Dueling Corporate Interests Wait to See What the New Trump/Perdue Administration Will Do with the Pending Updates to Organic Animal Welfare Standards Industry watchdog releases detailed analysis of pending rule One of the pending regulations released in the final days of the Obama administration, and put on hold by the Trump White House, was an… Read more »
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New Lawsuit Aims to Remove Soilless Crop Production Systems from Organic
A coalition of organic farmers, certifiers, and NGOs recently sued the USDA for denying a 2019 petition to prohibit hydroponic operations from organic certification. Plaintiffs include the Center for Food Safety (CFS), OneCert, the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, and some of the longest-standing organic farms in the US: Swanton Berry Farm, Full Belly… Read more »
USDA Sued for Removing Country of Origin Labeling on Meat
Cornucopia’s Take: Cornucopia supports country of origin labeling (COOL) for food. COOL was passed in 2009, but in 2016, under intense pressure from industry, it was revoked. Cattle Ranchers Sue to Return Country-Of-Origin Labeling U.S. News & World Report by Nicholas K. Geranios, Associated Press Source: Jenny Mackness Ranchers are suing the U.S. Department of… Read more »
The Shrinking U.S. Farm Labor Force
Cornucopia’s Take: Field workers born in the U.S. are a rarity, and it will be difficult to replace undocumented immigrant labor currently being squelched by the Trump administration and increasing industrialization in Mexico. Organic farms require more hand labor than conventional farms, and, as farm labor becomes more expensive, it remains to be seen what large organic… Read more »
Over Half the Fruit and One Third of the Vegetables We Eat are Imported
Cornucopia’s Take: Since 1975, the United States has seen shocking increases in produce imports from other countries, detailed in the article below. In order to accept produce from places that are home to invasive pests and disease, the USDA has increased pesticide applications at the border. The FDA reports that nearly 10% of imported produce,… Read more »
USDA Secretary Perdue Betrays His Disdain for Family-Scale Farmers Again
USDA Secretary Perdue made comments at the World Dairy Expo this week that have inflamed family-scale dairy producers across the country: Small dairies and other family-scale farms support rural areas with food and local investment. They are a critical part of the fabric of the rural United States. Many small dairy farmers transitioned to organic… Read more »
New Report: Forests Could Be the Trump Card in Efforts to End Global Hunger
International Union of Forest Research Organizations One billion people worldwide depend on forests and trees for balanced diets and sustainable incomes New York/Vienna (6 May 2015)– About one in nine people globally still suffer from hunger with the majority of the hungry living in Africa and Asia. The world’s forests have great potential to improve… Read more »
The Power of the Pesticide Industry
The article from the Washington Post, below, highlights how much sway the pesticide industry has in the U.S. government, regardless of the administration in power. Not only do chemical companies hold lobbying power, they also have had a role in drafting the laws that are supposed to regulate their actions and protect consumers. This is… Read more »
Farm Bill Contains Funding Boost for Organic Integrity
Cornucopia’s Take: The article by OFARM’s John Bobbe below was originally published in The Milkweed. Bobbe is a strong ally in stopping the flow of fraudulent organic imports into the U.S. He has recently retired from OFARM, but he assures us he will continue to work on these important issues. 2018 Farm Law Boosts Funds… Read more »
CFS on GE Labeling: “Our hope that the Court can get Trump’s USDA on a timeline”
Cornucopia’s Take: Congress passed the controversial and weak labeling law for foods with genetically modified organisms in 2016. They set a deadline of July 19, 2018 for USDA to issue labeling rules. The date has come and gone, and the Center for Food Safety has filed a legal complaint in hopes of bringing the agency into compliance…. Read more »
