non-organic. There was no indication that CropLife Canada was behind this story but the graphics used where the same graphics that appear on CropLife Canada press releases questioning the benefits of organic food.

In April, I was also called by a reporter from the Guelph Mercury and I was contacted by members of the Hamilton chapter of the Canadian Organic Growers about an article in the Hamilton Spectator with inaccurate information on organic. The article was based on information from CropLife Canada, although that was not made clear in the article.

In the summer, I started to hear concerns from EFAO members, COG members and some farmers' market organizers about the ad placed by CropLife Canada in the Harvest Ontario 2006 brochure.

Then in October, I received a call from a CBC radio reporter in London about a new survey by CropLife Canada around consumer misconceptions of organic. The reporter was looking for an alternative viewpoint. I also heard from friends in London about a very biased report and discussion with Mary Wiley done by the A Channel (London TV station).

If you are concerned about the biased information against organic being spread by CropLife Canada I would suggest writing letters to editors and contacting media outlets to express your concerns, when they do not provide an alternate more pro-organic viewpoint.