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New U.S. organic pasture rule: good news for consumers, cows and farmers
Advisory board at work to help USDA use greater clarity to close loopholes, enforce the “access to pasture” requirement, says Rodale Institute’s Jeff Moyer.By Greg Bowman
The final “access to pasture” rule recently issued by the National Organic Program creates clearly enforceable grazing requirements that will end years of ambiguity about how much grazing is enough. Under the new provisions, all organic farms must have their ruminant animals (cows,sheep and goats) spend at least 120 days per year on growing pasture that provides at least 30 percent of their nutritional needs, measured by “dry matter intake.” “This is a victory for farmers and consumers,” said Jeff Moyer, farm director at the Rodale Institute. He is a member of the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) and its livestock committee. The volunteer citizen board is charged with delivering counsel from the entire organic community to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which houses the National Organic Program (NOP). “Creating the grazing rule took a while, but the high level of public input—from farmers and others in the organic dairy sector—gathered in a deliberate and transparent process, shows the way the USDA organic administration is supposed to work,“ Moyer said. An NOSB proposal in 2005 refined, clarified and filled in loopholes to the Organic Food Production Act’s original “access to pasture” provision. The 120-day/30 percent provisions survived intact through years of scrutiny, with sufficient flexibility to fit a range of conditions able to support grazing cattle. Some exceptions were also approved, such as those requested by farmers for the time around showing organic livestock at local fairs and events, and in limiting pasture time for breeding bulls that may exhibit dangerous behavior. The NOSB’s livestock committee, is focused on preparing an extensive new set of animal welfare rule changes, including stocking rates per species. These will complement the final pasture rule to spell out the space needed for animals outside in normal conditions, and inside for temporary situations. Attention is focused on dairy cows, but the rule actually applies to all livestock, including poultry, swine and horses. “The majority of organic dairy farms already follow these reasonable pasture requirements,” Moyer said. “With pasture access now defined and clarified, consumers can feel increasingly confident that all the organic milk they see will be from cows being managed in similar ways and expressing natural grazing behaviors, with regulations adapted to regional conditions. This is a scale-neutral set of requirements, and some small producers, as well as some of the very large operations, will need the allowed year to try to arrange enough grazing to comply—or face enforcement.” In organic pasture-based systems, animals are not confined and are actively eating fresh forage crops on pasture during the grazing season. Weather and other factors make the season’s dates variable across the country. “Even under the former administration, the National Organic Program leaders told the members of the board that, in the end, we would like what we saw,” he reported. “As the NOSB held hearings, we could see how the farmer comments were focused, explaining what they could live with in matching animals to grazing situations, and what consumers were expecting: cows on grass.” What others are saying about the pasture rule:The National Organic Coalition“This final rule provides the clear and specific language needed to enforce one of the central tenets of organically produced livestock—the requirement that organic livestock spend a considerable part of their lives in their natural pasture habitat and receive a significant portion of their food needs from fresh, green, growing pasture,” said Henry Perkins, organic dairy farmer, Albion, Maine. Perkins serves as president of the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance (NODPA), a NOC member organization. The NOC is an umbrella entity for farmer, fair trade, food safety, anti-pesticide groups. Michael Sligh (Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA) spoke for the NOC when he urged the USDA to implement this final rule quickly and fairly to ensure that all livestock farmers are treated equally. “We are thankful for USDA’s work in putting together a sound, commendable pasture rule clarification that eliminates all the loopholes of the past and puts controversy behind us.” Consumers Union (CU)“This new standard goes a long way to bridging the gap between consumer expectation and the realities of how much time organic animals are required to spend in the pasture,” said Urvashi Rangan, PhD, CU director of technical policy. “We commend the USDA for pushing the bar higher by laying out specific guidelines so that organic farmers have to raise their livestock in a way that allows them to graze outdoors, exhibiting more natural behavior.” Organic Trade Association (OTA)“It clearly defines access to pasture for organic ruminant livestock and sets a mechanism into place for strict regulation and enforcement. This will help enable producers and certifying agents to consistently implement National Organic Program regulations. As a result, consumers can be assured that the U.S. organic program for organic livestock remains the most stringent in the world,” according to OTA’s Executive Director Christine Bushway. In a 2006 Consumers Union survey of 1,485 U.S. adults, more than two-thirds of all consumers— Cornucopia InstituteOn O-Dairy, a list-serve for organic dairy-sector participants, Mark Kastel lauded those who have pressed for the strict provision of the rule. He singled of NOP staffer Richard Mathews, now retired. Kastel is senior farm policy analyst for Cornucopia. “I have to admit that I was a naysayer when his first draft was published in the fall of 2008,” Kastel admitted. “But it appears that his brilliant tactical gamble--coming out with a rule that was super tough, and being willing to negotiate down from there—has paid off.” Kastel said Mathews worked through tens of thousands of public comments, submitted in writing and received live during the listening sessions, and crafted much of the pasture regulation. “This rule is a clear indication that people power still counts in our society,” Kastel wrote. “It's too bad the wheels of justice sometimes take so long to turn,” he continued. “Many of our friends and neighbors who milk organic cows had been severely injured during past decade due to inaction by our governmental regulators. Let's all look forward to a better 10 years to come.” Greg Bowman is communications manager at the Rodale Institute. Read more: |
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