Tell Retailers to Stop Selling Cheap Palm-Oil Products; Submit Your Comments for Farm Bill 2018;

Tell Retailers to Stop Selling Cheap Palm-Oil Products

When concerned citizen and public health advocate, Rich Miller, wrote to Trader Joe’s to complain about its surfeit of products which use palm oil, the company responded by saying that they’d reconsider their products if more people showed an interest. Right now, regulators in regions where Palm forests are abundant, do not maintain high standards for workers rights, protection, or environmental remediation methods. Rather, people are suffering and land is being deforested and animals are going extinct, all  because of this fast-paced, palm oil industry. Planting, burning, and meeting the demand of our ever-continual desire for cheap, processed foods must stop. Let us bring awareness to the issue of unsustainably-sourced Palm Oil and, in the meantime, look and share the alternatives.

Click here to add your name to Rich’s petition, and then pass it along to your friends.

CALL NOW and SHARE to MAKE OUR VOICE HEARD

The Senate Committee on Agriculture is finalizing their draft version of the 2018 Farm Bill right now, and they need to hear about your organic priorities. Your phone call now can help get organic priorities into the Senate version of the Farm Bill – and put organics on the path to victory.
Phone Calls Are Needed Immediately 
Please call your Senator on the Agriculture Committee.

United States Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121

The message is simple:

“I am a constituent and am calling to ask Senator _______ to advocate for organic research in the Farm Bill proposal.”
Top Ask: Increase support for organic research in the Farm Bill
Reauthorize the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative Program (OREI) and increase the funding to $50 million over the life of the Farm Bill, as outlined in the bipartisan marker bill S 2404. U.S. Organic Farmers need a fair share of federal research support in the 2018 Farm Bill.

Call Kirsten Gillibrand (NY) – 202-224-4451

“Increasing funding for organic research will support American farmers and ranchers seeking to meet the huge demand for organic goods, support university research and extension, and keep the benefits of organic agriculture in the state and in the U.S..  Organic products represent 5% of U.S. food sales, yet USDA organic agriculture research programs receive only 0.8% of USDA research funding. USDA funding for organic research has been level for the past decade. It is time for organic research to get its fair share. Increased funding for OREI would provide American farmers with sound scientific research into the knowledge and tools necessary to succeed in one of the fastest growing agriculture sectors in the country.” – NOFA-NY

Other Organic Farm Bill Provisions
  1. National Organic Standards Board (NOSB)
    • Oppose significant statutory changes that will undermine the integrity of the National Organic Standards Board.
  2. Organic Farmer and Consumer Protection
    • Update import protocols to uphold the integrity of the entire organic supply chain, protect USDA organics, and ensure a level playing field for U.S. farmers and ranchers.
  3. Organic Data Initiative (ODI)
    • $5 million in one-time mandatory funding that supports the USDA data collection on organic production, sales, and market information that is vital for the continued growth and development of organic agriculture.
  4. National Organic Certification Cost Share Program
    • Provide funding for this program that helps offset the costs of organic certification.