NPPC Calls Organic Animal Welfare Standards “Another Poke in the Eye”

In a parting gift from the Obama administration, the Department of Agriculture has issued a regulation that adds animal welfare standards to the nation’s organic food production law. The National Pork Producers Council, which opposes the move, says the gift “is not welcomed” by the pork industry. USDA’s amendment to the Organic Food Production Act of 1990 would strictly dictate how organic producers must raise livestock and poultry and specify which standard practices are allowed and prohibited in organic farming. NPPC calls the regulation an overreach of standards that are not based on science and outside of the scope of the organic food production law. NPPC says some of the standards even could jeopardize animal and public health, as the provision on outdoor access conflicts with best management practices to prevent swine diseases that pose a threat to animal and human health.