Take action to stop abuse in the organic dairy sector!

On June 25 the House of Representatives passed a Fiscal Year 2020 agriculture spending bill that included a provision to level the playing field for organic dairy producers. It would require USDA to issue a final regulation on ‘Origin of Livestock’ – the rules for how conventional dairy cows are transitioned into organic herds – within 180 days.

Now we need the Senate to take the same action to protect organic dairy producers.

The Senate Appropriations Committee will decide whether or not to include the provision requiring USDA to take action on Origin of Livestock.

Is your Senator on the appropriations committee?  

If yes, call the capital switchboard and ask to be connected to your Senator’s office: 

202-224-3121

Ask to speak with the staffer who works on agriculture or leave a message with whoever answers the phone. Use these talking points:

-          I’m calling as a constituent and an organic farmer. I want to thank Senator xx for his/her leadership to advance organic agriculture and organic dairy farming.

-          I am calling to urge Senator xx to fight for the inclusion of a provision in the Fiscal Year 2020 Senate appropriations bill to require USDA to issue a final regulation on Origin of Livestock as soon as possible. The House has already taken this action. We need the Senate to do the same.

-          This regulation is urgently needed to restore fairness in the organic dairy sector.

-          Some organic dairy farms have used loopholes to continuously bring conventional dairy livestock into organic herds. This has distorted the market and created an economic disadvantage for organic farmers who play by the rules because it costs them more to raise calves organically.

-          This abuse must stop – organic dairy farms are struggling to survive. Without new regulations to level the playing field, we will see continued consolidation within organic dairy and the demise of many family-scale organic dairy operations.

After making this call, send the us a quick email to let us know about your outreach: Abby@NationalOrganicCoalition.org