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Agribusiness Moving to Weaken
USDA Organic Standards

From: Amigo Cantisano <orgamigo@jps.net>
April 26, 2002
Action Alert: Weakening Organic Standards

Dear Friends and colleagues,

The National Organic Standards Board is being pressured by Big Business
Agriculture to drop the requirement for access to outdoors for Poultry.
Additionally they are considering delaying the requirement for pasture
access for dairy herds. Most organic dairymen feel that this is the first
step towards eliminating the requirement altogether.

Your comments will make a difference. Remember that the first draft of the
NOP was sent back to the drawing board in 1997 when a record 278,000
people voiced opposition.

It is important that you write a brief letter in support of the existing
standards. Add a personal reason why this affects you. Some benefits to
outdoor access that you might want to mention are:

ALLOWS ANIMALS TO EXHIBIT NATURAL BEHAVIOR
REDUCES CANNIBALISM AND FEATHER PICKING
FRESH GRASS DIET INCREASES CLA (Conjugated Linoleic
Acid) AND OMEGA-3 LEVELS IN BOTH EGGS AND MEAT.
FRESH GRASS INCREASES VITAMIN A/BETA CAROTENE
LEVELS IN EGGS SETS A STRONG HUMANE TREATMENT
STANDARD IT IS THE LAW UNDER OFPA AND THE NOP RULE.

If you like what giant animal confinement operations have done with water
pollution, just wait until they can call it USDA ORGANIC ! It is important
that we DO NOT DELAY the implementation of the requirement that all dairy
animals over 6 months of age receive a substantial portion of their dry
matter needs from pasture! This requirement should be enforced with the
start of the 2003 grazing season.

Fax your letters to Katherine Benham at (202) 205-7808, and then
mail them to:
National Organic Standards Board
c/o Katherine Benham
Room 4008-South Bldg.
1400 Independence Ave. SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-0001