Organic Agriculture Standards Legislation, Pt 2

Momentum Builds To Repeal Controversial Organic Feed Rule

By Ken Roseboro, editor and publisher, The Non-GMO Report

Previous: Congress Weakens Organic Standards

Next: Organic Industry Efforts

Iowa Senators Tom Harkin and Charles Grassley joined a bipartisan group of 51 Senators co-sponsoring legislation to repeal a controversial provision in a spending bill that would allow livestock producers to label meat and dairy products as organic if the animals had been raised on non-organic feed. The Organic Restoration Act (S. 457), introduced by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME), would repeal Section 771 of the Omnibus Appropriations Bill, which undermines the national organic standards.

Momentum is building to repeal the so-called Fieldale Loophole, named after Fieldale Farms, the Georgia poultry producer that lobbied for an exemption to the organic feed rule. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman expressed concerns about weakening the organic standards. It is important to maintain a strong organic program that ensures the integrity of the organic label placed on consumer products, she said.

Veneman expressed support for bipartisan efforts to repeal Section 771. The Leahy-Snow bill has ] attracted strong support in the Senate with 16 Republicans, including Grassley, saying they will back the legislation. Major food companies such as Tyson Foods and JM Smucker Company also support the Leahy-Snow bill. Congressman Sam Farr (D-CA) introduced similar legislation in the House of Representatives and has attracted 33 co-sponsors so far.

Georgia Congressman Nathan Deal's clandestine attempt to gut the organic feed requirement created a furor. Newspaper editorials nationwide denounced Deal's action along with Fieldale Farms's self-serving attempt to rewrite the national organic rules. The St. Petersburg Times described Deal's action as a sleazy political favor. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette described it as a chicken end run. The Atlanta Journal Constitution said, Deal's exemption is a bad idea that ought to be repealed. Such bait-and-switch tactics don't belong in America's supermarkets or, for that matter, in the halls of Congress.

Ask your Congressman to co-sponsor Sam Farr's legislation (Or any other legislative initiative) in the House of Representatives or the Senate.

Previous: Congress Weakens Organic Standards

Next: Organic Industry Efforts

Articles and Reviews on Related Topics: