Organic Food Shortage Debated

by Sherry Morse

A new report from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) shows that there is an ample supply of organic feed available for feeding farm animals.

The report was issued at the conclusion of a study ordered by Congress after Fieldale Farms Corporation, a Georgia chicken grower, said that there was not enough affordable organic grain on the market to raise "organic" chickens.

Fieldale had originally persuaded lawmakers to include a provision in a spending bill which would allow farmers to use non-organic feeds and still label their meat as organic unless the USDA found a large supply of affordable grain readily available.

That provision was repealed after objections from organic food advocates.

The USDA found that in 2001, the last year figures were available; there were 9.3 million bushels of organic corn available for animal feed.

That amount was well above the one million bushels it is estimated would be needed to fatten the 7.3 million "organic" chickens that were raised that year.

The study also concluded that the cost of organic feed was only one and half times more than the cost of conventional feed which the USDA believes is still affordable.

National standards for "organic" farm animals require farmers to give the animals organic grain, which is grown without the use of chemicals, if they want to label their meat as organic.

The USDA’s research was based on surveys rather than exact figures for organic production and focused largely on chickens.

Fieldale farm officials said that they have sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary questioning the validity of the report, while Julie Quick of the USDA said that the agency stands by the report.

© 2003 Animal News Center, Inc.