So the USDA’s National Organic Program ruling that would’ve made organic certification pretty much impossible for most small farmer co-ops has been making big news, specifically because of Samuel Fromartz’s article in Salon on April 3 highlighting the potential problem with the USDA’s decision.

Lots of you emailed me ’bout this — thanks for that — but I didn’t write about it because there just wasn’t enough information on what coffee drinkers could do to address this issue. It’s disheartening — and in my opinion, usually pointless — to get news that doesn’t offer any incentive to action.

But now, we can act.

Fair trade company Equal Exchange, for one, along with the National Organic Coalition, wants co-signers for a letter that will be delivered to the USDA expressing concern. Sign by Tuesday, APRIL 24th.

For a good primer on the issue, visit Equal Exchange’s page about this debate, complete with words of solidarity from many of the farmer co-ops that Equal Exchange works with.

You actually have a few petitions to pick from. Aside from Equal Exchange’s petition, Organic Consumers Association’s put together a similar letter, also with the National Organic Coalition. And someone called Rene Friberg’s put up a petition with similar intent (via Coffee and Conservation).

I suppose you could sign all 3…. I’m just going to sign the Equal Exchange one, since I know the company, know they’ll act, and know that they’ll get shit done on a deadline, as per the April 24 sign-by deadline.

Update, 5/2/07: Organic coffee’s safe for now, at least until the matter’s discussed again in the fall.

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