Nothing Sour About New US Organic Milk Rules
US - Unfortunately, not all "organic" milk is created equal. The Department of Agriculture is adding regulations to ensure that true organic practices are used.
6 May 2009
1 minute read
Due to a loophole in the US organic certification criteria for dairy products, some organic milk comes from factory farms where thousands upon thousands of cows are raised and milked in depressing indoor feedlots, Sarah Parsons of PlentyMag.com reported earlier this week.
But now, the Department of Agriculture has taken steps to change that horrifying situation, issuing draft rules that would require that cows get at least 30 per cent of their intake from grass and be on pasture for at least 120 days a year. Current law only requires that cows be fed organic grains (in addition to being hormone- and antibiotic-free)—there are no specifications for how cows should be raised.
The rules come after years of outcry from farmers and organic food advocates, writes Mrs Parsons.
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