USDA
Backs off on Organic
Poultry Feed Issue
Organic poultry request tabled
Jeff Nesmith - Cox Washington Bureau
Altanta Journal Constitution
Tuesday, June 11, 2002
Washington --- The U.S. Department of Agriculture has dropped for now a
request that it allow a Georgia poultry producer to market its chicken
meat as organically produced, even though birds are given conventional
feed.
A department spokeswoman had confirmed last week that the agency was
considering requests for an ''alternative'' label for Fieldale Farms'
Springer Mountain Farms chicken.
The chicken would bear an ''organic'' reference, even though the birds
are given both organic and conventional feed, under a plan pressed on
the department by all eight Republican members of the Georgia delegation
in the House of Representatives.
New organic standards to go into effect in October under the National
Organic Program require that for meat and poultry to be labeled ''USDA
Organic,'' birds and livestock must be certified to have been fed grain
grown on land to which no chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides
has been applied for the past three years.
Word that Fieldale was seeking the alternative label touched off an
uproar among organic food interests.
A.J. Yates, administrator of the department's Agricultural Marketing
Service said Monday the department is not considering changes to the
program. Reps. Nathan Deal, Saxby Chambliss, Johnny Isakson, Jack
Kingston, Charlie Norwood, Bob Barr, John Linder and Michael Collins had
urged Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman to consider a ''common sense''
approach. They said organic feed is not available to meet the needs of a
growing organic poultry market.
Home | News | Organics | GE
Food | Health | Environment | Food
Safety | Fair
Trade | Peace | Farm
Issues | Politics
Forum | Español | Campaigns | Buying
Guide | Press | Search | Volunteer | Donate | About Us | Contact
Us | Email
This Page
Organic Consumers Association - 6771
South Silver Hill Drive, Finland MN 55603
E-mail: Staff · Activist or Media
Inquiries: 218-226-4164 · Fax: 218-353-7652
Please support our work. Send
a tax-deductible donation to the OCA
Fair Use Notice: The material on this site is provided for educational and informational purposes. It may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. It is being made available in an effort to advance the understanding of scientific, environmental, economic, social justice and human rights issues etc. It is believed that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have an interest in using the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. The information on this site does not constitute legal or technical advice.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
