Organic Factory Farms?!

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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/

 

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