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Senate Repeals Exemption for 'Organic' Chicken (Saturday, April 5, 2003 -- CropChoice news) -- Associated Press:
The Senate has repealed an exemption that allowed chicken farmers to call their product organic even if the chickens never ate organic meal, as long as the farmers could prove there was a shortage of the feed.
The repeal, passed late Thursday night, had the support of the organic foods industry, environmental groups and Bush administration officials.
The exemption originated in the House in February as part of a giant spending bill for nonmilitary programs.
Rep. Nathan Deal (R-Ga.) had persuaded his colleagues to allow companies to label their products as organically fed if they could prove to the Agriculture Department there was a shortage of organic meal. Deal's aides did not return calls after the reversal.
Government organic labeling standards that went into effect in November require farmers to certify that they do not use conventional pesticides and fertilizers, biotechnology, antibiotics or growth hormones. | |
