For Immediate Release:
December 17, 2008 |
Contact: |
Ted Quaday:
831-426-6606 x 111 |
OFRF Backs Organic Dairy Farmers’ Views
On Proposed Pasture Rules
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. -- The Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) today endorsed a broad set of recommended changes to a proposed federal rule guiding access to pasture for organic dairy cows and other ruminants.
OFRF also alerted its Organic Farmers Action Network of the endorsement and urged all organic and transitional farmers to join in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) comment process.
OFRF’s Executive Committee, on behalf of its Board of Directors, endorsed the full set of language changes recommended by the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Association (NODPA) and its umbrella organization, the Federation of Organic Dairy Producers (FOOD Farmers). The comments have also been endorsed by the National Organic Coalition (NOC), an association of producer and public-interest groups.
Francis Thicke, an Iowa organic dairy farmer and chair of OFRF’s Policy Committee, praised the efforts of the FOOD Farmers and NOC in building a broad consensus on recommended changes to the pasture rule.
“NOC and the FOOD Farmers helped reaffirm support for the core grazing requirement that distinguishes organic from conventional production, and they’re urging removal of some of the National Organic Program’s more burdensome and unnecessary proposed management prescriptions,” said Thicke.
After years of delay, the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) proposed the pasture access rule in late October and set Tuesday, December 23 as the deadline for public comment on the proposal. The tight deadline set off a period of intense discussion within the organic dairy and cattle production industries. Consumer groups also weighed in as the various interests sought consensus on desired changes in the NOP’s rule draft.
Tracy Lerman, organizer of OFRF’s Organic Farmers Action Network, urged current and prospective dairy and cattle producers to learn more about the proposed pasture access rule and the suggested changes by reading OFAN’s most recent action alert at http://ofrf.org/action/ofan/081216_alert.html
Lerman also urged farmers to submit comments on the proposed rules to the USDA by the December 23rd deadline.
“The voices of farmers and ranchers carry a lot of weight in Washington. They can influence policy and regulation, and it’s crucial that they make themselves heard as a clear voice for the integrity of organic food production,” said Lerman.
About the Organic Farming Research Foundation
The Organic Farming Research Foundation was founded in 1990 to foster the improvement and widespread adoption of organic farming systems. OFRF sponsors organic farming research and education projects, disseminates the results to organic farmers and to growers interested in adopting organic production systems, and educates the public and policymakers about organic farming issues. The majority of OFRF’s board members are working organic farmers.
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