World 110222

Leahy and Other Lawmakers Urge Swift
Implementation of Proposed Rule On Organic
Livestock and Poultry Standards
Senator Patrick Leahy led a group of 20
senators in writing to Agriculture Secretary
Tom Vilsack to convey their support for the
United States Department of Agriculture’s
(USDA) Organic Livestock and Poultry
Standards (OLPS) proposed rule. Senators
Gillibrand, Brown, Blumenthal, Sanders,
Shaheen, Smith, Booker, Tester, Baldwin,
Hassan, Wyden, Feinstein, Van Hollen, Padilla,
King, Casey, Luján, Collins, and Merkley
joined Leahy in urging USDA to limit the
time frame for implementation to no longer
than three years.
The proposed rule makes progress on
animal welfare by clarifying that enclosed,
screened-in porches do not constitute outdoor
access, and creating minimum indoor and
outdoor space and enrichment requirements
for organically raised chickens. Especially
important is the fact that it levels the playing
field for organic producers who already are
meeting these expectations and ensures that
consumers know what they are feeding their
families.
Leahy, who is widely known as the ‘father’
of the national organic standards and labeling
program, said: “I’m pleased to see USDA under
the Biden administration taking firm action
to defend organic standards. The Organic
Livestock and Poultry Standards rule, alongside
the Origin of Livestock rule published in
March, will ensure that all organic producers
are playing by the same rules, and that consumers
can trust the organic seal.”
“The National Organic Program should
be acting as intended — protecting animals
raised on organic farms and keeping consumers
accurately aware of farming conditions
— not obscuring the truth and allowing cruel
farming practices to get a pass,” said Matt
Bershadker, ASPCA President and CEO.
“The exploitation of the flaws in the National
Organic Program has put the welfare of millions
of animals at risk, and we thank Senator
Leahy for leading 19 of his colleagues in
urging the USDA to revisit the OLPS rule to
fix inconsistencies and loopholes in the program.”
“When USDA finalizes the organics rule, it
will be a landmark federal standard to eliminate
cruel gestation crates and cages, providing
space for pigs, chickens and other species
and banning cruel practices such as face
branding and tail docking. Americans want
to know organic products provide for animal
welfare and that the label means something,”
said Sara Amundson, president of Humane
Society Legislative Fund. “Senator Leahy
has demonstrated tireless leadership to ensure
that the organics program fulfills its promise,
and we’re counting on Secretary Vilsack to
finalize this crucial rule quickl .”
“USDA’s proposed Organic Livestock and
Poultry Standards rule marks a significant
milestone for animal welfare, as the first set of
substantive standards for the raising of farm
animals at the federal level. This landmark
rule will directly improve the lives of millions
of farm animals in the United States,”
said Cathy Liss, President of the Animal Welfare
Institute. “We commend Senator Leahy
– who has long championed organic farming
– for leading this bipartisan letter to Secretary
Vilsack to ensure these long-awaited regulations
are finalized and implemented as swiftly
as possible. Efforts to improve conditions for
animals raised on organic farms have been
decades in the making, so we are grateful to
Senator Leahy for his continued engagement
and to the many senators who joined him in
underscoring the importance of enhancing
animal welfare and fulfilling the mission of
the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990.”
“The Organic Trade Association applauds
Senator Leahy and his colleagues in the U.S.
Senate for their bipartisan effort to fight for
strong animal welfare standards in the USDA
organic program. As the original author of
the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990,
Senator Leahy is the foremost expert in the
Senate on the legal authority and intent of
the law that established the national organic
standards,” said Tom Chapman, OTA’s CEO.
“Strong public trust in the USDA organic
seal is critical to protecting the integrity of
the thriving $63 billion industry. The Organic
Livestock and Poultry Standards proposed
rule will ensuring that consumer expectations
for high animal welfare standards are met and
that organic farmers and businesses are competing
on a level playing field with consistent
and clear requirements that make the highest
standard of care the baseline.”
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Vote No
Article 22/Proposition 5 i
Vermont Constitutional Amendment
The proposed amendment . . .
Is too extreme ii
Is unnecessary iii
Is too vague iv
“The people of Vermont deserve to know the laws that govern them. When the legislature intentionally puts ambiguous
language on the ballot in order for judges to achieve their ultimate goals, the people are left without a voice.” Katherine
Beck Johnson, Family Research Council.
i Article 22. That an individual’s right to personal reproductive autonomy is
central to liberty and dignity to determine one’s own life course and shall not be
the least restrictive means.
ii Article 22 would enshrine the killing of innocent human life throughout pregnancy.
iii Regrettably, Vermont enacted into law a statute in 2019 which prohibits the
government from enacting any abortion restrictions. Hence, the proposed
amendment is not necessary to protect abortion rights. Article 22 goes beyond
abortion to “parts unknown.”
iv Article 22 fails to mention “woman,” “abortion,” gender or any age limits; if it
passes, the full meaning of “personal reproductive autonomy” will be the subject of
judges on a case-by-case basis. As has been said, “[T]he court will interpret the
extent to which the right to personal reproductive autonomy, the extent to what that
protects.” Brynn Hare, Legislative Council, 2019.
Paid for by Tom Kelly, PO Box 269, Barre, VT 05641
November 2, 2022 The WORLD page 7