organic milk and industrial farming practices

An article in the Wednesday, March 9, edition of USA Today is headed, "'Organic' milk needs a pasture. USDA ruling on grazing is latest round in debate." (Pg 8D.) We read that there "are those who say the only way to satisfy the nation's growing hunger for organic fruit, vegetables and dairy products is by applying industrial farming practices to organic production." But last week "the National Organic Standards Board recommended to the USDA that organic rules be revised to make it clear that organic milk can come only from cows that graze in pastures during the growing season." The debate was brought before the livestock committee thanks to "a formal complaint accusing Aurora Organic Dairy of providing its cows insufficient pasture access ..."

You can read the whole article on line at: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-03-08-cows_x.htm

Though there are organic dairy farms that allow their cows to graze, the USDA has not ruled that they must. And those wishing to pursue a cruelty-free diet should keep in mind that the calves of cows on organic farms are sold to the beef or veal industry and the cows are slaughtered when they are no longer productive. (I will be thrilled if this alert generates a message from a milk producing farm that gives sanctuary to all of its elderly cows and sells none of its calves for meat -- I am yet to hear of one.)

The article's suggestion that the growing demand for organic animal products makes the factory farming of them almost inevitable gives us a nice opportunity for letters to the editor recommending a plant-based diet. USA Today takes letters at:
http://www.usatoday.com/marketing/feedback/feedback-online.aspx?type=18 OR http://tinyurl.com/2yw46 Select "Letter to the editor" from the pulldown menu.

Always include your full name, address, and daytime phone number when sending a letter to the editor. Shorter letters are more likely to be published.

Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn

(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. If you forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts, please do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this tag line.)