Bush Administration moving to allow corporate takeover of organics!

[Guest guest]

http://www.organicconsumers.org/sos.cfm#actionACTION ALERT: Bush Administration

moving to allow corporate

takeover of organics!

CLICK HERE TO TAKE ACTION!

 

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:

 

 

 

 

" 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)

 

" 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)

 

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)

 

 

 

Sign OCA's Petition

Anne Veneman - USDA Secretary of Agriculture

1400 Independence Ave SW

Room 200A

Washington, DC 20250

Fax:(202-720-2166)

 

 

Richard Matthews - National Organic Program

Fax:(202-205-7808)

(Fill Out Form Boxes Here)

To:

Anne Veneman - USDA Secretary of Agriculture

1400 Independence Ave SW

Room 200A

Washington, DC 20250

 

cc: Richard Matthews - Program Manager of the National Organic Program

 

 

I am deeply concerned with the recent direction the USDA is taking national

organic standards. Radical changes have been made via new USDA NOP Guidance

Statements that drastically weaken organic standards.

 

Specifically, I am concerned with the following:

 

The new fishmeal guidance statement allows fishmeal potentially contaminated

with mercury, PCBs and other bioaccumulates to be fed to " organic " cattle. These

dangerous toxins collect in the body fat of the animal and are then relayed onto

the consumer via the dairy and/or beef. Beef laden with synthetic carcinogens

and neurotoxins should NOT be considered " organic " .

The new pesticide guidance statement allows farmers to spray crops with

pesticides prohibited on EPA's List 2 and 3, as long as the farmers and their

certifiers are unaware of the specific ingredients. Most pesticides do not have

ingredient labels, and the ambiguity of the expression " due diligence " within

the guidance statement (regarding the level of ingredient investigation required

by the farmer and certifier) sets no enforceable mandates. Crops raised with

toxic chemicals like toluene and formaldehyde should NOT be considered

" organic " .

The new antibiotic guidance statement allows dairy cattle to be treated with

synthetic hormones and any type of drug and be sold as " organic " , after a 12

month waiting period. Many of the commonly used bovine pharmaceuticals are

bioaccumulates. The toxins are stored in the body fat of the mammal and are

released predominantly through the milk. Dairy produced with drugs and synthetic

hormones should NOT be considered " organic " . In addition, no animal should be

added to the organic dairy herd if its origins are on a commercial farm and

could have been administered any number of drugs during the first year(s) of its

life.

We call on Secretary Veneman to appoint new management at the NOP with a

strong professional background in organic agriculture and a deep respect for its

origins. Continue to appoint experienced and dedicated representatives from the

organic community (consumers, farmers, environmentalists, processors). Resist

the temptation to overload the board with representatives of corporate

agriculture who are behind many of the attempts to roll back the standards.

 

 

 

Please revoke these Guidance Statements immediately and initiate the practice of

establishing public comment periods prior to releasing such drastic directives

that affect millions of hard working organic farmers, producers, retailers and

consumers across the U.S.

 

Thank you.

 

 

 

 

 

The OCA 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

E-mail:Staff · 218-226-4164

 

 

 

 

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