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Secretary Anne Veneman RE: DO NOT weaken organic standards! Dear Secretary Veneman, I am deeply concerned with the recent direction the USDA is taking on national organic standards. Radical changes have been made via new USDA NOP Guidance Statements that drastically weaken organic standards. These Guidance Statements should be immediately revoked! Specifically, I am concerned with the following: The new fishmeal guidance statement allows fishmeal potentially contaminated with mercury, PCBs and other bioaccumulates to be fed to "organic" cattle. These dangerous toxins collect in the body fat of the animal and are then relayed onto the consumer via the dairy and/or beef. Beef laden with synthetic carcinogens and neurotoxins should NOT be considered "organic." The new pesticide guidance statement allows farmers to spray crops with pesticides prohibited on EPA's List 2 and 3, as long as the farmers and their certifiers are unaware of the specific ingredients. Most pesticides do not have ingredient labels, and the ambiguity of the expression "due diligence" within the guidance statement (regarding the level of ingredient investigation required by the farmer and certifier) sets no enforceable mandates. Crops raised with toxic chemicals like toluene and formaldehyde should NOT be considered "organic." The new antibiotic guidance statement allows dairy cattle to be treated with synthetic hormones and any type of drug and be sold as "organic," after a 12 month waiting period. Many of the commonly used bovine pharmaceuticals are bioaccumulates. The toxins are stored in the body fat of the mammal and are released predominantly through the milk. Dairy produced with drugs and synthetic hormones should NOT be considered "organic." In addition, no animal should be added to the organic dairy herd if its origins are on a commercial farm and could have been administered any number of drugs during the first year(s) of its life. Please revoke these Guidance Statements immediately and initiate the practice of establishing public comment periods prior to releasing such drastic directives that affect millions of hard working organic farmers, producers, retailers and consumers across the U.S.
cc: Mr. Richard H. Matthews Most Sincerely,
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