The Organic Trade Association Proposes Refinements Regarding Carriers to the National Organic Standards Board’s Recommendation on Livestock Feed Ingredients
Tom Hutcheson
January 24, 2002
The Organic Trade Association (OTA) supports the general direction of National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) recommendation on livestock feed ingredients. With regard to carriers in feed additives, OTA believes the policy needs to address the problem of GM sources in these materials, but supports allowing incidental use of non-organic ingredients, provided they do not replace nutrient value in the organic feed.
Carriers in vitamin and mineral packs may contain conventional corn and soy products or their derivatives that are added to the formulation, and OTA feels that these carriers should still be restricted to those verified from non-GMO sources. OTA acknowledges that some fat-derived vitamins (such as A, D, and E) that are obtained from vegetable oils are difficult or impossible to obtain from non-GM sources, and believes a policy permitting these sources should also be developed.
Finally, OTA requests that the NOSB Livestock Committee wait for completion of the TAP review on gelatin before making a decision on recommending its allowance.
| 
