The USDA stole the term Organically Grown so that their cronies in big business could abuse consumers and lockout small farmers.
The USDA is in the process of stealing the term Grass Fed so their Big Ag affiliates will be able to do confinement feeding of grass and confuse consumers who think they’re getting pasture raised meat.
Now the USDA has filed in the Federal Registry a request for comments in order to steal the term “Naturally Raised”. There is already an independent small farmer based organization NaturallyGrown.org that has been doing Certified Naturally Grown for years.
Oppose the government and Big Ag take over. Go to the Federal Registry and leave comments. Here is a page where comments can be added. Click on the Add Comment icon on the right. You can also mail comments to:
Naturally Raised Marketing Claim,
Room 2607-S, AMS, USDA,
1400 Independence Avenue, SW.
Washington, DC 20250-0254or by fax to (202) 720-1112
Also go to NaturallyGrown.org and join. Fight back through action.
Here are my comments:
I am commenting on:
Docket No. AMS-LS-07-0131; LS-07-16
United States Standards for Livestock and Meat Marketing Claims,
Naturally Raised Claim for Livestock and the Meat and Meat Products
Derived From Such LivestockI specifically object to this part:
“The feeding of mammalian or avian by-products is prohibited. Livestock cannot be fed rations that include components that are mammalian or avian derived.”
We feed our pastured pigs (and chickens) whey, milk, yogurt, cheese, etc. All of that is mammalian derived and a perfectly fine natural diet. Combined with pasture/hay it makes for an excellently balanced diet that our animals thrive on.
Additionally the government standards subverts the definition of Certified Naturally Grown by making absolutely no reference to how the animals were raised. Using the government definition animals could be raised in large confinement operations and still qualify for Naturally Raised. That is anything but Natural. This is just a coopting of the term like the USDA already did with Certified Organic.
I also generally object to the government creating one more branding program which will be abused by big business. We already have a Certified Naturally Grown program at http://NaturallyGrown.org and do not need government interference or dilution of that mark.
Walter Jeffries
Sugar Mountain Farm
West Topsham, Vermont 05086
Update: See USDA Stole CNG and Naturally Raised Mammillary and get your comments in before the 1/28 deadline.