Organic food is raised or grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, genetically engineered seeds and organisms, artificial additives, plant growth hormones, sewage sludge, and irradiation. Meat, poultry and their feed are expected to be 100 percent organic and free of antibiotics.In countries where there are laws that govern organic agriculture growers cannot legally use the word organic for their products without it being certified. Bermuda does not have a legal standard for organic. USDA guidelines are applied as a rule for agricultural issues but in the absence of a certifying body local farmers are free to define organic any way they choose.However, there is such a thing as professional ethics. Bermuda is a small place with few farmers so organic “certification” is a matter of trust based on a direct relationship between farmer and consumer.If a farmer portrays his/her produce as organic and enjoys a reputation as an organic farmer it would be a betrayal of trust to use products such as those listed in the first paragraph.It would also be unethical to buy chemically grown produce to fill benches and sell it as organic. Such a practice could have serious consequences for people who have life threatening illnesses.The most egregious act would be to plant genetically engineered (GMO or GE) seeds and call the product organic. There are no local laws that prevent a farmer from planting GMO seeds but it would be arrogant if an individual farmer, groups of farmers or any other entity were to introduce GMO seeds without appropriate consultation.There are already misconceptions about local agriculture. For example, it is a common belief that local farmers overuse chemicals. However, the 2002 Review of Agriculture in Bermuda conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Florida revealed that local farmers apply far less than their counterparts in the US. The high cost of purchasing and shipping fertilizer effectively limits their use.Only pesticides that have been approved by the Department of Environmental Protection can be used locally and are purchased through the Government Marketing Centre. If farmers import pesticides independently they must be registered and inspected by the DEP.Veteran farmer Junior Hill is adamant that most farmers use chemical fertilizers and pesticides responsibly. He said that several years ago his produce was tested for the presence of toxins at a US agriculture university; the only toxins found were from atmospheric pollutants.It is generally believed that no farm in Bermuda can meet requirements for organic certification. The most common reason cited is that no field can escape chemical spray drift from other properties. This may be true for the most part but according to the researchers who conducted the 2002 study there are a few fields that are far enough away from sources of spraying to be potentially certifiable.Gabre and Deborah Swan farm a couple of such fields.The Swans do all they can to grow their produce organically but they prefer to use the term natural rather than organic because the term organic implies certified.Neither the US Food and Drug Administration nor the US Department of Agriculture provides a definition for natural, except for meat and poultry.Mr Swan has been farming without synthetic chemicals for 30 years fertilizing his fields with nitrogen-fixing cowpeas and certified organic poultry manure imported from the US along with other sustainable practices.He and his wife limit the number of fields they take on in order to maintain their personal standard. The Swans say it is inconceivable for them to consider using synthetic chemicals to enhance their crops or to control pests.In 2002 the United States Department of Agriculture created a National Organic Standard for organic. Even though it took over 12 years to arrive at the final rules with input from an unprecedented 200,000 US citizens, they are still plagued with complaints that the standard is “one size to fit all”. Some leaders of the organic movement predicted back in 2002 that once organic was institutionalized it would become so watered down as to render the term meaningless.Since 2002 there has been huge growth in organic farming in North America necessitating changed USDA requirements.In catering to large agribusiness regulations have become onerous, expensive, less sustainable and harder for small organic farms.Some basic guidelines would certainly be useful for Bermuda but to copy those from a large country would be opening Pandora’s box. Self-regulation could be the answer but that will require consistent transparency on the part of farmers.If a farmer is transitioning from conventional to organic farming the term transitional could be a required term for the produce. Independent testing of local produce, organic and non-organic, would be revealing and helpful.Whatever course is taken eventually transparency must be an important part of it. There is a growing awareness about food and farmers can expect more questions from the public. Everyone knows that honesty is the best policy but in agriculture it may be critical in securing local produce loyalty.