Quote:
Rather than rehash this, I will repost some of my comments from another thread the other day:
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Here are the regulations of the National Organic Program in the United States:
http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/te ain_02.tpl
Of note to poultry and laying hens:
Chicks needn't come from organically raised parent stock. Chicks must be fed organically from the the second day of life. (The first day they are considered to live on the yolk from the parent hen, which isn't necessarily organic). If they are ever fed non-organic, conventional feeds (this could include your kitchen scraps) then they are not eligible for organic production.
Layers must be provided access to the outdoors, depending on stage of life and outside weather conditions.
Any pasture must have been managed organically for at least the previous three years. If you have sprayed weedkillers or spread synthetic fertilizers then that pasture area is ineligible for use in organic production until three years of organic management. Any replanting while under organic management should use certified seed, if available.
They must not be given synthetic (or even some highly processed natural ingredients) antibiotics, wormers, certain electrolyte mixes, etc.
Sick birds should be removed from production and treated. Once they have been treated with non-organic inputs they are ineligible for organic production.
Any bedding that they may eat must come from certifiable organic sources.
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Rather than rehash this, I will repost some of my comments from another thread the other day:
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Here are the regulations of the National Organic Program in the United States:
http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/te ain_02.tpl
Of note to poultry and laying hens:
Chicks needn't come from organically raised parent stock. Chicks must be fed organically from the the second day of life. (The first day they are considered to live on the yolk from the parent hen, which isn't necessarily organic). If they are ever fed non-organic, conventional feeds (this could include your kitchen scraps) then they are not eligible for organic production.
Layers must be provided access to the outdoors, depending on stage of life and outside weather conditions.
Any pasture must have been managed organically for at least the previous three years. If you have sprayed weedkillers or spread synthetic fertilizers then that pasture area is ineligible for use in organic production until three years of organic management. Any replanting while under organic management should use certified seed, if available.
They must not be given synthetic (or even some highly processed natural ingredients) antibiotics, wormers, certain electrolyte mixes, etc.
Sick birds should be removed from production and treated. Once they have been treated with non-organic inputs they are ineligible for organic production.
Any bedding that they may eat must come from certifiable organic sources.
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In my opinion there is no way you can have an "organic" product unless it is raised in a closed building.
I assume you are referring to problems with organic purity. It's not necessarily about purity though. A lot of it has to do with using more sustainable, environmentally sound practices, producing agricultural products in a symbiotic relationship with the land and other natural resources, applying less synthetic chemicals to the land and it's products, and using more humane animal husbandry practices.
Nobody claims that organic products are devoid of any synthetic chemicals that may be picked up from a polluted environment, only that organic production practices strive not to add any to it.
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Yes, it's all about marketing.
There are consumers who are saying that they want good, wholesome foods that reduce their family's exposure to synthetic herbicides, pesticides, medications, hormones, and antibiotics.
They are asking for products from more traditional, smaller family farms vs corporately owned agriculture.
They are asking that the animals be taken out of the cages, that the animals be raised in settings that allow them to express their natural behaviors.
They are asking for products raised in a way that reduces harmful impacts on the environment and employs the best conservation efforts.
I'm the guy that steps up and says, "I have exactly what you are looking for. These meet all of the standards you are looking for. If you have any questions about my production practices please feel free to call me, or you can contact the third-party organic certifying agency whose name and phone number are on every carton. That will be $4 a dozen please."
It's not necessarily about the end product. Are organic eggs more nutritious or healthful than conventional eggs? Possibly, possibly not. It's more about the production methods used.
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The standard argument is that you can't avoid environmental pollutants. There are cars driving by polluting the air, pollutants in the rain, pollutants in the water. If you use your diesel powered combine to harvest your organic corn, don't the exhaust particulates pollute the corn?
People will pick all kinds of holes in it, but I believe it is a good marketing program.
Is it a marketing program? Yes.
If you went to the grocery store and all eggs were in generic cartons marked "Eggs, $1". Wouldn't you want to know further? In the past the typical question would be "What size eggs?", "Are they fresh?", "What color are they?" Marketeers define these things to define the product, set their products apart from others, and give the customer what they are asking for.
More recently the questions would be, "Are the hens kept in cages?", "Are the chickens given hormones and antibiotics?", "What are they fed?", etc.
The National Organic Program sets a minimum standard to allow consumers to easily identify the products that are produced under the general guidelines that I mentioned.
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I assume you are referring to problems with organic purity. It's not necessarily about purity though. A lot of it has to do with using more sustainable, environmentally sound practices, producing agricultural products in a symbiotic relationship with the land and other natural resources, applying less synthetic chemicals to the land and it's products, and using more humane animal husbandry practices.
Nobody claims that organic products are devoid of any synthetic chemicals that may be picked up from a polluted environment, only that organic production practices strive not to add any to it.
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Yes, it's all about marketing.
There are consumers who are saying that they want good, wholesome foods that reduce their family's exposure to synthetic herbicides, pesticides, medications, hormones, and antibiotics.
They are asking for products from more traditional, smaller family farms vs corporately owned agriculture.
They are asking that the animals be taken out of the cages, that the animals be raised in settings that allow them to express their natural behaviors.
They are asking for products raised in a way that reduces harmful impacts on the environment and employs the best conservation efforts.
I'm the guy that steps up and says, "I have exactly what you are looking for. These meet all of the standards you are looking for. If you have any questions about my production practices please feel free to call me, or you can contact the third-party organic certifying agency whose name and phone number are on every carton. That will be $4 a dozen please."
It's not necessarily about the end product. Are organic eggs more nutritious or healthful than conventional eggs? Possibly, possibly not. It's more about the production methods used.
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The standard argument is that you can't avoid environmental pollutants. There are cars driving by polluting the air, pollutants in the rain, pollutants in the water. If you use your diesel powered combine to harvest your organic corn, don't the exhaust particulates pollute the corn?
People will pick all kinds of holes in it, but I believe it is a good marketing program.
Is it a marketing program? Yes.
If you went to the grocery store and all eggs were in generic cartons marked "Eggs, $1". Wouldn't you want to know further? In the past the typical question would be "What size eggs?", "Are they fresh?", "What color are they?" Marketeers define these things to define the product, set their products apart from others, and give the customer what they are asking for.
More recently the questions would be, "Are the hens kept in cages?", "Are the chickens given hormones and antibiotics?", "What are they fed?", etc.
The National Organic Program sets a minimum standard to allow consumers to easily identify the products that are produced under the general guidelines that I mentioned.
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My point is that the vast majority of people think they are getting a purely "organic" product and that is just not possible.
I'd have to argue the point that a vast majority think that. Most consumers can easily come to the same conclusions that you have, that there will always be environmental pollutants.
If they do think that these are products are absolutely pure, then it is their mistake. Nobody markets organic products to that standard. They are only marketed as produced without synthetic inputs.
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I'd have to argue the point that a vast majority think that. Most consumers can easily come to the same conclusions that you have, that there will always be environmental pollutants.
If they do think that these are products are absolutely pure, then it is their mistake. Nobody markets organic products to that standard. They are only marketed as produced without synthetic inputs.
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