Environmental Defense Scientist Appointed To National Organic Standards Board By Agriculture Secretary Glickman

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today the appointment of Environmental Defense senior scientist Dr. Rebecca Goldburg to the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). The 15-member board, appointed by the Agriculture Secretary, recommends standards for organic production to the USDA.

Dr. Goldburg will serve on the board for two years in a slot for environmentalists. Other board members include farmers, food processors, a food retailer, and consumer advocates. Over the past several years, the board has developed national standards for organic production of crop plants and food animals. These standards were recently proposed by USDA as a legally enforceable rule.

“I am honored to be named to the NOSB,” said Goldburg. “One focus of the Board will be organic certification of seafood. I hope to work with other NOSB members to develop organic standards for farmed fish.”

Dr. Goldburg holds a doctorate in Ecology from the University of Minnesota. She joined Environmental Defense’s staff in 1986, where she has studied the environmental consequences of fish farming practices and of genetic engineering. She is the author of numerous articles, abstracts and testimony on agricultural biotechnology, aquaculture and ecology. Dr. Goldburg served on a National Academy of Sciences panel that released a report in April urging stronger government control of biotechnology.