Demeter International--The Preeminent Organic Certifier
Demeter International, the organization that certifies the biodynamic agricultural method, oversees a certification program established in Germany in 1928--the first ecological label for organically produced food! Today, Demeter has some 4,500 members, 1,400 of them in Germany.
Difficult to Earn
The Demeter certification, the oldest, traditional organic certification in Europe, regarded as the highest grade of organic farming in the world, is hard to come by and must be renewed annually.
Demeter Standards
In over 50 countries, Demeter verifies that biodynamic produce meets its standards in production and processing. These Standards include:
- Biodiversity
- Ecosystem preservation
- Soil husbandry
- Livestock integration
- Prohibition of genetically engineered organisms (GMOs)
- Viewing the farm as a living "holistic organism"
Economic Rewards to Farmers
Because organic food consumers value the high quality of produce bearing the "Demeter" label, biodynamically certified farmers earn an average of 10-30% more for their produce.
Brief History
Demeter grew out of a cooperative for processing biodynamical agricultural products in Berlin, Germany in 1927. The Demeter trademark was registered in 1928.
In 1941, however, the Nazi government dissolved the Union for biodynamic agriculture; but, the Union was reestablished in Germany after World War II ended.
In 1997, 19 independent Demeter organizations, representing all continents, united to form Demeter International.
Consult: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demeter_Internationalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demeter_International
May Demeter and Biodynamic Agriculture
Continue to Thrive
and Transform the
World of Organic Food!
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