Action Alert!
Behind closed doors, the world’s two largest organic markets have entered into an ‘equivalency agreement’. This so-called equivalency means that organic farm animal welfare products from the US can be sold as organic in the EU, and vice versa.
What’s the problem? Put simply, they are not equivalent. As they stand, US organic standards fall far below standards with regards to animal welfare when compared to EU standards. The US standards as they stand allow practices that would not only be non-organic in the EU, but would in some cases actually be illegal on welfare grounds.
How can this be ‘equivalent’? We must take action. In a matter of weeks this agreement will come into effect.
This is a major setback for animal welfare around the world. However, there is the chance we can turn it into an opportunity. to make a difference. At the end of May, the US National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) will be discussing revising these standards. We must urge the NOSB to raise the US standards to make them truly equivalent to EU standards. They need to put farm animal welfare first.
Compassion in World Farming will be there to urge for higher animal welfare standards. We will be demanding that urgent revisions be made in order to meet consumer expectations and farm animal welfare needs.
You can help us:
* Please submit comments online directly to the NOSB voicing your concern by May 3. Ask them to strengthen the species specific guidance documents for assessing animal welfare. You need only complete the “required”fields on the contact information form and enter “citizen” in the Organization Name box.
Sample Comment:
I am writing to comment on the Livestock Committee’s proposed guidance documents forassessing animal welfare. While we appreciate the efforts that have been made to date, we would like to strongly urge the Committee to continue its efforts of improving the standards so that they meet up to expected standards for organic production and indeed meet up to recognized good farm animal welfare practice.
We are deeply concerned with regard to the recent equivalency agreement between the EU and the USA regarding organic standards. There are some very significant differences between the EU and USA organic standards with regard to farm animal welfare as the standards currently stand. While we appreciate improvements are being proposed, USA organic standards with regard to farm animal welfare are by no means equivalent to the EU organic standards as they stand. EU consumers will be very concerned when this comes into effect in June and may as such largely reject US organic farm animal products until they are truly equivalent.
With this in mind, we urge the committee to continue to work to revise the national organic standard in order so that they meet farm animal welfare needs and the expectations of consumers.
In addition to the revisions that have already been recommended, we ask you to include the following in the guidance:
1. Minimum indoor and outdoor space allowances for turkeys, geese and ducks should be increased, and geese should be given access to adequate water for bathing and head dunking.
2. The guidance should recommend gas stunning over electric stunning for poultry to avoid removal from transport crates, shackling and inverting of conscious birds.
3. For the weaning of sheep, guidance should raise minimum weaning age to 45 days; current limit is 5 weeks (35 days). Weaning of bison should preferable be natural, or as a minimum 3 months of age.
4. Sheep should not be allowed to be transported before one week of age.
Making these modifications will increase animal welfare and help bring the care of animals under the organic program closer to what consumers expect of the label, and closer to achieving true equivalency with EU standards.
To submit your comments online, click here.
Please share this with family, friends, and co-workers, and encourage them to submit a comment, too. Thank you!
~ THE ACTIVIST
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