In case anyone on the conference is interested.

[Guest guest]

I received this info from another group I'm in. - Kalavati devi dasi

 

 

 

 

In a message dated 5/7/2004 1:21:11 PM Central Daylight Time,

treehugr (AT) buncombe (DOT) main.nc.us writes:

--------------

[biodemocracy]ACTION ALERT: Bush Administration moving to

allowcorporate takeover of organics!

biodemocracy (AT) lists (DOT) organicconsumers.org

Wed, May 5, 2004 8:49 pm

biodemocracy (AT) lists (DOT) organicconsumers.org

--------

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ACTION ALERT: Bush Administration moving to allow corporate takeover of

organics!

 

<http://www.organicconsumers.org/sos.cfm#action> 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

<http://www.organicconsumers.org/organic/fish043004.cfm> and body care

products <http://www.organicconsumers.org/bodycare/index.htm> , 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.

 

<file:///C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\Aldo%20Carson\Desktop\monlink.htm

l#monsanto> (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:

_____

 

 

"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)

<http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/Compliance/PesticidesCompliance.pdf>

 

_____

 

 

 

"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

<http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/NOP/GuidanceStatements/AntibioticGuidance04

1304.pdf> )

_____

 

 

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

<http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/NOP/GuidanceStatements/FishmealGuidance0413

04.pdf> )

 

<http://www.organicconsumers.org/sos.cfm#action> 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!

<https://payments.auctionpay.com/ver3/?id=w011082%20> Donate Now!

or mail donation to Organic Consumers Association

6101 Cliff Estate Rd, Little Marais, MN 55614

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

<http://www.organicconsumers.org/sos.cfm#action> CLICK HERE TO TAKE

ACTION!

 

 

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