"...Can anyone tell me if there are any PRIVATE
organic certifiers that require pasture-access for livestock at all? (dairy
cattle, laying hens, and now meat animals)."
Certainly in Australia the accredited private certifying organisations must
meet the National Standard [relevant extract below].
The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), where I live (a bit equivalent to
the District of Columbia) in 1997 passed legislation banning the sale of
eggs from battery hens, in the knowledge that the law could not come into
effect immediately as it amounted to a restraint in trade and required a
public interest inquiry by the federal Productivity Commission. The report
of the Productivity Commission is at
http://www.indcom.gov.au/inquiry/batthen/report/index.html There may be
information there of relevance elsewhere. The upshot is that the ACT law can
only come into effect when all the states pass similar laws. This has been
pursued nationally by the Greens Party and some others, but without success
so far.
Dennis
====
extract from The Australian National Standard
for Organic and Bio-dynamic Produce
Second Edition
Organic Produce Advisory Committee, Australian Quarantine and Inspection
Service
Copyright ISBN 0-646-35460-4
"
3.27 Animals must have free access to pasture. Choice feeding, whereby
animals are provided with a wide variety of food natural to their diet, is
the preferred method of providing the livestock diet.
3.28 In cases of extreme climatic [in Australia this means drought] or other
extenuating circumstances (such as fires) exemption to fodder inputs may be
granted whereby inputs from other sources may be up to 40% of the dry matter
intake. The use of such feed should be sourced from, in the first instance
(i) in conversion fodder, or
(ii) conventionally produced fodder which may only be used after it has been
demonstrated that products from i) are unavailable.
Where feed is sourced from (i) above certification status is unaffected.
Livestock fed from source (ii) above must, however, be fed on organically
sourced inputs for a consecutive 6 month period before regaining organic
status. Livestock product residue testing may be required.
3.29 The grazing of animals in natural/rangeland areas [this is a wilderness
protection concern] is considered part of an organic production method
provided that the following are met:
- grazing occurs within clearly defined areas that are subject to the
inspection measures set out in Section 5;
- those areas have received no treatments with products other than those
referred to in Annex I for a period of three years before grazing;
- the grazing does not disturb the stability of the natural habitat.
Monitoring of re-establishment and/or maintenance of the original native
species must be undertaken;
- the animals are managed according to this Standard.
3.30 Maintenance of livestock must be guided by an attitude of care,
responsibility and respect for living creatures. Pain inflicted by
treatments such as castrating, marking and mulesing, must be kept to a
minimum. The use of anaesthetics will not result in loss of organic status.
Stress must be minimised. Living conditions must consider the natural needs
of the animal for free movement, food, water, shelter and shade.
Consideration must be given to their specific natural behavioural patterns
and access provided to pasture at all times.
3.31 The use of artificial practices such as lighting to increase
productivity is not permitted."
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