After the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its plan to approve food from clones in December, organic advocates quickly noted that such products would be excluded from organic production under current rules. However, biotechnology industry spokespeople have stated that they believe that cloned food should be permitted in products labeled as organic. While the National Organic Program (NOP) announced in January that clones would not be allowed under organic standards, the question of the progeny of clones remains unanswered.

The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) has a meeting planned to discuss this issue March 27 – 29, 2007. Tell the NOSB to adopt a ban on animal clones AND their offspring in the organic standards. Please send us your comments by March 26th - we will present all the comments we receive at the meeting!

Sample Letter for Campaign

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

Ms. Valerie Frances, Executive Director, NOSB, USDA-AMS-TMD-NOP, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., Room 4008-So., Ag Stop 0268, Washington, DC? 20250-0268

Re: Docket #AMS-TM-07-0032; TM-07-05 Cloned animals and their progeny in organic production

Dear Ms. Frances,

I am writing regarding Docket #AMS-TM-07-0032; TM-07-05 on Cloned animals and their progeny in organic production.

As a consumer, I expect the foods I purchase under the organic label to meet the strictest environmental, health, food safety and animal welfare standards - clones and their offspring do not fit into that expectation.

Please adopt a ban on animal clones AND their offspring in the Organic Standards.

It is clear that the rules governing organic food production prohibits use of clones. A recent paper for the nonprofit Organic Center by a former Director of the National Organic Standards Board clearly outlines the exclusion from organics of products from clones. In his paper, "Is the FDA's Cloning Proposal Ready for Prime Time", University of Minnesota's James Riddle notes that organic production excludes products that make use of cell fusion, a technique often used in animal cloning. The National Organic rule states that cell fusion and other methods are used to "influence [an organisms] growth and development by means that are not possible under natural conditions - and are not considered compatible with organic production." The use in cloning of artificial hormones to induce labor is also prohibited in organics.

Under organic rules, animals must be provided with care that promotes their "natural behaviors," including reproductive behavior, and must establish and maintain preventative livestock health care practices. But cloning clearly precludes natural reproduction. Further, defects in clones are common, often with horribly painful outcomes for animals. By its nature, therefore, cloning cannot meet the rules for health required to meet organic standards.

Thank you for taking my comments into consideration.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
March 20, 2007