Ecology and Farming

Special Feature: Animals in Organic Production
Fostering Organic
Livestock Research–
Priorities and
Preferences
by Jim Riddle
In the United States, it has
only been legal to label meat
as “organic” since February
1999. Because of this, the
organic livestock industry is still
very much in its infancy, but
production is growing rapidly.
Now the Organic Outreach
Coordinator at the University of
Minnesota, Jim Riddle evaluates
strategies for fostering organic
livestock research.
Jim Riddle giving his keynote speech at the 1st IFOAM International Conference on Animals in
Organic Production.
The Growing Organic Livestock Industry
Certified organic pasture and rangeland more than doubled
between 1997 and 2001, and was up 28 percent from 2000 to
2001, mirroring the rapid expansion in organic livestock and
poultry. The number of certified organic beef cattle, milk cows,
hogs, pigs, sheep, and lambs was up nearly four-fold since 1997,
and up 27 percent from 2000 to 2001. Poultry animals raised
under certified organic management – including laying hens,
broilers, and turkeys – showed even higher rates of growth
during this period. With the Organic Foods Production Act
now in force, and with consumer demand for organic products
growing at over 20 percent per year, expanded research is
needed to support livestock producers who choose to enter this
growing sector.
20 Special Feature: Animals in Organic Production Ecology & Farming | SEptEmbEr - DEcEmbEr 2006