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  • From: Keith Johnson <keithdj@mindspring.com>
  • To: Permaculture ibiblio <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [permaculture] USDA undermining Organic AGAIN!!!
  • Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2008 20:43:18 -0500

Well, the USDA is at it again. They want to define another useful term in in a specific way and then require that farmers get their permission to use it, just like they did with organic. This time they're defining "naturally raised" for meat products.

This new label will cause confusion, and undercut the name recognition we've worked so hard to build over the past five years for Certified Naturally Grown. And their definition of "naturally raised" is weak. It simply requires that the animals weren't treated with antibiotics or horomones but it doesn't say anything about the animals' living conditions or the feed they're given. Meat from animals raised in confinement operations and given conventional feed could qualify!

The "naturally raised" label, if adopted, will also undermine the Certified Organic label. Whatever its flaws, participation in the National Organic Program has been responsible for taking many thousands of acres out of conventional agriculture. We don't want to see that progress lost as big livestock producers opt for the easier "naturally raised" marketing label instead of organic.

You can read the full text of the proposed standard here: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/E7-23103.htm

Whether or not USDA adopts this standard depends on the feedback they receive in the next two weeks.



--
Keith Johnson
"Be fruitful and mulch apply."
Permaculture Activist Magazine
PO Box 5516, Bloomington, IN 47407
(812) 335-0383
http://www.permacultureactivist.net
http://www.PermacultureTradingPost.com
Switch to Solar Power the Easy Way
http://www.jointhesolution.com/KeithJ-SunPower
http://www.PowUr.com/KeithJ-SunPower
Blog: http://kjpermaculture.blogspot.com/
also Patterns for Abundance Design & Consulting
http://www.permacultureactivist.net/design/Designconsult.html
also Association for Regenerative Culture
http://www.ARCulture.org
also APPLE-Bloomington (Alliance for a Post-Petroleum Local Economy) It's a
small world after oil.
http://www.relocalize.net/groups/applebloomington
also Bloomington Permaculture Guild
http://my.calendars.net/bloomingtonpccal/
and: http://bloomingtonpermacultureguild.blogspot.com/
also: Bioregional Congress
http://www.bioregional-congress.org





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