Guest guest Posted April 27, 2000 Report Share Posted April 27, 2000 ORGANIC FACTORY FARMS?! In 1998, an outraged public flooded the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) with nearly 280,000 comments opposing the agency's proposal to allow factory farming, sewage sludge, genetic engineering, & irradiation practices in organic food production. Although the USDA has rewritten and corrected many of the loopholes in their first Proposed Rule, loopholes still remain that allow the organic label to be placed on 1) eggs and meat that come from debeaked chickens and 2) dairy products that come from cows raised on drylots (dirt enclosures void of any grass and with no access to pasture), a practice which would be allowed under the 'stage of production' loophole. WHAT YOU CAN DO: Let the USDA know once and for all that factory farming practices have no place in organic food production. Write and insist on the following: --- physical mutilations such as debeaking and detoeing are unacceptable --- the 'stage of production' loophole should be removed completely from the rule and a firm requirement be put in place for pasture for ruminants and outdoor access for all farm animals. Let them know the mutilations, in particular, contradict international organic standards and are completely inappropriate in an organic system, in which animal welfare should be promoted by providing animals with a humane environment that allows for the expression of natural behaviors, not be removing animals' body parts. Contact: Keith Jones, Program Manager, National Organic Program, USDA-AMS-TMP-NOP, Room 2945-So., Ag Stop 0275, PO Box 96456, Washington DC 20090-6456 / fax: (703) 365-0760. Letters can also be sent through the web site at: http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop. In your letters, be sure to refer to Docket Number TMD-00-02-PR. Deadline for submissions is June 12th. http://www.hsus.org/programs/farm/ -- _____________ Free email services provided by http://www.goodkarmamail.com powered by OutBlaze Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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