Vilsack Moving to Secretary of Commerce Post?
Last month, we posted some possible Obama appointees for the Secretary of Agriculture position in "Wanted: an rBGH-free Appointment." We voiced our support for the picks touted at FoodDemocracyNow.org and also skepticism at the change-making capabilities of potential candidate Dennis Wolff. Since then Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack has been put forth for the post, leaving the sustainable agriculture movement somewhat nonplussed (see The Ethicurean's post, "AgSuck"). Rumors are now circulating that Vilsack may be shifted to the office of Secretary…
Report from the Oxford Farming Conference
A speaker at the Oxford Farming Conference (held at Oxford University from January 5-7) reported that farming in an animal welfare-friendly way can be the key to better profitability. Alistair Lawrence from the University of Edinburgh Veterinary School continued,"It is an achievable goal to deliver animal welfare within a competitive farming system." Professor Lawrence used examples from the dairy industry to illustrate this point, noting that the emphasis used to be on breeding for maximum yield but that this single-minded…
Whose FDA Is It Anyway?
Wanted: An rBGH-Free Appointment (can we still say that?)
A recent article on the Organic Consumers Association website joins the vetting process for Obama's Secretary of Agriculture appointment. Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Dennis Wolff's name has surfaced as a potential pick for this post, and anyone that remembers his campaign against rBGH-free labeling will wonder how this appointment could possibly bring the change Obama mentioned in his Rural Plan (namely, to "Prevent Anticompetitive Behavior Against Family Farms" and "Encourage Organic and Sustainable Agriculture"). Visit the OCA site to read…
Animal Welfare Approved Program to Provide all Audits for American Grassfed Association Members
Animal Welfare Approved program director Andrew Gunther is pleased to announce a new partnership with the American Grassfed Association (AGA) in which Animal Welfare Approved will audit AGA members for both AGA standards and Animal Welfare Approved standards. This new partnership begins immediately. "Our standards require pasture and/or range access, which aligns us philosophically with the American Grassfed Association, an organization that protects and promotes grassfed producers and grassfed products," remarked Gunther. "We are looking forward to a long and…
