The Organic Consumers Association’s (OCA) call for a boycott of
the nation’s largest organic dairy brand, Horizon Organic has
recently generated stories in the New York Times, USA Today, National
Public Radio, and the Associated Press. The media coverage has
highlighted the growing backlash by organic consumers against
industrial scale dairy feedlots, who are misleadingly labeling
their products as "USDA Organic," even though the animals
on these factory farms have little or no access to pasture. In
addition, most of the cows on these giant feedlots have been imported
from conventional dairies, where they were weaned on blood, injected
with hormones and antibiotics, and fed genetically engineered
grains and slaughterhouse waste. While Horizon sources half of
its milk from family farms where the lactating cows do have access
to pasture, Aurora Organic, OCA’s other major boycott target,
gets all of its milk from intensive confinement feedlots. Aurora
sells its "organic" milk to supermarket chains including
Costco, Safeway, Giant, and Wild Oats, who bottle it under their
own private labels. For more information, see the Safeguard Organic
Standards section of the OCA website /old_articles/sos.cfm
as well as /old_articles/2006/article_923.cfm

Please
Help OCA Continue our Fight to Safeguard Organic Standards!


/old_articles/donations.htm

A new Harvard study has linked pesticide exposure to a 70% increase
in Parkinson’s disease. The study, which is the largest ever
conducted, was released in the July 2006 issue of the Annals
of Neurology. This research backs up earlier animal studies
linking pesticide exposure to brain and nerve damage. The amount
of exposure did not matter, as farm workers and everyday home
bug-sprayers all had the same increased risk. The study did
not correlate the increased risk with any specific pesticides,
but rather found the connection in overall general use of pesticides.
"This is certainly the biggest and most serious populations
study on people, and it appears to be the best proof today that
there is a general association between pesticide and Parkinson’s
among people," said Robin Elliot, executive director for
the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation in New York City, describing
the findings as "important and solid." Learn
more: /old_articles/2006/article_902.cfm

A new study in the Lancet medical journal (UK) suggests that
variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), the human variant
of Mad Cow Disease, may not peak in the human population for
several decades, by which time many thousands of beef eaters
and hospital patients that have received tainted blood transfusions
could die. The study shows how Kuru, a similar fatal brain-wasting
prion disease in New Guinea, has been found to have an incubation
period of 35 to 41 years. Researchers suspect it could be longer
for vCJD because the infection is transmitted between species,
from cows to humans. The 160 fatal human cases of the disease
that have already surfaced around the world could represent
a distinct genetic subgroup of the population with an unusually
short incubation period, according to John Collinge, the study
leader and a professor at University College, London. There
could be "substantial underestimations" in recent
estimates of the size of the vCJD epidemic, Collinge said in
a report in The Lancet medical journal.
Learn more: /old_articles/2006/article_889.cfm

BYTE
BACK–TAKE ACTION

There’s
still time to "byte back" on recent action alerts we’ve
highlighted in Organic Bytes. If you haven’t already done so, please
take a moment to learn more about these issues and make your voice
be heard!

: The USDA is accepting
public comments regarding the commercial planting of a genetically
engineered plum tree, known as "C5." The plum
has been gene-spliced to be resistant to the Honey Sweet
Pox Potyvirus, which doesn’t even exist in the United States.
Approval of C5 would be the first widely released genetically
engineered (GE) tree in the mainland United States (GE papayas
are currently grown in Hawaii), and would pave the way for
more GE tree and fruit varieties, including peaches, cherries,
and apricots. GE tree pollen can drift for several miles,
leading to contamination of neighboring organic crops and
indigenous trees.
Learn more and Take Action: /old_articles/plum_alert.htm

EPA
STAFF REVOLTS (4,536 OCA members have
taken action on this issue so far): Nine thousand
EPA scientists have submitted a strongly worded letter to
the EPA’s Administrator, Stephen Johnson, protesting that
"industry pressure" is compromising the "integrity
of the science upon which agency decisions are based."
The scientists are calling for a ban on pesticides known
to be highly toxic. Research indicates that several dozen
widely sprayed organophosphate pesticides, similar in composition
to bio-warfare nerve gases, pose serious health threats,
especially to children.
Learn more and Take Action: /old_articles/epa7.htm

STATE
FOOD SAFETY LABELING LAWS UNDER ATTACK (71,330
letters sent by OCA members so far): The House of
Representatives has passed a controversial "national
food uniformity" labeling law that would take away
local government and states’ power to require food safety
food labels such as those required in California and other
states on foods or beverages that are likely to cause cancer,
birth defects, allergic reactions, or mercury poisoning.
The law lowers the bar on food safety by overturning hundreds
of food safety state laws and regulations, including those
governing the safety of milk, fish, and shellfish. The bill
now goes forward for consideration by the Senate.
Learn more and Take Action: /old_articles/rd/labeling.cfm

We
rely on your donations to continue our work on these important issues!


/old_articles/donations.htm

Did
you know you can reduce muscle pain with rosemary? Or that kelp
can help with hair loss, cilantro can soothe a headache, and
cherries can assist you in getting a better night sleep? NewsTarget
and Truth Publishing have launched the internet’s largest free
searchable database of healing foods, herbs and nutrients. Look
up any ailment and find a quick guide to treating the problem
with everyday natural ingredients.
http://www.healingfoodreference.com/

———————
You can now hear Organic Consumers Association staff speaking
on the popular and informative Meria Heller Internet Radio Show
every second Tuesday of the month. The show is broadcast live
at 10am Pacific (until the clocks change again, then it will
be 10am Mountain) and recorded for the archives while live.
Ronnie Cummins, OCA’s National Director will be on the program
August 10, followed by Ryan Zinn September 14 and Craig Minowa
October 12.
http://www.Meria.net

********
messages from our supporters**********

"The
Green Living Source for Today’s
Conscious Consumer"

What
products should you buy organic
and why? Which fish are safe
to eat? Can you keep your
home clean without toxic chemicals?
How can you be green in home
furnishings and home improvements?
The
Green Guide answers these
questions and so much more.

The
Green Guide is the go-to
source for green home tips,
product reviews, environmental
health and wellness information,
and green living advice. Get
well-researched, credible
answers to your most important
questions about everyday health
and environmental issues for
yourself and your family.
Learn more about The Green
Guide’s offer here.