USDA will not take action against Aurora for bringing conventional calves onto their feedlots and calling them organic.

[Guest guest]

AURORA THREATENS ORGANIC CONSUMERS ASSOCIATION WITH LAWSUIT

 

Just when we thought it couldn't get any hotter (or any more mind-boggling), the

" organic " dairy factory farm controversy reached a new level of intensity over

the past week. The USDA announced, to the disappointment of the organic

community, that they were not going to take further disciplinary measures

against Aurora Organic Dairy, a company that just a few weeks ago had a portion

of its organic certification suspended by the USDA for " willfully " violating

National Organic Standards since 2003 by failing to pasture its animals and by

bringing conventional calves onto its feedlots and then declaring them organic.

But caving in to pressure from Aurora and other big corporate players in the

organic sector , the USDA now says the #1 organic private label dairy processor

in the U.S. can continue selling milk produced on its factory farms as " organic "

to its longstanding customers including Target, Wal-Mart, Costco, Safeway, and

Woodstock Farms.

 

In a mind-twisting manipulation of logic, the new acting Secretary of

Agriculture, Chuck Connors, a notorious cheerleader for biotech and corporate

agribusiness, announced last week that this issue, regarding Aurora's violation

of the USDA National Organic Standards, falls outside the scope of the USDA

National Organic Standards. " I know there is controversy out there on a number

of issues that really fall outside the bounds, if you will, of what constitutes

that organic standard that is necessary in order for the product to have our

seal, " said Connors.

 

Now that they have the USDA in their pocket, Aurora is threatening to sue the

Organic Consumers Association and Cornucopia Institute for educating and

mobilizing consumers to oppose Aurora's blatant violations of organic integrity.

In related news, the recent issue of Fortune Magazine reports Aurora's factory

farms generated a record 100 million dollars in " organic " dairy sales to

consumers this year. In other words, when it comes to suing the OCA, Aurora has

plenty of money, from selling its cheap " organic " factory farm milk to Wal-Mart,

Target, Costco, and Safeway . So given this David versus Goliath situation, OCA

needs your financial support today, more than ever, to defend ourselves from

this attack by Aurora and to expose the ongoing negligence of the USDA.

 

 

 

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