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market-farming - [Market-farming] HEALTH Benefits of organic and IRV over "conventional" farming

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Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Jill Taylor Bussiere" <jdt AT itol.com>
  • To: <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] HEALTH Benefits of organic and IRV over "conventional" farming
  • Date: Tue, 4 Feb 2003 07:43:16 -0600

Crisis in Antibiotics
"Today, virtually all important bacterial infections in the United States
and throughout the world are becoming resistant. For this reason, antibiotic
resistance is among CDC's top concerns." (from the Center for Disease
Control website http://www.cdc.gov/antibioticresistance/)

Resistance to antibiotics is a growing health concern. Before 1928, tens of
thousands of people died every year due to infectious diseases.

"Experts agree there are two causes of antibiotic resistance among bacteria:
overuse of antibiotics in humans and in farm animals." ("The Making of a
Public Health Crisis", Rachel's Environment & Health Weekly #402)

On May 13, 2002, Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) introduced S. 2508,
the Preservation of Antibiotics for Human Treatment Act. This bill,
similar to H.R. 3804 introduced in the House of Representatives by
Congressman Sherrod Brown (D-OH), will help end the use of medically
important antibiotics in animal agriculture. Such misuse contributes
to the dangerous growth of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains
that cause serious illness in humans.

"Antibiotics are frequently used to control mastitis in dairy cattle.
However, the presence of antibiotic residues in milk is very problematic for
at least three reasons. In the production of fermented milks, antibiotic
residues can slow or destroy the growth of the fermentation bacteria. From
a human health point of view, some people are allergic to specific
antibiotics, and their presence in food consumed can have severe
consequences. Also, frequent exposure to low level antibiotics can cause
microorganisms to become resistant to them, through mutation, so that they
are ineffective when needed to fight a human infection." (Professor H.
Douglas Goff, Ph.D., Milk Production and Biosyntheses, Dairy Science and
Technology, University of Guelph, ON, Canada)

"Fifty million pounds of antibiotics are produced in the U.S. each year.
Twenty million pounds are given to animals, of which 80% (16 million pounds)
is used on livestock merely to promote more rapid growth. The remaining 20%
is used to help control the multitude of diseases that occur under such
tightly confined conditions, including anemia, influenza, intestinal
diseases, mastitis, metritis, orthostasis, and pneumonia" from Organic
Valley web page


CROPP (Coulee Regional Organic Producers' Pool, which belong to Organic
Valley Cooperative) regulations about Antibiotics

1. Prohibited for all use in animals over 1 year of age
2. Any cows treated with antibiotics cannot return to organic milk
production
3. Could be used in animals under 1 year of age for life threatening
situations, but the animal can never be sold for organic meat


Less Pesticide Residue

Very few studies have been done comparing pesticidal residue on organically
grown foods with those grown conventionally Here is the first one I am aware
of. If you want to see spin on the study, check out this site:
http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/science/05/08/organic.food.ap/


Title: Pesticide residues in conventional, integrated pest management
(IPM)-grown and organic foods: insights from three US data sets

Author(s): B. P. Baker; C. M. Benbrook; E. Groth; K. Lutz Benbrook
Source: Food Additives and Contaminants Volume: 19 Number: 5 Page: 427 --
446

DOI: 10.1080/02652030110113799
Publisher:Taylor and Francis Ltd

Abstract: An analysis of pesticide residue data was performed to describe
and quantify differences between organically grown and non-organic fresh
fruits and vegetables. Data on residues in foods from three different
market categories (conventionally grown, integrated pest management
(IPM)-grown/no detectable residues (NDR), and organically grown) were
compared using data from three test programmes: The Pesticide Data
Program of the US Department of Agriculture; the Marketplace Surveillance
Program of the California Department of Pesticide Regulation; and private
tests by the Consumers Union, an independent testing organization.
Organically grown foods consistently had about one third as many residues
as conventionally grown foods, and about one-half as many residues as
found in IPM/NDR samples. Conventionally grown and IPM/NDR samples were
also far more likely to contain multiple pesticide residues than were
organically grown samples. Comparison of specific residues on specific
crops found that residue concentrations in organic samples were
consistently lower than in the other two categories, across all three
data sets. The IPM/NDR category, based on data from two of the test
programmes, had residues higher than those in organic samples but lower
than those in conventionally grown foods.







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