Take Action! Tell USDA to Stop Factory Farm Organics
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Period Expires June 12
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Related News:
- 4/25 - USDA Posts Revisions to National Organic Program
- 3/27 - Organic Dairy-Rating Report Sparks Fierce Debate
- 3/23 - Organic Dairy Label Being Corrupted by Factory Farms
- 3/23 - Cornucopia Institute Issues Report Exposing Factory Style Dairy Farms Claiming to Be Organic
- 3/23 - New York Times: Survey by Cornucopia Institute Ranks Organic Integrity of Nation's Organic Dairies
- 3/7 - Investors Challenge Dean Foods/Horizon Organic Calling Factory Dairy Farms "Organic"
- 3/2 - National Organic Program Apparently Cracking Down on" Commercial Availability" Issue
- 2/16 - Debate in Organic Community Over Factory Dairy Farms Being Allowed to Label Their Products as USDA Organic
- 2/10 - Public TV (PBS) Covers the Organic Standards Controversy
- 2/7 - Organic Trade Association--Now a Corporate-Dominated Lobby Group--Attacks Organic Watchdog
- 2/6 - General Mills Executive Resigns NOSB Appointment After Pressure from OCA & Consumers Union
- 1/31 - Corporate Organic & Supermarket Chains Undermining Organic Integrity
- 1/26 - Rapid Growth & Strict Organic Standards: A Difficult Balancing Act
- 1/23 - Consumers Union & OCA Criticize USDA for Latest Appointments of So-Called "Consumer Representatives" to the National Organic Standards Board
- 1/12 - Consumer Reports Covers the Organic Standards "Food Fight"
- More articles...
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Related Links :
Organic Cattle Should Be Pasture Fed— Not Raised in Intensive Feedlots
Two of the largest organic dairy companies in the nation, Horizon Organic (a subsidiary of Dean Foods), a supplier to Wal-Mart and many health food stores; and Aurora Organic, a supplier of private brand name organic milk to Costco, Safeway, Giant, Wild Oats and others, are purchasing the majority of their milk from feedlot dairies where the cows have little or no access to pasture.Together, these corporations control up to 65% of the organic dairy market.
Here's How Organic Consumers
Can Help Put a Stop to This
The USDA has posted revisions to the National Organic Program and is seeking public comment until June 12, 2006. The revisions can be viewed here. A portion of the revisions relate to the issue of dairy produced on factory farms being misleadingly labeled as "organic."
Take action and send a letter to the USDA here.
ORGANIC DAIRY FARM?
This is an actual photo of the Aurora "organic" dairy farm, holding several thousand head of cattle
Background Info
The watchdog group Cornucopia Institute recently published a long-awaited report on organic dairy practices in the USA, and the facts are rather sobering. The good news is that most organic dairies in the U.S. are following strict organic standards, including giving animals regular access to pasture. The bad news is that several major players in the organic dairy sector are blatantly violating organic standards. Take action and send a letter to the USDA here.
In
addition, a routine practice on these giant dairy feedlots, many with
thousands of cows, is to continuously import calves from conventional
farms, where animals have been weaned on blood, fed slaughterhouse
waste and genetically engineered grains, and injected or dosed with
antibiotics. Certifiers endorsing these factory farm organic products
include QAI and the Colorado state department of agriculture. Send
a message to the National Organic Program of the USDA and Congress
to stop the labeling of factory farm milk as "organic."
These corporate farms and their wealthy investors are jeopardizing the livelihoods of organic family-scale dairy farmers throughout the United States, along with the more modest-sized companies and cooperatives that market their milk.