● lower stocking densities and production levels than in conventional systems (stocking densities on dairy farms on average 80% lower; on beef and sheep farms 40-80% lower). Organic certification Definitions of ‘organic’ farming vary internationally. Many countries operate national or ‘private’ standards, which do not have statutory status. The International Federation of Organic Farming Moveme...

INTRODUCTION Organic regulations in the US strictly regulate medications may be used on organic farms (USDA, 2011). While both Canadian and EU organic standards discourage the use of antibiotics or prohibited synthetic compounds, both standards contain provisions that allow limited usage of antibiotics (without loss of organic status of the animal) under strictly defined conditions and with ext...

INTRODUCTION Veterinary care of cows on organic dairy farms may be influenced by the USDA regulations that govern organic management standards (USDA, 2011). U.S. organic standards contain a unique and rigorous prohibition against use of most conventional allopathic veterinary treatments (USDA, 2011). There are no FDA approved antimicrobials on the USDA list of approved organic treatments and FD...

Comparative equilibration has been proposed as a methodological approach for determining the hydrogen isotopic composition (deltaD) of non-exchangeable hydrogen in complex organic materials, from feathers to blood and soils. This method depends on using homogenized standards that have been previously calibrated for their deltaD values of non-exchangeable H, that are compositionally similar to u...

In this paper, we describe the development of a set of guiding principles for the evaluation of breeding techniques by the organic sector over time. The worldwide standards of organic agriculture (OA) do not allow genetic engineering (GE) or any products derived from genetic engineering. The standards in OA are an expression of the underlying principles of health, ecology, fairness and care. Th...

W hen the first US National Organic Standards went into effect in the fall of 2002, they included certification standards for fruits and vegetables, grain, livestock, marine and freshwater algae, wild-harvested plants, and honey. Missing were any standards for certifying fish or shellfish, making it impossible for these organisms to be 'organic' in the United States. Not an oversight, this was ...

compost is a gradual process in nature by which organic materials are decomposed in the presence of air by microorganisms and fungi. the product is a valuable fertilizer that is used in different places even in home little gardens, so that it has signed as an unnoticed asset. with due attention to the importance of compost, its guidelines and standards should be evaluated. it is pointed and com...

This review provides an assessment of research findings into the current practices and standards and the principles and aspirations for organic dairy production, with respect to the health and welfare of the dairy cow. The relationships between the four main factors: management, environment, genetics and nutrition and their impact on the health and welfare status of organic dairy cows are consi...