Update: USDA's Republican Leadership Officially Withdraws Animal Welfare Rules For Certified 'Organic'

In late January 2018, Smart Dissent published the post below.  This is an update to record that unfortunately this action has now been made official.

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Monday that it is officially withdrawing the final rule it delayed for the third time in November..... that would have set new standards for the way animals should be treated if their meat is going to be sold as “certified organic.”

The rule stipulated, for example, that poultry must be housed in spaces that are big enough for the birds to move freely, stretch their wings, stand normally and engage in natural behaviors. Livestock, meanwhile, must be provided access to an outdoor space year round.

The Organic Trade Association (OTA), which first filed suit against the USDA in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in September over the department’s failure to put the organic livestock and poultry practices rule into effect, said Monday it plans to amend its complaint.

“We will continue our fight in the court. USDA has requested that this case be dismissed; now they have announced they are withdrawing the rule. But this issue will not go away. This latest action by USDA will only invigorate and solidify more support for this regulation," said Laura Batcha, OTA's CEO and executive director.

Source: http://thehill.com/regulation/administration/377947-usda-withdraws-animal-welfare-rule

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The slogan "Drain the Swamp" actually meant undoing many well-researched societal protections put in place over the years.  These protections, known to most as regulations, can take years and sometimes a decade to implement.  Republicans are thrilled to have control of Congress despite the lunatic in the White House so they can undo as many as possible at the behest of their corporate overlords.

The Trump administration is rolling back Obama-era rules for how animals should be treated if their meat is going to be sold as “certified organic.”  The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced its plan to withdraw the final rules, which were originally set to take effect on March 20 after having been delayed three times.

What are the rules they are undoing?

.... poultry must be housed in spaces that are big enough for the birds to move freely, stretch their wings, stand normally and engage in natural behaviors.  Livestock must be provided access to an outdoor space year-round and be kept in indoor pens that are sufficiently large, solidly built and comfortable so that the animals are kept clean, dry and free of lesions.

Simple protections for animal welfare which we believe nearly all Americans agree with. But the long-delayed rules would cost the enormous factory farming industry a few dollars so Republican politicians whose pockets they line have done as instructed and ended them.

The Center for Food Safety slammed the USDA for walking back needed clarity on organic animal care.

“In particular, the rules require all animals to have real access to the outdoors, which must include contact with soil and vegetation, and outline minimum spacing requirements for poultry.  This is, in fact, what consumers already expect from the organic poultry and eggs they buy in stores. But the largest poultry producers have so far been able to consider small, cement, fenced-in areas as outdoor access and have not been required to abide by specific spacing limitations," according to Cameron Harsh, the group’s senior manager for organic and animal policy.

Source: http://thehill.com/regulation/365432-usda-withdraws-welfare-rules-for-animals-certified-organic