Page 104 - Breeding and regulatory opportunities, Renaud

Chapter 3

companies, which are primary seed suppliers for particular crops, in pursuing

organic seed production. ECO-PB members have recommended in response

that oicial organic seed variety trials should not include the varieties produced

by companies that are not interested in pursuing organic seed production. It

was argued that this also would stimulate growers to learn about the organic

varieties that are ofered by other companies more committed to organic seed

supply (Lammerts van Bueren et al. 2008, Rey et al., 2009). The EU case suggests

that progress toward regulatory harmonization among EU member states is a

product not only of the bottom-up commitment of stakeholders in the organic

sector to achieve a common goal, but also of strong support and direction

from national authorities and the EC. ECO-PB members themselves draw the

lesson that the EC should seek stricter and more coordinated management

of exception criteria among member states, as well as a common format for

the national reports on exceptions so that the reports can be used to compare

progress in regulatory implementation and to improve trade (Lammerts van

Bueren et al., 2008, Döring et al., 2012).

In describing collective action and policy compliance in the organic food

industry, Lee (2009) suggests that complexity typically emerges at the level

of self-organizing networks as they seek to mobilize their members toward

compliance with a common goal to meet regulatory requirements. Lee further

suggests that those responsible for meta-governance of the regulatory regime

on the other hand seek uniformity and a level playing ield among the interested

parties. The EU case suggests that it is the willingness to engage in and provide

support for learning from experience that has assisted the process of normalizing

regulatory requirements among member states. The EU’s experience further

suggests the importance, and perhaps the necessity of a central body that

takes responsibility for developing and applying appropriate substantive and

procedural policy instruments that provide incentives, penalties and support

for compliance. We suggest in the next section that the regional example of

harmonization amongst member states in the EU ofers lessons that potentially

might have larger policy impact worldwide.

3.4.2 The US and EU compared

In both the EU and the US there are numerous stakeholders, with diverse inte-

rests, who none the less want to ensure that the principles of organic agriculture

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