#221 22 A P r i l 10
ORGANIC
O rOgragnai nc i cC oCnosnusmuemresr As sAs soscoi ca itai toino n
Alert: Stop Factory Farm Production
of “Organic” Poultry and Eggs
Get Synthetic Methionine Out of “Organic” Feed!
Methionine is an essential amino acid vital to poultry health. It is not
produced by the body and must be obtained through diet. Methionine
deficiency can lead to curled toes, bare spots and improper feathering.
But poultry farmers can avoid using synthetic methionine by raising
“free-range” organic birds, giving them access to pasture or supplement-
ing their diet with organic feed ingredients that provide natural methi-
onine.
Eggs from organic free-range hens raised on pasture are far more
nutritious than eggs from confined hens in factory farms:
• 4 to 6 times as much vitamin D
• 1 ⁄3 less cholesterol
• 1 ⁄4 less saturated fat
• 2⁄3 more vitamin A
• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3 times more vitamin E
• 7 times more beta carotene
So, why isn’t this the norm in organic poultry and egg production?
Because the industry has been lobbying for cheap feed and factory farm
production methods.
The United Egg Producers (UEP), lobbyists for industrial egg producers,
have submitted comments to the National Organic Standards Board to
block the October 2010 sunset on the use of synthetic methionine in
organic production. UEP represents these organic egg producers: Cal-
Maine Foods, Delta Egg Farms, Dixie Egg Company, Fassio Egg Farms,
Fort Recovery Equity, Inc., Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch, Kreher’s Farm
Fresh Eggs, LLC, Nature Pure, LLC, Oakdell Egg Farms, Ritewood, Inc.
and R.W. Sauder, Inc.
United Egg Producers are no fans of organic. On their home page, the
top article is “Organic food not nutritionally better, survey finds.” And,
they claim that, “While farmers produce all types of eggs (regular, cage-
free, organic) to meet consumer and market place demand, right now
Americans prefer ‘regular’ eggs produced in modern, sanitary cage sys-
tems by a margin of 95% based upon their purchases and consumption
statistics.”
We can’t let UEP bully the organic industry into adopting their indus-
trial production methods. Organic consumers need to stand up for truly
organic eggs and poultry. Take Action: www.is.gd/bHj1Q
More Action Alerts
▶ Keep Nanotech Ingredients Out of Organic Food: www.is.gd/bHjaA
▶ Tell Your Senators: No GE Crops in Foreign Aid: www.is.gd/buF8k
▶ Save Local & Organic Farming from Food Safety Bill: www.is.gd/bHjje
OCA’s Campaign Against Toxic Sludge
OCA Policy Board member and author of Toxic Sludge Is Good for You!
John Stauber, and OCA Bay Area Representative John Mayer are inter-
viewed by Susan Galleymore of Raising Sand Radio. They discuss OCA’s
anti-sludge campaign in San Francisco—successes achieved, and plans
going forward. John Stauber also discusses the sludge issue with veteran
progressive radio voice Peter B. Collins: organicconsumers.org/sludge.cfm
Written and edited by Alexis Baden-Mayer & Ronnie Cummins · Please post, distribute, & subscribe: organicconsumers.org/organicbytes.cfm
We are Making Positive Change · Our Work Depends on You! Please Donate: www.organicconsumers.org/donations.cfm
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Quote of the Week
“We are talking about two grand projects in dispute. On the one side is
the project of capital and imperialism, which signifies looting, which
signifies death, and which signifies all of the false solutions to climate
change that we reject entirely. We assert that we need to change the
system and not the climate. We assume the construction of another
project: the project of life. A project based on principles that defend
life, the Mother Earth, and that is based on another model of social,
economic, political and cultural development. That is why we are here.”
-Itelvina Masioli, a Brazilian leader of the international small farmer
movement, La Via Campesina, speaking on April 20 at the People’s
World Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth
in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Ronnie Cummins is attending the summit as
a representative of the OCA. www.is.gd/bHjJW
Peoples’ Summit on Climate Change News
As the peoples’ climate change talks here move into their third day,
thousands of participants from across Latin America and around the
world are streaming into this small Bolivian town to discuss how to
slow the impact of global warming. Watch the Democracy Now! video
at: www.is.gd/bHjP6
Updated Leaflet on Monsanto and GMOs
On our Millions Against Monsanto page, you’ll find a new leaflet, Ten
Things Monsanto Doesn’t Want You to Know. Distribute the leaflet and
amaze your friends with the facts on genetic engineering, including:
#6 Monsanto Guilty of False Advertising: Frances’s highest court
ruled in 2009 that Monsanto had lied about the safety of its weed killer
Roundup. The court confirmed an earlier judgment that Monsanto
had falsely advertised its herbicide as “biodegradable”.
Find the leaflet at organicconsumers.org/monlink.cfm
Little Bytes
Time to Reinvest in Food-System Infrastructure
Want farmers market food to expand beyond niche status? We need
to invest in food and farming infrastructure that promotes local and
organic production.
What to Do When the Current Climate Change Legislation Threat-
ens to Do More Harm Than Good
Unfortunately, when it comes to the current climate change legislation
in Congress, all signs are pointing to system failure.
Cows on Drugs
Donald Kennedy, former FDA commissioner, calls for a ban on the use
of antibiotics in food production.
Veggie Burgers Made With a Neurotoxin?
Most non-organic veggie burgers currently on the market are made
with the chemical hexane, an EPA-registered air pollutant and neuro-
toxin. Read these articles & many more: www.organicconsumers.org
OCA Needs Your Help
OCA and our international network of organic consumers and farm-
ers understand that we have a positive life-affirming solution for the
global food, health, and climate crisis: organic food, farming, and
ranching. But to get out our all-important message we need your sup-
port. Please send us a tax-deductible donation:
www.organicconsumers.org/donations.cfm