Most of the people I know understand the importance of purchasing organic whenever possible, but what they may not know, is that the agency in charge of protecting our organic standards, The USDA’s NOP (National Organic Program) has been infiltrated by corporations and huge agri-businesses who benefit from weakening the organic standards. The NOP is supposed to develop and enforce clear standards to give farmers, ranchers, and businesses a level playing field, to support the growth of the organic market. However, the new standards do the opposite! It gives commercial operations permission to have anywhere from 20,000 to 200,000 chickens per building, without the required access to the outdoors, where they can exhibit their natural instinctual behaviors, both of which are requirements of the current statute and regulations.

The new regulations would require only 1-2 ft of outdoor space for broilers and laying hens (depending on the weight of the bird), and allow the operation to cover half the ground with gravel or concrete. In comparison, a major US marketer, Organic Valley, requires their farmers to provide 5 ft and European regulations require 43 ft per bird. This new regulation solidifies an unfair practice, and makes it impossible for real organic farmers to compete in a fair market place.

The best way for you to Take Action is to check out the Cornucopia’s Score Card for Eggs and to commit to purchasing eggs only from small certified producers (or small family farmers who you know are doing it the right way!)

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