"It's Like No Cheese I've Ever Tasted"

- Wallace, to Gromit, from A Grand Day Out. Visit the official Wallace & Gromit site for the sound clip. Or try here.

The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) is meeting today at the Ramada Inn in State College, PA. They're fielding comments about organic dairy production for their pitch to the USDA. Here's their agenda.

The NOSB is a 15-member group that came into existence in 1992 by way of the 1990 Farm Bill. It is this group that makes recommendations to the USDA regarding organic food production. The USDA is not compelled to follow the advice of the NOSB, but it at least listens.

In a few hours, The Cornucopia Institute (among others) will present their Organic Dairy Report and Scorecard to the NOSB at their meeting. You can bet your clotted cream that Horizon and Aurora, two of the largest organic dairy companies in the US - who, according to the Organic Consumers Association, together control 65% of the organic dairy market, who purchase the majority of their milk from feedlot dairies where the cows have little or no access to pasture, and who import calves from conventional farms where animals have been weaned on blood, fed slaughterhouse waste and genetically engineered grains, and injected or dosed with antibiotics - will also be represented.

But the NOSB is also looking for comments from the public. You don't have to travel to PA, you don't have to have slaved over a PowerPoint Presentation, you don't have to dress in coordinated business attire or employ any public speaking skills. No, if you'd like the NOSB to consider your comments, all you need do is fill out this form:

SIGN PETITION TO THE NATIONAL ORGANIC STANDARDS BOARD TO STOP FACTORY FARM ORGANICS

~~~~~~Or for that personal touch, you can submit comments to NOSB by:

Mail:
The National Organic Standards Board
c/o Katherine Benham
Room 4008 - South Building
1400 and Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-0001

E-mail:
Katherine.Benham@usda.gov

Fax:
(202) 205-7808