|
We Thought You Should Know!
USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP)
Announces Controversial New Guidelines
Submitted by Oryana Food Co-op
Recently, the NOP staff acted without the approval of the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) in clear violation of the law, which specifies that the NOSB must approve any change to the national standards.Three policy guidance statements have been proposed which allow the following practices:
- Cattle producers can now supply non-organic fish meal to their animals and still label the beef as certified organic. Fish meal may potentially be contaminated with PCB’s, heavy metals such as mercury, and other toxins. If consumed by a cow, these toxins would accumulate in the fat of the animal and be passed on to people who consume the meat of that cow.
- A cow’s milk can now be sold as “organic” if 12 months have elapsed from the time she was last treated with antibiotics, synthetic hormones, or drugs. Even if milk producers comply completely with this changed requirement, milk labeled as “certified organic” could still potentially contain residues of drugs and hormones.
- Farmers can now significantly increase their use of pesticides. The Environmental Protection Agency regulates and maintains 4 lists of Inert Ingredients used for pesticides. National Organic Standards have until now stated that items on EPA Inert Ingredients Lists 1 and 2 are prohibited from use in certified organic production. Items on EPA List 3 were prohibited unless specifically allowed by the NOSB. The new NOP directive would allow the use of any pesticide on the EPA’s Lists 2 and 3 in certified organic production, as long as “reasonable effort” is made to identify inert ingredients. Pesticide manufacturers do not by law have to list their ingredients, so farmers and certifying agencies will not be able to identify inert ingredients, despite “reasonable effort.” There is a strong chance that this loophole will allow toxic chemicals to be used producing food that continues to be labeled “certified organic”.
As consumers we need to voice our concerns to the USDA Secretary of Agriculture Anne Veneman and to Richard Matthews, Manager of the National Organic Program, that we will not support the weakening of our National Standards to allow non-organic practices to occur under the guise of “organic.”
Here’s What You Can Do:
Call, write, fax or e-mail:
ANN M. VENEMAN, USDA Secretary of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave. SW, Room 200A / Washington, D.C. 20250
Ann.Veneman@usda.gov Fax / Telephone: 202-720-2166
THE NATIONAL ORGANICS PROGRAM
Richard Matthews, Program Manager
Fax # 202-205-7808
For More Information:
Visit www.cornucopia.org or www.organicconsumers.org/sos.cfm
Sample letters are available online at the above web sites. |
