If you never read another post of mine, Please read this one

if you click on the link there is a letter you can send to your rep and sens and to mike johans the ag sec re: this matter. i ask you to do so, please. thanks. - nosmokes--###--


USDA Attempts to Pack Organic Standards Board With Corporate Agribusiness Reps: Organic Consumers Fight Hijacked Seats on NOSB

*** Organic Consumers Association ***


Straight to the Source


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 7, 2006

CONTACT:

Ronnie Cummins
218-226-4164
ronnie@organicconsumers.org

or

Adam Eidinger
202-744-2671
adam@organicconsumers.org


USDA ATTEMPTS TO PACK ORGANIC STANDARDS BOARD WITH CORPORATE AGRIBUSINESS REPS

Organic Consumers Fight Hijacked Seats on NOSB

WASHINGTON, DC - On December 5, 2006, the USDA announced its new appointments to the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). The NOSB essentially advises the USDA on how to interpret and implement federal organic laws that regulate industry. The NOSB also reviews and approves substances for placement on the National List of Approved and Prohibited Substances. In other words, the NOSB has the ability to significantly weaken or strengthen the effectiveness of the national organic standards.

According to federal law, the NOSB is to be made up of a diverse group of experts in the organic field, including a public interest group representative, an environmentalist, a scientist, and a handler. Despite this clear mandate of diversity, the USDA's new appointments are all industry representatives.

USDA’s new appointees are:

Scientist: Katrina Heinze (General Mills)
Consumer and Public Interest Group Representative: Tracy Miedema (Stahlbush Island Farms, a primarily non-organic operation)
Environmentalist: Tina Ellor (Phillips Mushroom Farms)
Handler: Steve DeMuri (Campbell Soup)

Historically, there has only been one other instance where the USDA has attempted to stack non-industry seats on the NOSB with industry representatives, and the results were an embarrassment for the USDA. One year ago, the agency attempted to put a General Mills’ company representative, Katrina Heinz in the NOSB Public Interest Group Representative seat, which was closely followed by a massive consumer backlash spearheaded by the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) and the Consumers Union. The protests caused Heinz to decline the appointment.

“Never before has the Bush administration’s USDA made such a blatant attempt to pack the National Organic Standards Board with people who represent corporate agribusiness and industrial farming practices,” says OCA National Director Ronnie Cummins. “Stahlbush Farms, which admits on its website to using pesticides, fungicides, and insecticides on its crops (except for its canned pumpkins, sweet potatoes, and frozen green beans) is not, by any stretch of the imagination, an organic consumer or public interest group. Likewise, General Mills is not an academic institution, qualified to submit an impartial "scientist" to serve on the NOSB.” -more on next page-

Less than a year ago the organic community was forced to mobilize against a sneak attack on organic standards inserted into the 2006 Agriculture Appropriations bill, supported by General Mill’s and Campbell Soup and other corporate agribusiness players that have apparently decided they want to take over the $16 billion organic industry.

OCA is mobilizing its national grassroots action network of 500,000 organic consumers to stop this attempted hijacking of organic standards.. OCA strongly believes that Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns should intervene to ensure that the NOSB is composed of organic specialists, bona fide scientists, and representatives of consumer and public interest groups, as mandated by the Organic Foods Production Act. “We will be asking our members to call General Mills, Campbell Soup, and Stahlbush Farms and request that the appointees from their company decline appointment, in the best interest of the organic sector,” added Cummins.

OCA will also target members of Congress and ask for a Congressional hearing on the USDA's management of the National Organic Program and their numerous attempts to ignore OFPA and undermine the will of Congress.

According to Cummins, "A major part of the problem is the arrogance and lack of transparency on the part of the Bush USDA. The entire organic community has a basic right to know well ahead of time who all the nominees are for the NOSB, so we can examine their record and credentials. Then the USDA needs to listen carefully to all of the stakeholders in the community and base its decision on NOSB appointments accordingly."

Signed and sent.

in favor of their patrons.

This is an example of why we need to GOVERN instead of go for the feel-good measure of spending time impeaching the puppet/diversion.

K, R and sent.

The standards went down the day the USDA started the NOP about 10 years ago. I happened to be living/working at an organic farm at the time, and it was a fricking nightmare.

Already, "USDA Certified Organic" means just about NOTHING, especially when compared to the original principles of the organic movement (before it was replaced by the "organic industry")

At this point, IMO, buying FRESH AND LOCAL is better than buying this pseudo-organic crap grown on factory farms in the CA central valley or Mexico. That is the only way to ensure your food is healthy and has any nutrients left by the time it makes it into your belly.

I am not trying to discourage people from fighting this bullshit, just trying to point out the reality. The OCA does some good work, but they inevitably have an agenda (that is not meant as a criticism, they are obviously a special-interest org) and after 15 years of being involved in the OG food industry as either a consumer, a farmer, a sales rep, and now a hunger relief worker who deals with many "Organic" companies and stores, I think there is more to the story.

and i couldn't agree more.

I'm kicking this thread, but i wish i could rec your reply....

rock on...

Bob Rodale is probably spinning in his grave. The "standards" amount to a publicity campaign and a whitewash to allow certain corporate producers to profit at the expense of family farmers.

Buy fresh and local. If you can get a subscription box from a local grower.

:blush:

"Fresh and local" sounds great and it would be nice if it was realistically possible. However, for many millions of Americans, eating only fresh and local would mean eating only a couple months out of the year. (Chicago, New York, Detroit, and other major population centers in the north plus all the many millions more who live in small towns or rural areas that are under snow half the year)

Also, ironically enough, for many people in farm country eating fresh and local would mean surviving on livestock feed because much more agricultural land grows livestock feed than grows food for people.

The USDA needs to stop running their de facto employee exchange program with the very industries they are supposed to oversee. It's resulted in an agency full of people who work for their once and future employers in the ag industries instead of for the people.

These monsters can do more damage in a week than most people do in their entire lives.

Standards will go down the shitter if we dont stop this.

Because there's no way organic, as practiced, is ever going to fit with factory farms. A pure power grab, and they're going to throw the whole industry away.

when i got the screen that showed me the reps to whom the message would be sent, lame duck Pombo's ugly mug was there.
:rofl:
i got yer freakin' farewell message right here, Dick.

Less than a year ago the organic community was forced to mobilize against a sneak attack on organic standards inserted into the 2006 Agriculture Appropriations bill, supported by General Mill’s and Campbell Soup and other corporate agribusiness players that have apparently decided they want to take over the $16 billion organic industry.

They used to laugh at the hippies and their organic foods. Now they want a hostile takeover. Blood sucking republican leeches.

sense. The * admin has to load any regulatory group to favor corporate interests.

such an activist on this and alerting us and all.

Edit~ Sent it to my friend, too, and she will send it to her friends and so on.

K&R

Everytime I turn around the deck is being stacked. Federal judges. Closing EPA libraries. Dep't of the interior. USDA appointees. What the fuck is this cretin doing to our country and why? I can't take it any more! He HAS TO GO NOW!!!!!!!

After explaining the problems with chemical herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers, I had to conclude: "But with Big Ag in the "Organic" business now, the word on packages is becoming increasingly meaningless."

in stores lately?

I was happy to see so many new products being introduced that are "Certified USDA Organic" - but does that even mean anything?

It must mean something - although I'm sure it isn't up to the standards of "pure organic" - it must mean somethng, right?

"Organic" means something! The definition is not fluid!

Thanks for posting.