The organic food sector is drumming up support for the recently ditched organic livestock rule.
Leading the charge, Organic Valley cooperative of Wisconsin says the group is demanding that the Department of Agriculture stop interfering with the public process that created the rule.
The coalition, which includes the National Farmers Union, published a paid open letter in the Washington Post Tuesday, asking Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to reinstate the rule that was issued in January of last year. USDA continually delayed the rule, and announced in December intent to withdraw the rule. The withdraw intent met support from livestock groups and the American Farm Bureau Federation. However, Organic Valley is calling on consumers to submit comments to USDA to reconsider.
Last month, the Organic Trade Association, which is suing USDA over the withdrawal of the rule, said that USDA data shows out of the more than 47,000 comments the department received in the last public comment period for the regulation, 99 percent were in favor of the rule becoming effective without further delay.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service.