Organic Valley [...] Warns People are not Guinea Pigs [FDA labeling of cloned farm animals]

Yahoooooooo [press release] via Drudge ^ | Friday October 31, 7:46 am ET | Organic Valley Press Release

[jjm2111]

LAFARGE, Wisc., Oct. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Today's statement of support for animal cloning by the F.D.A. was swiftly condemned by Organic Valley, one of the nation's foremost organic brands and the only one to be 100 percent farmer owned.

"By allowing foods from cloned animals into the food system without proof of their long-term effects on human, animal and environmental health, the F.D.A. is not protecting the consumer. The F.D.A. is furthering their support of the abhorrent attempt by corporate interests to control the genes of our citizenry," warned George Siemon, CEO of Organic Valley.

"American families should not be guinea pigs for corporate greed! Contrary to what the F.D.A. says, there is no level of 'acceptable risk' when it comes to putting unproven science on the table for dinner," said Siemon, in reference to the F.D.A.'s pro-cloning rationale.

Siemon noted that once man-made species are introduced into the environment there is no "calling them back." He explained: "Whether it's genetically engineered crops cross pollinating with wild weeds, genetically modified salmon breeding with wild fish, or future concerns with clone mammals, the risks to the balance in ecosystems worldwide are great."

Consumers Need Animal Cloning Warning Labels

According to the F.D.A., products from cloned animals, like products that have been genetically engineered, do not need to carry a warning label on the package.

"Citizens deserve the right to know what is in their food and how it has been produced," said Siemon. "At least if the product is labeled as being from cloned animals, consumers can have a choice."

The only way consumers will be able to be sure that the foods they purchase have been made without genetically modified ingredients or cloned animals is by buying organic. The stringent standards for organic forbid such practices.

"The U.S. needs to use the precautionary principle followed in Europe where prevention is the goal. We need to work with Nature, not try to fool her," said Siemon.

Siemon urged consumers to contact their Congressional representatives to ask them to demand that the F.D.A. rescind its support for animal cloning. The F.D.A. is scheduled to hold a public meeting on animal cloning during the first week in November.

[jjm2111]

Lazy journalism at work; using a press release as a "story".

However, I like organic foods. I realize not everyone can afford them, but has anyone ever checked the difference in expiration dates between organic and regular milk. Around me at least, the regular milk will not be allowed to be sold between 7-10 days from the day when I'm in the supermarket. Organic milk will not be allowed to be sold between 30-40 days from the day I'm in the supermarket.

Also, it is my opinion that the use of very cheap man-made food ingredients with the largest being hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup as being one of the biggest causes of obesity and poor health in this country.

[jjm2111]

Ping!

[Puppage]

condemned by Organic Valley, one of the nation's foremost organic brands and the only one to be 100 percent farmer owned

Ok, the people that tell you organic is better for you are those that stand to BENEFIT from you BUYING organic.

There are over 5 thousand case of E Coli poisoning in the US each year DIRECTLY attributed to the manure spread on organic crops/farms. The are exactly ZERO cases of poisonings attributed to the chemicals used by traditional farmers each year.

Organic better than traditonal.....I DON'T THIONK SO.

But, people LIKE the idea of organic..it SOUNDS good for you. But, those that are saying it's good for you are the organic farmers themselves.

[Puppage]

However, I like organic foods

Why? Because they cost more? Because the Organic Farmers TELL you it's better for you?

[jjm2111]

I like organic, milk, fruits, meats and veggies because they TASTE substantially better. I never noticed a difference in taste between organic and non-organic starches like pasta so I don't bother.

I also wash all my raw food before I cook it regardless of what it is fertilized with. Besides do you have a source for your statistic?

[Puppage]

Hey, if you like to pay twice as much or more, God bless you. I for one, can't tell a difference & I think (my opinion, now) that if you gave someone an organic tomato & a traditionally farmed tomato, they couldn't tell a difference.

[vollmond]

Let the free market work here. Companies that label their own meat "clone-free" will probably be able to raise prices enough to pay for the labelling, and make a bit more besides.

[jjm2111]

Around me, organic food IS more expensive, but never twice so. The only organic food I buy on a regular basis is organic milk. The difference in taste, (at least to me) is outstanding.

[randog]

The only way consumers will be able to be sure that the foods they purchase have been made without genetically modified ingredients or cloned animals is by buying organic.

OK, organic farmers can feed what--5% of the population? What are the other 95% supposed to do--eat cake? Should we start ripping up asphalt and convert back to an agrarian society?

[reformedliberal]

I live near to La Farge.

Organic Valley began as Coulee Region Produce Pool. CROPP.
They have received millions in State and Federal Ag grants over the past 20 years. Currently, they are involved in a lawsuit w/their former egg supplier and a former BOD member over misuse of money that came from a surcharge on their producing suppliers.The supplier's spouse was fired from the job of managing the egg department simply because of bringing the misuse to the attention of the BOD; CROPP sought a settlement that was refused and they told a local journalist not to report on this, as it was *none of their business*.

I employ a member of a family who now supplies some their *organic* eggs. The only thing organic about these hundreds of thousands of traditionally caged birds is the label on their feed. They are not free range.

Many, many local dairy farmers (some of them Amish and Mennonite) have not been able to *qualify* as milk producers, even after 7-8 years of changing every aspect of their operation to *organic standards*, yet milk is purchased from producers from over 500 miles away. I know the family of one of their milk truck drivers and there are many questions about the relationships between the producers and the company, as well as the expenses and practices involved in the trucking. Basically, it is believed these are not based on economy, organics or locality, but on shared esoteric belief systems.

Sorry for being vague, but some of this is in litigation and under government scrutiny and the local press has been stopped from reporting on it in the name of *local jobs*.

They run up millions of dollars in debt while their owners travel the world (Cuba is a favorite place; they will honestly tell you Castro is not a dictator). They call themselves a *co-operative*, yet one person owns the name and logos. Co-ops are strictly regulated under their own laws and CROPP appears to violate these w/impunity. Governor Doyle and the State of Wisconsin Department of Agriculture Marketing Division love them and every grant they apply for, they get, while other local organic producers are denied unless the grant is run thru CROPP. I am familiar w/one excellant grant application that was re-submitted several times. The application was admittedly a decent one, but denied because:"We only give grants to companies we know and have already worked with". When this applicant finally did get a grant, it was small, and administrative, meaning the entire amount went to the CROPP grants facilitator. The applicant was told that if they did all the work and were properly appreciative, there *might* be a *chance* for further grants in the future. The facilitator did no work, even though they got all the funds.

After getting all the grants available for dairy and produce, this company has set up subsidiaries dealing w/many other agricultural products, such as timber. When they submitted their first draft of the regulations for their *sustainable woodlots*, even the DNR told them it was unconstitutional and had to be completely rewritten or they would be barred from further grants applications. I was told this by the person chosen by DNR to rewrite the regulations so as not to infringe on private property rights.

One year I rented land to one of CROPP's soybean producers. I never saw such messed up farming techniques, which carved deep ruts in my land that facilitated erosion due to the operator plowing immediately after heavy rains. His ancient and poorly maintained tractor was mired in the mud for several days. He also left me with infestations of Chinese Lady Beetles beyond imagining; millions of them that clog electrical outlets and any light they can gain access to. The *certification* amounted to a part-time, non-farming employee who *checked* for weeds to prove no herbicides were used and took a soil sample for the same reason. That took about an hour for 14 acres; the producer paid for this and for the other certifications demanded. It is not cheap and is in part why organics are so expensive. There are loads of weeds,of course, some of them deemed noxious and invasive by the Soil Conservation Service. If these weeds exist on CRP land, the owner can be cited and fined. There was no cultivation and I would estimate the crop at about 50% of normal in size and low in quality. They were harvested wet, as well. Getting paid for the rent was also a problem, as the extra costs and other burdens on the producer are so high.

There are many unanswered questions locally about business practices. For example, CROPP was cited for being the largest producer of noxious waste (most likely spoiled whey) delivered to the Lacrosse, WI incinerator. As is usual, there was a one-day radio report of this and then no coverage at all. The owner is independantly wealthy and well-connected and the business itself grosses in the double-digit millions, as far as anyone knows.

Organics are just about money. This company just got a contract to supply organic beef to the UW system. They are ardently opposed to GMO, of course. They want you to pay $15/lb for beef. They say *that is what is costs*, but that is not true. We can buy locally grown beef from a regulated butcher that is wonderful and still affordable. This meat is not overly innoculated or butchered by illegals, nor has it ever caused gastric illness.

One year, I grew *heirloom* tomatoes. They were susceptible to 2 different types of blight. They had short keeping times. The flavor was inferior to my hybrids, which resisted some of the blight in the same plot. However,I had to abandon the garden plot for a couple of years and I burned it to get rid of the soil-borne blight.

It is everyone's personal choice to eat what they like. It is also our right to not be denied access to whatever food we wish. It is also our right to question the over-subsidizing of organics w/tax money to the detriment of other producers. With the demise of the small dairy farmer and the present high cost of beef, cloned animals will be of immense benefit to the consumer and the producer. Do you ask if the meat or milk you eat came from a twin? There is no difference between an identical twin and a clone. As for BGH: every lactating cow produces it. There is no test that can distinguish natural BGH from artificial BGH. Mastitis is a mainstay of vet practices, and was prior to artificial BGH, even before antibiotics. Mastitis remedies are available OTC at any ag center and have been for the over 30 years I have lived in dairy country.

Eat what you like & believe what you will, but don't mistake PR for science. And if you are willing to drink milk that is a month to six weeks old: good luck to you.

[jjm2111]

Thanks for all the info. Very interesting. Personally, I don't think ANYONE should be getting gov't grants. If you want research, get private funds or use your own. Too much "research" is wasted as you pointed out.

I'm leery of chemicals, hormones, and man-made products being put into foods, with pesticides being the least of my worries and man-made ingredients like hydrogenated oils being the most. I'm also very leery of cloned farm animals. Scientists have not studied cloning and the health of cloned animals very thouroughly and I really don't think they should be introduced as food animals.

BTW, the milk I buy has an expiration date that's six weeks from now, as opposed to one. It's fresher. I will have to check to see if it's from these Organic Valley people.

[reformedliberal]

These grants are not for *research*. These grants are from $1M-$5M each and are for capital improvements, such as factories. Some are simply for organizing various types of producers into some sort of co-op (administrative), for which these producers pay some fees and are also subjected to stringent rules, just like the other various ag programs.There are also local tax exemptions.

I venture to guess that you are leery of whatever because of multitudinous press reports and articles telling you that you should be worried. From what I have researched myself (and I have grown and consumed both types of products), there is far less to be worried about than the daily
fear-mongering would have us believe.

Many of these scare articles come from Environmental News Service. You can search them yourself. They are self-serving and are political-organizing in action.

And if you are against grants, you might be interested to know that alternative and complementary medical research grants, again in the $1M-$5M range, are being given to firms in Singapore for the purpose of producing herbal remedies that are consistent as to active ingredient and still in herb form. This was from NIH under the White House Complementry & Alternative Medicine Policy aegis.