U.S. Agriculture Department rescinds changes to organic food standards

The Bush administration reversed itself Wednesday and moved four changes in organic food standards that threatened said critics had to undermine public confidence in the word organic.

Secretary of Agriculture Ann M. Veneman announced yesterday that it was acquiring title changes, made your Federal organic food standards Department last month.

Last month feed the departments, the agricultural marketing services what it called clarification of standards issued, so antibiotics in dairy cows, certain chemicals in pesticides and cattle, nonorganic fish meal contains the changes announced you created a firestorm in the organic community.

Mrs Veneman confirmed the response to a press conference yesterday.

"" It has been a tremendous amount of interest in this concern about what it does,"said Mrs Veneman.""This is a problem that has come in the media in the last couple days," she added, "We take to withdraw action what did A.M.S.."

Critics of the changes, officials with the said national organic standards Board, had consulted a consultative Panel of experts, when the law said verlangt.Frau Veneman to decide these officials now with the Executive Board, as the issues would work.

She said, however, the marketing services in good faith had acted.

The new guidelines would allow organic dairy for disease with any drug, including antibiotics and growth hormones treated and on an organic farm milk from animals remain producer 12 months long waited for sale.

She would have allowed the use of fish meal, like a feed for organic animal complement although fishmeal can contain synthetic preservatives and contaminants such as mercury and PCBs.

And the use of certain pesticides would have allowed the inert ingredients of these pesticides are prohibited.

Had explain guidelines, Department officials said but were not creating new rules laying down the boundaries of the existing rules.

Senator Patrick j. Leahy, Democrat of Vermont, and father of the national organic program standards two years ago established, Mrs Veneman praised for your reply.

"" The Secretary of the law to follow and with the National Organic Standards Board, and is welcome to consult News decided has ", said Mr. Leahy."The organic standards and labeling program is still in its infancy, and this is a critical time for your Glaubwürdigkeit.Diese programs credibility has been built with full public and stakeholder participation, and we must remain so."

The withdrawal of the directives came on the same day, Mr Leahy a letter to Senate colleagues signature began, crowd the retraction of moves into circulation.

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