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Thread: Cornucopia Institute identifies industrial factory farms illegally passing off meat as 'organi

  1. #1

    Exclamation Cornucopia Institute identifies industrial factory farms illegally passing off meat as 'organi

    Cornucopia Institute identifies industrial factory farms illegally passing off meat as 'organic'

    Saturday, October 18, 2014
    by: Julie Wilson

    In a food market driven by money, greed and power, our only hope for access to clean, sustainable and humanely treated food are watchdog groups whose sole purpose is to keep the industry under a microscope.

    That's exactly what The Cornucopia Institute does -- a relentless organic watchdog group whose mission is to "draw attention to and rein in abuses from the rise of factory farm confinement dairy operations in organic agriculture."

    The organic watchdog group spotlights factory farms selling "organic" food, a practice that puts real organic farmers out of business and tricks the public into believing that they're buying a product that's healthy, sustainable and treated humanely.

    Farm visits, aerial imagery, industry sources and tips from "intelligence agents" allowed Cornucopia to identify and examine brands suspected of producing their "organic" products in industrial-sized facilities whose operations totally violate federal organic standards.

    So-called "organic" farms caught cheating by confining livestock and restricting access to green pastures

    Federally mandated organic standards state that living conditions for livestock must "accommodate the health and natural behavior of animals." This means that both cows and chickens absolutely must have year-round access to green pastures for grazing, shade, sunlight and fresh water and live unconfined, Cornucopia reports.

    Temporary confinement is only allowed to provide safety, treat illness or injury and because of bad weather and risks to soil or water quality. Satellite imagery allows the watchdog group to detect and report operations violating these standards.

    An aerial photo taken of Aurora Dairy's "organic" farm in Stratford, Texas, shows thousands of cows confined to dirt-based feedlots with no opportunity to graze on green grass. The nearby fields have been freshly mowed with the feed already baled for future use, notes Cornucopia.

    "We see thousands of cows at this operation without any pasture as organic law requires," said Mark Kastel, Cornucopia's Senior Farm Policy Analyst.

    Aurora Dairy insists that "[h]igh standards for animal care are the cornerstones" of their farm and that their cows eat organic pasture and feed. Their website substantiates these lies by using pictures of seemingly happy cows grazing in green pastures.

    Continued...
    “The spirits of darkness are now among us. We have to be on guard so that we may realize what is happening when we encounter them and gain a real idea of where they are to be found. The most dangerous thing you can do in the immediate future will be to give yourself up unconsciously to the influences which are definitely present.” ~ Rudolf Steiner



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  3. #2
    False advertising, whodda thunk.....

    If you don't have the ability to go to the farm, or the money to buy real food in the city, then move.

    Ain't 'nuthin' more important than good food.

    (Well maybe good booze)

  4. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by tod evans View Post
    False advertising, whodda thunk.....

    If you don't have the ability to go to the farm, or the money to buy real food in the city, then move.

    Ain't 'nuthin' more important than good food.

    (Well maybe good booze)
    But...but...it's 'USDA Certified Organic.' Government would NEVER lie to the citizens.
    “The spirits of darkness are now among us. We have to be on guard so that we may realize what is happening when we encounter them and gain a real idea of where they are to be found. The most dangerous thing you can do in the immediate future will be to give yourself up unconsciously to the influences which are definitely present.” ~ Rudolf Steiner

  5. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by donnay View Post
    But...but...it's 'USDA Certified Organic.' Government would NEVER lie to the citizens.
    So, your complaint here is that the government is not enforcing their standards enough?
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    Pinochet is the model
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    Enforced internal open borders was one of the worst elements of the Constitution.

  6. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by TheCount View Post
    So, your complaint here is that the government is not enforcing their standards enough?
    No, that silly "USDA Certified Organic" seal makes people believe that they are getting the very best quality of food source. Because they think Government would never deliberately lie to them. Kind of like the FDA seal of approval...people have a blind trust in believing if government approves it, the product should be good for you.

    Government should be completely out of these business all together!
    “The spirits of darkness are now among us. We have to be on guard so that we may realize what is happening when we encounter them and gain a real idea of where they are to be found. The most dangerous thing you can do in the immediate future will be to give yourself up unconsciously to the influences which are definitely present.” ~ Rudolf Steiner

  7. #6
    How could confining animals and not giving them access to green pastures mean that there meat wasn't organic?

    Does that word even mean anything any more?

  8. #7
    I only buy local. Support your local grass-fed farmers and ranchers!

  9. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by erowe1 View Post
    How could confining animals and not giving them access to green pastures mean that there meat wasn't organic?

    Does that word even mean anything any more?
    This article lays it out quite well...


    How Factory Farms Impact You

    Over the last two decades, small- and medium-scale livestock farms have given way to factory farms that confine thousands of cows, hogs and chickens in tightly packed facilities. The growth of these factory farms has contributed to a host of environmental, public health, economic, food safety and animal welfare problems. Tens of thousands of animals can generate millions of tons of manure annually, which pollutes water and air and can have health repercussions on neighbors and nearby communities. Consumers in distant markets also feel the impacts, either through foodborne illness outbreaks or other public health risks. Even many factory farm operators are not benefitting from this system of production because they are not getting paid much for the livestock they raise.

    No Accident

    The rise of factory farming was no accident. It resulted from public policy choices driven by big agribusinesses, especially meatpackers and processors that dominate the critical steps in the food chain between livestock producers and consumers. The silos and gentle meadows pictured on the labels of the food most Americans buy have little relation to how that food is actually produced. Most of the pork, beef, poultry, dairy and eggs produced in the United States come from large-scale, confined livestock operations.

    Too Much Manure

    These animals produce tremendous amounts of manure. Large-scale commercial livestock and poultry operations produce an estimated 500 million tons of manure each year, more than three times the sewage produced by the entire U.S. human population.i Unlike the household waste produced in an overwhelming majority of U.S. communities, which have municipal sewer systems, the manure and waste from livestock operations is untreated. Factory farm waste is stored in manure pits or lagoons, and ultimately it is applied to farm fields as fertilizer. As the Wisconsin State Journal noted, “[u]nlike cities, which treat their waste, most of the large farms dispose of manure the same way farmers disposed of it in the Middle Ages – by spreading it on fields as fertilizer.”ii

    Small, diversified farms that raise animals as well as other crops have always used manure as fertilizer without polluting water. The difference with factory farms is scale. They produce so much waste in one place that it must be applied to land in quantities that exceed the soil’s ability to incorporate it. The vast quantities of manure can – and do – make their way into the local environment where they pollute the air and water. Manure contains nitrogen, phosphorus and often bacteria that can endanger the environment and human health. Manure lagoons leak, and farmers over-apply manure to their fields, which allows manure and other wastes to seep into local streams and groundwater. Residential drinking wells can be contaminated with dangerous bacteria that can sicken neighbors and the runoff can damage the ecological balance of streams and rivers. In some cases, manure spills that reach waterways can kill aquatic life.

    Large quantities of decomposing manure doesn’t just stink, it can be a health hazard as well. Noxious gas emissions from manure holding tanks and lagoons – including hydrogen sulfide, ammonia and methane – can cause skin rashes, breathing problems and headaches, and long-term exposure can lead to neurological problems. For children, senior citizens and adults with other health problems, exposure to these fumes can cause even more problems.

    Spreading Disease

    Industrial livestock operations also can create public health hazards in other ways. The facilities are over-crowded and stressful to animals, making it easy for disease to spread. When thousands of beef cattle are packed into feedlots full of manure, bacteria can get on their hides and then into the slaughterhouses. Contamination on even one steer can contaminate thousands of pounds of meat inside a slaughterhouse. In 2010, the crowded, unsanitary conditions at two Iowa egg companies caused a recall of more than half a billion potentially Salmonella-tainted eggs.

    Overuse of Antibiotics

    Factory farms can create public health concerns beyond foodborne illness. Because over-crowded animals are susceptible to infection and disease, most industrial livestock facilities treat the animals with low-levels of antibiotics to prevent illness and also promote weight gain. By creating a breeding ground for antibiotic-resistant bacteria, the sub-therapeutic dosages used on millions of factory-farmed livestock can reduce the effectiveness of antibiotics for human patients. The feed used for livestock can also introduce public health threats. Broiler chickens often receive arsenic-based feed additives to promote pinker flesh and faster growth, and beef cattle continue to be fed with animal byproducts, which increases the risk of mad cow disease.

    Continued...
    “The spirits of darkness are now among us. We have to be on guard so that we may realize what is happening when we encounter them and gain a real idea of where they are to be found. The most dangerous thing you can do in the immediate future will be to give yourself up unconsciously to the influences which are definitely present.” ~ Rudolf Steiner



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  11. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by donnay View Post
    This article lays it out quite well...
    I don't see how. What does any of that have to do with being organic?

  12. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by erowe1 View Post
    I don't see how. What does any of that have to do with being organic?
    Because Organic farmers do not use antibiotics, hormones, or steroids in the animals. Factory farms do.
    “The spirits of darkness are now among us. We have to be on guard so that we may realize what is happening when we encounter them and gain a real idea of where they are to be found. The most dangerous thing you can do in the immediate future will be to give yourself up unconsciously to the influences which are definitely present.” ~ Rudolf Steiner

  13. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by donnay View Post
    Because Organic farmers do not use antibiotics, hormones, or steroids in the animals. Factory farms do.
    1) Since when do any of those things make meat any less organic?

    2) According to what you copied and pasted in post #8, that's not always true. Notice that is says, "most."

    3) If those things are the real issue, then why not make them the basis of the charge, rather than focusing on the point about open pasture?

    It looks to me like they're using some definition of "organic" that requires the animals to graze on open pasture, which just seems to me to make the word into a farce.

  14. #12
    I've always considered the term organic to be subjective...

    Given that, a product labeled organic in the mom-n-pop healthfood store is going to be viewed in a better light than a product labeled organic in WalMart..

    Either way, if it's not grown locally there's a high probability that somewhere down the line there's something in it one could find offensive...

    I'm not so particular that it really matters and I only put minimal faith in labels designed for mass marketing.

  15. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by erowe1 View Post
    1) Since when do any of those things make meat any less organic?

    2) According to what you copied and pasted in post #8, that's not always true. Notice that is says, "most."

    3) If those things are the real issue, then why not make them the basis of the charge, rather than focusing on the point about open pasture?

    It looks to me like they're using some definition of "organic" that requires the animals to graze on open pasture, which just seems to me to make the word into a farce.
    Well prior to the USDA getting involved people who wanted organic beef looked for pasture grass-fed beef. Also where ranchers didn't used antibiotic, steroids and hormones on their cattle.

    One of the very reasons I buy local. The government sources I personally do not trust.
    “The spirits of darkness are now among us. We have to be on guard so that we may realize what is happening when we encounter them and gain a real idea of where they are to be found. The most dangerous thing you can do in the immediate future will be to give yourself up unconsciously to the influences which are definitely present.” ~ Rudolf Steiner

  16. #14
    The term organic is misleading.

    Claiming no pesticides, hormones or antibiotics have been added would be much better, along with things like "free range". The organic labeling here has ridiculous requirements which drive up the prices, especially for chicken. Organic chickens here need 50ft of space, 10 indoors and 40 outdoors, each. Which frankly is more than most chicken coups people have at home have to offer. Organic chicken is something like 12$ a lb here.. I just want chicken with no hormones, but this ridiculous space requirement along with yearly fees to the organic 'label' drive up the price. Which in turn invites fraud.
    Last edited by luctor-et-emergo; 10-19-2014 at 06:02 PM.

  17. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by luctor-et-emergo View Post
    The term organic is misleading.

    Claiming no pesticides, hormones or antibiotics have been added would be much better, along with things like "free range". The organic labeling here has ridiculous requirements which drive up the prices, especially for chicken. Organic chickens here need 50ft of space, 10 indoors and 40 outdoors, each. Which frankly is more than most chicken coups people have at home have to offer. Organic chicken is something like 12$ a lb here.. I just want chicken with no hormones, but this ridiculous space requirement along with yearly fees to the organic 'label' drive up the price. Which in turn invites fraud.
    That's probably government regulations--with regards to space requirements. However, along with no hormones, I want my food antibiotic-free as well, and living in respectively clean conditions. Otherwise, if they are wallowing in their own feces and not getting clean food and water, and not getting fresh air and sunlight you are begging for illness to livestock, as well as passing on the sickness to the people who eat them.
    “The spirits of darkness are now among us. We have to be on guard so that we may realize what is happening when we encounter them and gain a real idea of where they are to be found. The most dangerous thing you can do in the immediate future will be to give yourself up unconsciously to the influences which are definitely present.” ~ Rudolf Steiner

  18. #16
    Here is an example from the chicken/ egg industry. http://seattletimes.com/html/picture...icorother.html

    These are "organic cage free" chickens.

    Cage-free, organic chickens congregate inside a house Stiebrs Farms in Yelm, Thurston County, Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2010. They are free to leave through large doors and roam outside on the grassy lawns
    They are free to roam outside, but seems few actually do.

    Cage-free, organic chickens roam the grounds of Stiebrs Farms in Yelm, Thurston County, Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2010. The farm has about 125,000 organic hens.


    The end product ready to be shipped to customers:


    Next year a new law (passed via referendum) which restricts chicken coops takes effect in California. It covers all eggs sold in the state- not just those raised in the state. Producers warn of a high increase in the price of eggs a result of their higher costs.
    http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/...rnia-chickens/

    A California proposition set to go into effect at the beginning of 2015 is at the center of a lawsuit from five states. The proposition mandates eggs can only be sold in the state if they come from chickens housed in cages that meet certain size requirements, larger than the typical industry standard.

    The California law requires a chicken coop be 60 square feet (five feet by 12 feet) and hold no more than 60 chickens. At that size, an at-capacity cage would allow one square foot per chicken.
    Last edited by Zippyjuan; 10-20-2014 at 01:44 AM.



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  20. #17
    The basic requirements to be "organic":
    http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/blog...ic-really-mean

    If you’ve been tempted to buy organic meat or poultry but you’re not sure what it means, read on! In order to be certified to the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) organic standards farms and ranches must follow a strict set of guidelines. A third-party certifier inspects these farms and ranches annually to ensure the organic standards are met.

    Here are a few of the key requirements for organic poultry, cattle and pigs:

    Must be raised organically on certified organic land
    Must be fed certified organic feed
    No antibiotics or added growth hormones are allowed*
    Must have outdoor access


    *Federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones in raising pork and poultry.

    The animals’ organic feed cannot contain animal by-products, antibiotics or genetically engineered grains and cannot be grown using persistent pesticides or chemical fertilizers.
    This is how people would like to imagine their organic beef being raised:


    http://foodrevolution.org/blog/the-t...grassfed-beef/

    Grassfed or organic?

    It’s important to remember that organic is not the same as grassfed. Natural food stores often sell organic beef and dairy products that are hormone- and antibiotic- free. These products come from animals who were fed organically grown grain, but who typically still spent most of their lives (or in the case of dairy cows perhaps their whole lives) in feedlots. The sad reality is that almost all the organic beef and organic dairy products sold in the U.S. today comes from feedlots.

    Just as organic does not mean grass-fed, grass-fed does not mean organic. Pastured animals sometimes graze on land that has been treated with synthetic fertilizers and even doused with herbicides. Unless the meat label specifically says it is both grassfed and organic, it isn’t.
    And even "Grass fed" doesn't necessarily mean the photo above either. What does a grass fed cow eat in winter when there is no fresh grass? http://grassrunfarms.blogspot.com/20...in-winter.html Bales of grasses like hay bales. That can be done at industrial size ranches with thousands of cows- and they can be fed that way year- round too if they want. They don't have to actually be out roaming around freely in green pastures. There are other considerations as well.

    The sobering reality is that cattle grazing in the U.S. is already taking a tremendous toll on the environment. Even with almost all U.S. beef cattle spending much of their lives in feedlots, seventy percent of the land area of the American West is currently used for grazing livestock. More than two-thirds of the entire land area of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and Idaho is used for rangeland. In the American West, virtually every place that can be grazed, is grazed. The results aren’t pretty. As one environmental author put it, “Cattle grazing in the West has polluted more water, eroded more topsoil, killed more fish, displaced more wildlife, and destroyed more vegetation than any other land use.”
    The price that western lands and wildlife are paying for grazing cattle is hard to exaggerate. Conscientious management of rangelands can certainly reduce the damage, but widespread production of grassfed beef would only multiply this already devastating toll.

    “Most of the public lands in the West, and especially the Southwest, are what you might call ‘cow burnt.’ Almost anywhere and everywhere you go in the American West you find hordes of cows. . . . They are a pest and a plague. They pollute our springs and streams and rivers. They infest our canyons, valleys, meadows and forests. They graze off the native bluestems and grama and bunch grasses, leaving behind jungles of prickly pear. They trample down the native forbs and shrubs and cacti. They spread the exotic cheatgrass, the Russian thistle, and the crested wheat grass. Even when the cattle are not physically present, you see the dung and the flies and the mud and the dust and the general destruction. If you don’t see it, you’ll smell it. The whole American West stinks of cattle.” — Edward Abbey, conservationist and author, in a speech before cattlemen at the University of Montana in 1985
    Last edited by Zippyjuan; 10-19-2014 at 11:51 PM.

  21. #18
    Organic =/= free range, zippy.
    Quote Originally Posted by Torchbearer
    what works can never be discussed online. there is only one language the government understands, and until the people start speaking it by the magazine full... things will remain the same.
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  22. #19
    True but the chickens in the picture were identified as "free range organic chickens" by the author of the article. Organic only requires "access" to the outdoors- not that they be freely roaming around outdoors.

  23. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by Zippyjuan View Post
    There are other considerations as well.
    That's a consequence of the gigantic Federal land grab in the West and crony-capitalism. If ranchers had to actually buy or lease their range land at market rates, they would use dramatically less of it and irrigate it. They let the cattle run all over creation now because it is "public" land.
    The proper concern of society is the preservation of individual freedom; the proper concern of the individual is the harmony of society.

    "Who would be free, themselves must strike the blow." - Byron

    "Who overcomes by force, hath overcome but half his foe." - Milton

  24. #21
    Quote Originally Posted by Zippyjuan View Post
    True but the chickens in the picture were identified as "free range organic chickens" by the author of the article. Organic only requires "access" to the outdoors- not that they be freely roaming around outdoors.
    It is really hard to find decent eggs. To produce eggs that are good to eat, chickens need to be eating lots of bugs and greens, not grain and soy. That means the chickens need many acres of lush pasture. Having them scratch around in a barren patch of land, eating mainly grain and legumes from a bucket does not do the job. So even "organic" and "free-range" eggs generally suck although not as much as the caged variety.
    The proper concern of society is the preservation of individual freedom; the proper concern of the individual is the harmony of society.

    "Who would be free, themselves must strike the blow." - Byron

    "Who overcomes by force, hath overcome but half his foe." - Milton

  25. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by Acala View Post
    It is really hard to find decent eggs. To produce eggs that are good to eat, chickens need to be eating lots of bugs and greens, not grain and soy. That means the chickens need many acres of lush pasture. Having them scratch around in a barren patch of land, eating mainly grain and legumes from a bucket does not do the job. So even "organic" and "free-range" eggs generally suck although not as much as the caged variety.
    I agree.

    If more farmers allowed free-range the bug population would go down and less pesticides would be needed.
    “The spirits of darkness are now among us. We have to be on guard so that we may realize what is happening when we encounter them and gain a real idea of where they are to be found. The most dangerous thing you can do in the immediate future will be to give yourself up unconsciously to the influences which are definitely present.” ~ Rudolf Steiner

  26. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by donnay View Post
    I agree.

    If more farmers allowed free-range the bug population would go down and less pesticides would be needed.
    Chickens'll strip a field bare if there's enough of 'em, just a dozen hens will ruin a garden...

  27. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by tod evans View Post
    Chickens'll strip a field bare if there's enough of 'em, just a dozen hens will ruin a garden...

    Oh I know that. I am talking about open pastures.

    Guinea hens eat the heck out of ticks.
    Last edited by donnay; 10-20-2014 at 12:23 PM.
    “The spirits of darkness are now among us. We have to be on guard so that we may realize what is happening when we encounter them and gain a real idea of where they are to be found. The most dangerous thing you can do in the immediate future will be to give yourself up unconsciously to the influences which are definitely present.” ~ Rudolf Steiner



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  29. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by donnay View Post
    Oh I know that. I am talking about open pastures.

    Ginny hens eat the heck out of ticks.
    I wonder if we could incorporate some of that gene splicing to create hens big enough to eat the tax-ticks?

  30. #26
    Quote Originally Posted by donnay View Post
    Oh I know that. I am talking about open pastures.

    Guinea hens eat the heck out of ticks.
    Now THERE'S a thought!
    The proper concern of society is the preservation of individual freedom; the proper concern of the individual is the harmony of society.

    "Who would be free, themselves must strike the blow." - Byron

    "Who overcomes by force, hath overcome but half his foe." - Milton



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