Riddle, a former NOSB chairman, illustrating the illegality of the small porches as a substitute for true outdoor access, added, "The outdoor access space needs to be sufficient in size and designed to accommodate all animals being outdoors at once."
"Just as with our dairy brand scorecard, our goal is to empower consumers and wholesale buyers with information to make good, discerning purchasing decisions--rewarding the heroes and sending a strong message to the bad actors," Kastel stated.
"These giant "factory farms,' or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), generally produce eggs from caged birds, but they have diversified, depending on which way the marketing winds blow, to cage-free, vegetarian, omega-3 and the organic label," Kastel added.
"Whether it's laying hens for eggs, hogs for meat, or cows for dairy, organic customers expect livestock to be treated with respect and in compliance with the standards," added Kastel. "The good news in this report is that the vast majority of organic farmers meet these high expectations. Now the USDA needs to step up to protect them from unfair competition. Congress gave the USDA the authority to protect these farmers from unscrupulous competitors. It needs to wield that power!"
Organic farmers, and their urban allies, can obtain full information (including talking points) regarding attending the upcoming NOSB meeting or submitting written comments by visiting the action alert section at: www.cornucopia.org/category/action-alerts/. The USDA's National Organic Program website is: www.ams.usda.gov/nop.
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