[Cornucopia will update this page with additional findings as they occur.]
Natural Prairie Dairy is under increased scrutiny due to a history of non-compliances with the National Organic Program standards, practices Cornucopia believes constitute industrialization in violation of organic integrity, and a lack of transparency.
The company has been under long-term scrutiny from The Cornucopia Institute due to its highly questionable livestock management and organic practices.
As per Cornucopia’s Scorecard Adjustments Policy, any brands confirmed to be using Natural Prairie Dairy milk may be impacted until Natural Prairie Dairy participates in Cornucopia’s repair policy, which includes being transparent about their suppliers and production practices.
Natural Prairie Dairy’s milk is typically sold wholesale for private label brands. If a customer buys milk of unknown origin, it may be coming from one of Natural Prairie Dairy’s operations!
Timeline and evidence
Cornucopia has asked the National Organic Program many times to investigate Natural Prairie Dairy and their organic certifiers.
In 2010, Cornucopia filed a complaint against Natural Prairie Dairy, alleging that the producer was violating the standards laid out in § 205.236 (Origin of Livestock).
Cornucopia conducted flyover investigations of Natural Prairie Dairies in 2014 (you can see these photographs here). The images supported the allegations that NPD was not pasturing their cattle according to the minimum set by organic standards. That same year, Cornucopia filed another complaint, alleging violations of requirements found in §205.238 and §205.239 requiring “access to the outdoors” and “access to pasture.”
On July 23, 2019, the organization Animal Recovery Mission (ARM) released a report of their undercover activities at Natural Prairie Dairy in Texas. ARM’s investigations found severe animal abuse and mistreatment occurring on Natural Prairie Dairy. Cornucopia filed a formal complaint against NPD and their organic certifier, Texas Department of Agriculture, in 2019 based on the evidence gathered by ARM’s animal welfare investigation.
In response to this complaint, the NOP noted that the dairy was instigating new practices and training to prevent animal abuse. They also noted that they found no apparent violations in the areas of outdoor access and pasturing. However, even though the NOP relied on audits and inspections from multiple sources, these visits were brief and distinct snapshots in time (ARM’s evidence collection spanned four months in 2019).
The NOP entered into a settlement agreement with Texas Department of Agriculture in August 2019 based on non-compliances identified in the NOP’s livestock-focused site visits in August 2018. Cornucopia’s complaint, filed just two weeks after the certifier’s settlement agreement, specifically called for an investigation into TDA’s apparent complacency toward Natural Prairie Dairy’s historic and then-current alleged violations of the organic standards. Because of the timing, no further action was deemed necessary by the NOP.
Cornucopia believes Natural Prairie Dairy also violated the “do no harm” requirement in the standards.
In August 2023, Cornucopia’s policy team filed a formal complaint against NPD with the NOP Compliance and Enforcement Branch of the Agricultural Marketing Service. The complaint was based on thorough research of legal and public databases, searching for regulatory violations (particularly of the organic standards) and information from a separate environmental lawsuit against the dairy. The Indiana NPD farm, which at the time had over 4,000 cows and a nine-acre waste lagoon, was built in Indiana’s Kankakee River basin, which is one of the most ecologically sensitive and historically significant areas in the region.
The following includes some of the evidence Cornucopia submitted to the NOP:
- Exhibit 1: https://www.cornucopia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Exhibit-1-NPD-Federal-Complaint.pdf
The lawsuit, led by the environmental groups Hoosier Environmental Council, Indiana Audubon, and other local plaintiffs, alleged both that NPD illegally violated the Clean Water Act and that the Army Corps of Engineers failed to properly regulate and hold the dairy accountable. The lawsuit was successful and was settled to the benefit of the environmental plaintiffs. The Indiana NPD operation continues to operate.
NPD’s violation of the Clean Water Act, based on verifiable findings by the Army Corps of Engineers, likely ran afoul of the natural resources mandate in the organic standards as well. In Cornucopia’s complaint, we put forward a sound legal argument, calling attention to the often-overlooked environmental requirements of the organic regulations.
To date, the NOP has not responded to our complaint.
