SOS - Save Organic Standards

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Sneak Attack on Organic Standards in Congress Continues--OCA Needs

Your Help

 

Over the past two weeks Organic Consumers Association (OCA) network

members have bombarded the U.S. Congress with over 100,000 emails and

15,000 telephone calls. Our calls and letters have urged elected

public officials to reject the now discredited Organic Trade

Association's " Sneak Attack " rider to the 2006 Agriculture

Appropriations Bill that would seriously undermine organic standards

by removing traditional organic community control over organic

standards and centralizing power in the hands of the White

House-appointed US Department of Agriculture.

 

OCA's allies such as the Consumers Union, the Center for Food Safety,

the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture, the National Coop

Grocers Association, the National Organic Coalition, the Health

Freedom network, and several hundred organic businesses have also

generated thousands of emails and phone calls. Thank you for taking

action. This massive grassroots outpouring prompted the U.S. Senate

ten days ago to reject the industry Sneak Attack rider and propose a

90-day study to determine proper organic standards on synthetic

substances, animal feed, and commercial availability of organic

ingredients.

 

Unfortunately members of the joint House/Senate Conference Committee

on Agricultural Appropriations still seem to be listening more closely

to powerful industry lobbyists representing Kraft/Phillip Morris, Dean

Foods/Horizon Organic/Whitewave, Dole, Smucker/Knudson's, General

Mills/Small Planet, Danone/Stonyfield, Aurora Organic, Whole Foods,

Wild Oats, and the Grocery Manufacturers of America (Wal-Mart and the

supermarket chains), than they are to us. And because this is a last

minute, back door Sneak Attack, most of the media, and even most

organic consumers, are not yet aware of what's happening.

 

We have no choice but to move quickly and raise the volume of our

protest, double the number of letters and phone calls pouring into

Congress, and aggressively take our message to the media. In 1998,

2003, and 2004 OCA and the organic community successfully mobilized

and beat back similar attempts to degrade organic standards.

Unfortunately this Sneak Attack is an " inside job, " organized and

funded by powerful pseudo-organic food processors and supermarket

chains who have seized control of the Organic Trade Association, hired

powerful lobbyists who usually represent big Pharma, tobacco,

supermarket chains, and liquor interests, and are moving in for the

" big fix. "

 

We need more letters, and we need money now, to lobby Congress and to

take our message to the media. Please forward this Action Alert to

everyone you know who is concerned about preserving strict organic

standards and organic community control over these standards. If you

haven't already, please click here to send a letter to your members of

Congress

 

http://www.organicconsumers.org/sos.cfm

 

And please click here to send OCA a tax-deductible donation so we can

continue to defend the integrity of organic standards.

 

http://www.organicconsumers.org/sos.cfm

 

Time is running out. We must stop this Sneak Attack in Congress and

beat back this unfriendly takeover of the organic industry. For the

sake of the Earth and the health of the People, please Take Action

Now!

 

Ronnie Cummins, Co-Founder and National Director, Organic Consumers

Association