Not really like totally organic?

In session
March 2003

FCNL: support budget priorities for the common good, not war
House votes to ban cloning
NETWORK calls for passage of national housing trust fund bill
Not really like totally organic?

Not really like totally organic?
The four-month-old national organic standards meant to clarify and certify basic organic requirements for produce and meat and diary products to assure consumers confidence in the growing organic produce and meat market has already come under a legislative sneak attack by special interests. A rider buried in a recently enacted Omnibus Appropriations Act diminished the standards by allowing producers to label their meat and dairy products "organic" even though they do not meet the strict criteria set forth by U.S. Department of Agriculture, including the requirement that animals meant for use in the organic marketplace be fed organically grown feed.

Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) on February 26 led a group of 27 senators in a legislative counterattack. They've introduced the Organic Restoration Act to restore strong national standards to organic foods. The bill repeals the appropriations rider that critics charge is undermining the new national organic standards that were meant to be overseen by the USDA, not Congress.

"With the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990, we set out to create strong and credible standards so that consumers know that when they buy something 'organic,' they know it is organic," said Leahy, the author of the 1990 law and the "father" of the organic standards and label program. "This rider would undo what it took more than a decade to achieve. It would undermine consumer confidence in the new labeling program and in this thriving new American industry, and it would devastate U.S. exports of organic products. We do not let meat packing plants ignore food safety standards or automakers ignore passenger safety standards for the sake of corporate convenience. We should not weaken the organic standards because one producer wants to cut corners that his competitors are not cutting. We will build a bipartisan coalition to repeal this rider. We will not let 10 lines in a 3,000-page appropriations bill undermine 12 years of hard work and the commitment of thousands of organic producers."

Late in the Appropriations process, after the House-Senate conference committee had met, a rider was included in the Omnibus Appropriations Bill allowing producers to label their meat and dairy products "organic" even though they do not meet the USDA's criteria. This approach was considered and rejected by USDA last June. According to the Organic Consumers Association, the rider was included in the bill under pressure from the Georgia House delegation to benefit one Georgia producer, but it is written broadly enough that it essentially creates a loophole for any livestock producer in the country to get around the organic feed requirement. The association charges that "Congress caved in to corporate agribusiness interests and once again ignored the wishes of millions of organic farmers, consumers, and retailers."

In a statement released today, Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman repeated her support for the existing standards. Leahy, who spoke this week with Veneman, said he is hopeful that the Administration will come to support the repeal effort. The Leahy-Snowe bill would repeal the organic rider, restoring what USDA has called "the most comprehensive national organic standards in the world." Counterpart legislation to repeal the rider will be introduced in the House by Representative Sam Farr (D-Calif.) and others. The organic industry, ranging from all-organic companies such as Forestrade Inc. of Brattleboro, Vermont, to major corporations such as Tyson Foods, have united to oppose the organic rider and to support the Leahy-Snowe bill.

The Organic Consumers Association says voters can take action to support Leahy's bill. It suggests:

1. Contact your representatives in Washington and demand that they repeal the language inserted into Section 771 of the Omnibus Appropriations Bill undermining the integrity of the organic label for meat, poultry, eggs and dairy.

2. Encourage your legislators to co-sponsor the bill with Senator Leahy.

3. Write Op-Ed articles and letters to the editor - get in the media. (Feel free to use the OCA press release as a template for your own media work)

4. Let your local health food store know what you are doing. Make your voice heard loud and clear.

The OCA says: "The message is simple: Urge your Senators and Representatives to support efforts by Senator Patrick Leahy to repeal Section 771 of the Omnibus Appropriations Bill.

"Tell them: Repealing this section is in the interest of consumers, organic farmers and the environment. Repealing this section will encourage continued growth of organic agriculturalproduction in the United States, one of the bright prospects for U.S. agriculture overall. Repealing this section prevents special interests from circumventing new national regulations that were in public discussion for over a decade."

Back to page top