This response is posted to IOIA members to inform members re: the communication between IOIA and OTA regarding OTA’s actions related to the lawsuit.
The IOIA Board of Directors apologizes to members for some delay in posting this response from OTA.
This post does not imply that IOIA BOD and/or members accept as true or agree with these statements by OTA.

OTA’s Response:
As of May 23, 2006 OTA has not sent a written response to IOIA’s letter. However, IOIA received the following phone replies from OTA:

• a phone call from Katherine DiMatteo, OTA’s Executive Director, to Margaret Scoles, IOIA’s Executive Director.
• a more comprehensive phone conversation between Phil Margolis, OTA President of the Board, to Brian Magaro, IOIA Chairman of the Board at that time.

During that conversation, Mr. Margolis expressed his confidence that:

• OTA’s actions were justified and necessary given the current circumstances and the industry environment.
• OTA efforts were made to restore organic standards and restored them to very nearly the same as prior to the Harvey Summary Judgment. This is not being viewed by OTA as an amendment to OFPA. The rules (NOP) were developed with much public input over many years and OTA considers the change to OFPA to be technical corrections to this rule, not major changes made by Congress. This action by Congress was actually to clarify the statute, making the technical corrections to restore what they felt was the original intention of OFPA.
• OTA felt that they had adequately notified people of their intent by making it clear in the March 2005 meeting in Washington DC that they intended to take proposed language to Congress to do what was necessary to overturn the court’s decision.
• OTA felt that OTA’s survey of the impact of the lawsuit on their members indicated that there was need for such action and that only Congress could remediate the court ruling.
• OTA has no reason for apology or remorse for their actions.
• OTA’s actions were good for organic farmers as well as processors and the responses to their survey acknowledged this.