USDA Moving to Degrade
Organic Standards on Animal Feed

USDA Moving to Degrade Organic Standards on Animal Feed
Sent: Thursday, May 30, 2002 11:21 AM
Subject: Urgent - Efforts to undermine organic standards

Dear friends,

There are efforts underway to undermine the requirement that organic
livestock be fed organically grown feeds. It appears that these efforts have
intensified, with Sec. Veneman considering a waiver to the regulatory
requirements of the organic rule.

Please contact members of Congress, the media, your members, friends, and
associates, and Sec. Veneman and insist that such a waiver not be granted.
For more information, please reference the inserted letter to Sec. Veneman
from Dave Carter, chair of the National Organic Standards Board.

Thank you so much.

Jim Riddle
_________________________________________

U.S. Department of Agriculture
14th & Independence Ave. SW
Washington, D.C. 20250

Dear Madam Secretary:

I am contacting you on behalf of the National Organic Standards Board
regarding the importance of maintaining the requirements for using certified
organic feed in all certified organic livestock production, including
poultry.

We understand that the Department is under mounting pressure from some
members of Congress to grant a waiver on the organic feed requirement
because of the alleged lack of commercially available supplies in Georgia.
However, representatives of the company requesting the waiver testified
publicly before the NOSB earlier this month that organic feedstocks are
available, but are much more expensive than conventional feed. Following the
NOSB meeting, I also had contact from two organic milling companies stating
their ability to supply organic feed into the Georgia market. One of the
milling companies reported that the Georgia poultry firm had contacted them
with an inquiry about organic feed, but did not buy any product because of
price.

A market-based economy will respond to supply and demand. The growing demand
for organic poultry, and the price premiums on organic grain, will create
new opportunities for farmers to grow and market organic feedstocks.
Granting a waiver will undermine these market forces and severely compromise
the honesty behind organic marketing.

Madam Secretary, the response to this issue is larger than simply providing
a waiver in a regional production area. The Department¹s stance on this
issue is critical to the integrity of the organic seal. To put it simply, we
have one opportunity to make a good first impression with the American
consuming public. Let¹s make sure we get it right.

The development of the organic industry is truly an example of a
market-based agricultural model. The organic sector supported passage of the
Organic Food Production Act in 1990 as a means to develop national standards
that would protect the integrity of the marketplace. The difficult work of
the past 12 years has been centered on the single issue of defining the
³story² behind the new USDA organic seal. Organic producers and consumers
alike made it very clear with more than 270,000 public comments in 1998,
that the organic seal must represent products that are produced with the
highest standards of inputs, management and processing.

The organic community is watching with concern the mounting pressure to
compromise on the organic feed provisions. Again, we urge you to uphold the
regulations carefully developed over the past 12 years. Please feel free to
contact me at (303) 594-4420, or at de.carter@attbi.com with any response.

Sincerely,

Dave Carter cc: House Agriculture
Committee

Chair Senate
Agriculture Committee