Say NO to Dangerous Organic Rider on Senate Appropriations Bill

THE ORGANIC TRADE ASSOCIATION AND FOOD PROCESSORS ARE ASKING CONGRESS TO CHANGE THE ORGANIC FOODS PRODUCTION ACT (OFPA) WHICH COULD ALLOW NUMEROUS UNREVIEWED SYNTHETIC SUBSTANCES IN PRODUCTS LABELED “ORGANIC” AND WEAKEN ORGANIC DAIRY STANDARDS.

CALL AND WRITE YOUR SENATOR TODAY!

You can take action on this alert via the web at:
http://ga3.org/campaign/organic_standards/wed3i3u295tt6e5?

Call the Capitol Switchboard at: 202-224-3121.

TELL YOUR SENATORS NOT TO WEAKEN OUR ORGANIC LAW!!!

A recent court decision ruled that the Organic Foods Production
Act does not allow synthetic (non-natural) ingredients to be
used in foods labeled “organic” and must ensure a strong
standard under which dairy cows are converted to organic milk
production.

After rejecting efforts by members of the public interest and
environmental community to reach an agreement on these issues,
major food processors in the organic food industry are pushing
Congress to quietly change the law to allow the use of such
synthetic ingredients and potentially weaken the organic dairy
standards. This industry’s amendments to change the organic food
law have been introduced on the floor of the U.S. Senate today,
and may be voted on as early as tomorrow. We need your help to
defeat a weakening of our organic food law!

More specifically the industry’s amendments:

    – could permanently allow synthetic processing aids and food
    contact substances, including over 500 food contact substances,
    to be used in organic foods without any type of public review
    for their safety and compatibility with organic production and
    processing.

    – leave unresolved whether young dairy cows could be treated
    with antibiotics and then converted to organic after twelve
    months;

    – create a serious new loophole in which organic ingredients
    could be substituted with non-organic ingredients without any
    consumer notice based upon “emergency decrees.”

KEEP THE ORGANIC LABEL TRUTHFUL – REJECT THE INDUSTRY’S
AMENDMENTS

Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this.
http://ga3.org/campaign/organic_standards/forward/wed3i3u295tt6e5?

We encourage you to take action NOW.

Protect Organic Standards

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA THE WEB:
If you have access to a web browser, You can take action on this alert via the web at:
http://ga3.org/campaign/organic_standards/wed3i3u295tt6e5?

ORGANIC STANDARDS UNDER ATTACK
Your letter will be addressed and sent to:
Your Senators

—-THIS LETTER WILL BE SENT IN YOUR NAME—-
Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],

As a consumer and supporter of organic agriculture, I am writing
to ask that you reject proposed amendments to the Organic Foods
Production Act that are being offered by the food industry as
part of the Senate Agricultural Appropriations bill.

Consumers depend on the integrity of the organic label and are
willing to pay a premium price in the marketplace for products
produced under exacting standards. The Senate should act to
ensure that these standards are not undermined.

Unfortunately, the proposed industry amendments will weaken the
organic law and threaten the meaning of food labeled as
“organic.” The law changes could permanently allow numerous new
synthetic processing aids and food contact substances, including
over 500 food contact substances, to be used in organic foods
without any type of public review for their safety and
compatibility with organic production, could allow young dairy
cows to be treated with antibiotics and then be converted to
organic after twelve months; and would create a serious new
loophole in which organic ingredients could be substituted with
non-organic ingredients based upon “emergency decrees” without
any consumer notice.

Please act in the best interest of the entire organic community
by rejecting the industry’s amendments and giving all the
supporters of organic agriculture an opportunity to develop
solutions to these issues.

Sincerely,
(your name)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pam Browning
Policy Coordinator
National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture
110 Maryland Avenue, Suite 306
Washington, DC 20002
Phone: 202-544-5466
[email protected]
http://www.sustainableagriculture.net

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