Dairylogue
Lori Dahm,
technical editor
technical editor
ORGANIC GROWING PAINS
The USDA is currently holding a “comment
period” on the regulation requiring dairy cows have access to pasture
if the products made from their carry the organic label. Recommendations
from the National Organic Standards Board are that organic dairy cows be
granted at least 120 days of pasture; current wording of organic
regulations simply state that the cows must be given some pasture access.
The question is similar to the recent growing pains of
the organic industry overall with respect to synthetic ingredients: What is
the end goal for the organic market? Is it to allow more consumers access
to organic products? Or is it to uphold stringent regulations for how
products qualify as “organic?”
Personally, I think the dairy industry is uniquely
positioned to survive the fallout regardless of how the USDA rules, because
consumers do find value in fluid milk products that are labeled “rBGH
and antibiotic-free,” even if said products are not labeled
“organic.” And while some polls indicate that 60 percent of
consumers would not pay the same price for organic-labeled milk if they
knew the cows were not given free access to pasture, I say let those
products carry a different price, then, and let the market absorb the
resulting stratification.
Organic dairy products are the entry point for many
consumers into the organic world, so it’s interesting that this very
segment is approaching an apocalypse for organic standards. How this issue
is resolved may be a good prognosticator for the future of organic
regulations.
$OMN_arttitle="Dairylogue";?>