ALERT: Stop Factory Farm Dairy Feedlots from Labeling Their Products as USDA Organic

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Hello,

 

Action Alert! October 25, 2005

 

Stop Factory Farm Dairy Feedlots from Labeling Their Products as " USDA Organic "

 

(this alert expires 11/15/2005)

 

Click here to sign an important petition to the USDA:

http://www.organicconsumers.org/usda.htm

 

Apologies for the unusually high number of emails from us right now. Typically,

you can expect only one email from the OCA every two weeks, but the national

organic standards are currently under siege, as never before. As our SOS Action

Alerts and newsletter, Organic Bytes, have pointed out over the past month,

there is currently an industry-sponsored Sneak Attack on organic standards in

the U.S. Congress. We've kept you updated about this Sneak Attack, involving an

industry rider that would greatly weaken organic standards by allowing hundreds

of synthetic substances to be used in organic production without proper review

by the National Organic Standards Board and the organic community. We will keep

you posted on that issue, and appreciate the more than 200,000 individual emails

the OCA network of consumers has generated to Congress on that issue. We need a

similar response from you on the following, equally serious issue...

 

 

THE PROBLEM:

Under pressure from big agribusiness, the USDA is deliberately refusing to take

action against factory farm dairy feedlots who are unethically selling their

products as " organic. " This blatant labeling fraud is compounded by a loophole

in federal organic regulations that is allowing unscrupulous organic dairy farms

to import young calves from non-organic conventional farms (where the animals

have been weaned on cow blood, injected or medicated with antibiotics, and fed

genetically engineered corn, soybeans and cotton seeds, laced with

slaughterhouse waste and tainted animal fats). These confinement and feeding

practices are inhumane, unhealthy, environmentally unsustainable, and unfair to

the majority of organic dairy farmers, who follow strict organic principles on

pasture access and animal feed, and do not import animals into their herds from

conventional farms.

 

Take Action Here: http://www.organicconsumers.org/usda.htm

 

 

THE SOLUTION:

On November 16, in Washington, DC, organic consumer and farm representatives

will attend the National Organic Standards Board meeting to urge the USDA to

stop allowing giant intensive confinement dairy feedlots to illegally market

their milk as " organic. " The OCA will be presenting a petition with thousands of

signatures, which you can sign online right now:

http://www.organicconsumers.org/usda.htm

 

For four years, the USDA has ignored requests from its own National Organic

Standards Board to clarify standards on organic dairy farms. These

clarifications would assure that animals have access to pasture, fresh air, and

water, and that a considerable portion of their diet is pasture grass, as

opposed to grains and other highly processed feeds used in confinement feedlots.

In addition, OCA and organic advocates want the USDA to put an end to the

practice of allowing organic dairies to increase their herd size by importing

young calves from conventional farms. OCA and the public interest Cornucopia

Institute need your help right now to pressure the USDA to stop these outrageous

practices. Click here to send a petition to the USDA:

http://www.organicconsumers.org/usda.htm

 

 

Despite these attacks on organic integrity, OCA is confident that we can " Keep

Organic Organic, " just as we've done before in 1998, 2002, and 2004--when the

USDA and corporate agribusiness tried to degrade organic standards by permitting

genetic engineering, food irradiation, sewage sludge, pesticides, hormones,

antibiotics, and non-organic animal feed to be allowed under the " USDA Organic "

label. But to preserve organic integrity, we need your continued vigilance,

energy, and financial support. For more information, see the " Safeguard Organic

Standards " section of the OCA website, which is updated daily. Donate Here:

http://www.organicconsumers.org/donations.htm

 

For Organic Integrity,

 

Ronnie Cummins National Director Organic Consumers Association

 

 

 

Please forward this email to family and friends, place it on websites, print it,

duplicate it and post it freely. Knowledge is power!

 

 

ORGANIC CONSUMERS ASSOCIATION

6771 South Silver Hill Drive

Finland, MN 55603

Phone: (218)-353-7454

Fax: (218) 353-7652