CEO DATELINE - Organic Trade Association sues feds on animal welfare standards
CEO DATELINE - Organic Trade Association sues feds on animal welfare standards
- September 15, 2017 |
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Walt Williams
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The Organic Trade Association sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wednesday on what the group said was the agency's failure to put into effect new animal welfare standards for livestock and poultry.
The lawsuit alleges the Department of Agriculture violated the Organic Foods Production Act, a 1990 law regulating the labeling and production of organic foods products. The group also contends President Donald Trump's freeze on new regulations—signed in January—should not apply to organic standards because they are voluntary and are required only of farms and businesses that opt in to be certified "organic."
"We are standing up on behalf of the entire organic sector to protect organic integrity, advance animal welfare, and demand the government keep up with the industry and the consumer in setting organic standards," OTA CEO Laura Batcha said.
The lawsuit concerns an animal welfare rule for organic livestock and poultry that was finalized a day before Trump signed an executive order freezing new regulations. Only farms and companies that comply with the rule may label their meat and egg products "organic."
The effective date of the rule has been pushed back twice since Trump's freeze, with federal officials once again opening the measure to public comment and raising the possibility it would be suspended indefinitely.
"Most of the criticism of the new organic animal welfare rule has come from outside the sector, and by special interest groups not impacted by the regulation, but which would like to override the will of our members," Batcha said.
The United Egg Producers, National Pork Producers Council and National Cattlemen's Beef Board oppose the rule and have asked for its withdrawal, the agriculture news site Feedstuffs reported. http://bit.ly/2xB5WIV
At the same time, NPR reported that big organic egg producers oppose the rule because they likely would not meet the standards for providing chickens enough outdoor space to roam. They would instead be required to label their eggs as coming from "cage-free" chickens rather than "organic." http://n.pr/2h5tD1A
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