trying again, fw:Biodemorcracy action alert!

[Guest guest]

ACTION ALERT: Bush Administration moving to allow corporate takeover of

organics!

CLICK HERE TO TAKE ACTION!

(please forward this important email alert far and wide)

 

Over the past few weeks America's organic standards have once again come

under heavy attack. First the USDA's National Organic Program (NOP) announced on

April 14 that they would no longer monitor or police " organic " labels on

non-agricultural products, literally opening the door for unscrupulous companies

to put bogus organic labels on products such as fish, body care products, pet

foods, fertilizer, and clothing.

 

In the case of seafood and body care products, the marketplace is already

starting to become flooded with products bearing the organic label, even though

the production methods (industrial fish farms) or content ( " organic " shampoos

with organic claims based upon added water) in many of these products violate

traditional organic principles. Besides giving the green light to bogus organic

labels the new USDA " scope policy " penalizes genuine organic companies that have

begun sourcing, certifying, and labeling their products as organic.

 

Corporate agribusiness and the biotech lobby have apparently decided that

strict organic farming practices and the booming organic market constitute a

threat to their bottom line, and have called on their friends in the Bush

administration USDA to degrade organic standards and prepare for a restructuring

of organic production so as to facilitate the use of industrial agriculture

practices such as pesticides, antibiotics, non-organic feed, growth hormones and

even genetically engineered animal drugs.

(For more info on corporate agribusiness control of U.S. government, click

here)

 

USDA's NOP announced on April 28 controversial new directives/guidance

statements on national organic standards including:

 

 

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" Organic " Crops Raised with Pesticides?

The USDA has now stated that as long as the farmer and the organic

certifier don't know the specific ingredients of the pesticides applied to the

" organic " plants, the crops can be sold as " organic " . To make matters worse, it

is not required by law for pesticide companies to list the ingredients on their

products (it's considered proprietary information), so the farmers rarely know

what the specific ingredients are.

(Read full USDA pesticide statement here)

 

 

 

 

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" Organic " Dairy Cows Injected with Antibiotics and Synthetic

Hormones?

The USDA has announced that individual cows can be treated with any

kind of drug at any time, including synthetic growth hormones, but milk can only

be sold from that cow 12 months after that treatment. The problem with this

directive is that it opens up the door for split operation factory style dairy

farms, whereby organic and non-organic dairy operations are carried out

simultaneously, and hundreds if not thousands of " organic " dairy cows are kept

in intensive confinement. Not only are industrial sized dairy farms bad for the

environment, but they inevitably give rise to sick cows who have to be treated

with drugs. Of course many of these drugs build up in the body fat and are

released in the milk and meat from these animals.. If this new directive is

allowed to stand, organic milk could potentially contain residues of drugs and

hormones.

(Read full USDA dairy statement here)

 

 

 

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Mercury and PCBs Allowed in " Organic " Beef?

The USDA also stated on April 28 that non-organic fishmeal can be

fed to cattle and the beef can still be sold as " organic " . Fishmeal is used as a

protein supplement on conventional cattle ranches, but it frequently contains

mercury, PCBs and other synthetic chemicals. Mercury and PCBs are

" bioacculmulators " meaning they are concentrated and stored in the " meat " of the

animal.

(Read full USDA livestock feed statement here)

 

 

 

CLICK HERE TO TAKE ACTION!

 

 

The Organic Consumers Association is working hard to stop the

degradation of organic standards by the USDA and head-off the takeover of the

organic market by corporate agribusiness and biotech interests. We are now

launching a national campaign called SOS--Safeguard Organic Standards, to make

sure that strict organic standards are maintained and that organic monitoring,

certification, and policing extends to the full range of consumer products,

including body care, clothing, pet food, fertilizer, and other items. But to

Safeguard Organic Standards we need your donations and we need your grassroots

volunteer energy. Join us, and ask your friends, family, and neighbors to do the

same.

Please make a tax deductible online donation today!

 

or mail donation to Organic Consumers Association

6101 Cliff Estate Rd, Little Marais, MN 55614

218-226-4164 http://www.organicconsumers.org

 

 

CLICK HERE TO TAKE ACTION!