CASA to Address International Committee on Agricultural Standards for Biosolids
In September, CASA’s Director of Renewable Resources Greg Kester will present a proposal to the "Global G.A.P. Technical Committee, Crops" to revise their standards for the use of biosolids on agricultural crops. CASA has been leading a national and international (European Union, Japan, Australia, Canada) coalition of associations and other stakeholders seeking changes to the standards.
Global G.A.P. (Good Agricultural Practices) is a voluntary standard for food retailers to have confidence in the agricultural practices and safety of food they buy from farmers. Farms are inspected and certified by Global G.A.P., allowing them to sell to Global G.A.P. subscribing retailers. Global G.A.P. started in Europe, but now is subscribed to by major retailers around the world, including Walmart and Costco. Farmers (including some in California) who use biosolids and also sell internationally have run into issues, because the retailers they sell to require Global G.A.P. certification and biosolids are not currently allowed under Global G.A.P.