The Organic Label Will Mean: No Cloned
Animals, Period
USDA Advisory Panel Sends Clear Message
The
National Organic Standards Board
(NOSB), an expert advisory panel to the
USDA's National Organic Program, has made
it clear that organic agriculture should
not allow the use of cloned animals or
their offspring in the production of organic
food. The NOSB voted at their spring
meeting in Washington, DC to exclude cloned
animals, their offspring, and any food
products from cloned animals from the
organic sector.
"This
is a victory for farmers, consumers and
retailers who want to protect organic
food and agriculture from a highly controversial
and experimental technology," said
Will Fantle of The Cornucopia Institute,
a farm policy and organic watchdog group.
"This vote seeks to plant a flag
squarely in the center of the organic
food sector, declaring it off limits to
cloning while providing consumers a clear
choice in the marketplace," Fantle
added.
The
federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
announced last December that they were
ready to approve the commercialization
of cloning in livestock agriculture and
indicated that they would not seek any
identifying labels on cloned meat, dairy
and other food products sold in the nation's
grocery stores. (The FDA has extended
their public comment period on the cloned
food recommendation to May 3. A
sample letter to the FDA can be found
at http://cornucopia.org/index.php/202.)
During
its three-day meeting, NOSB members wrestled
with language aimed at keeping cloning
out of organics. Kevin Engelbert,
vice-chair of the NOSB's Livestock Committee
and an organic dairy farmer from the state
of New York, pressed hard for immediate
and decisive action on the controversial
technology. During the Board's deliberations,
Engelbert said "This is the time
to make a strong statement."
He offered precise language that was adopted
by the NOSB to address cloning and the
issue of offspring from cloned animals.
The
Board's recommendation provides guidance
to the National Organic Program's administrator
who stated more than once during the meeting
that the NOP wanted advice from the Board
on how to address cloned offspring and
their food products in the organic sector.
"The NOSB's vote offers exactly that
guidance, stated Fantle. "It
calls for excluding all progeny of cloned
animals and their 'succeeding generations'
from organic livestock production as well
as prohibiting any food products derived
from animals produced with cloning technology."
The
12-0 vote (with one abstention) occurred
after the NOSB heard public comments over
three days from numerous representatives
of farm, consumer, retail and non-profit
groups calling for the cloning ban in
organics Cornucopia also presented the
Board with a letter signed by 70 retailers
and farm groups from across the country
that supported a cloning ban.
Jim
Riddle, former chair of the NOSB and author
of a cloning report for the Organic Center,
was pleased with the recommendation.
"I am gratified to see that the NOSB
has voted to prohibit cloned animals,
their products, and their progeny from
organic agriculture," Riddle said.
"Cloning," added Riddle, "has
no place in organic agriculture.
As the FDA's own report shows, cloning
is still very experimental with a high
failure rate, it's inhumane and totally
unnatural."
Representatives from the Center for Food
Safety, Consumers Union, and the Organic
Consumers Association were among those
testifying in favor of a cloning ban in
organics.
The
action by the NOSB will likely add further
support to a bill introduced in the U.S.
Senate by Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Herb
Kohl (D-WI) that would outlaw the use
of cloned animals and their offspring
in organic food production. The
bill, S536, is currently in the Senate
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and
Forestry.
The Cornucopia Institute is dedicated
to the fight for economic justice for
the family-scale farming community.
Through research, advocacy, and economic
development, our goal is to empower farmers
both politically and through marketplace
initiatives.
The Cornucopia Institute
Contact: Mark A. Kastel
P.O. Box 126
Cornucopia, Wisconsin 54827
608-625-2042 Voice
866-861-2214 Fax
kastel@cornucopia.org
www.cornucopia.org