Oogie McGuire referenced the NOP:
> http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/NOP/standards/FullRegTextOnly.
html
>
> 295.105
> To be sold or labeled as "100 percent organic,"
> "organic," or "made with organic (specified
> ingredients or food group(s))," the product must
> be produced and handled without the use of:
> .....
>
> (e) Excluded methods, except for vaccines,
> Provided , That, the vaccines are approved in
> accordance with � 205.600(a);
Are you reading this that vaccines are not permitted under the NOP? I am
reading this that the NOP does permit vaccinations.
> � 205.238 Livestock health care practice standard.
>
> (a) The producer must establish and maintain
> preventive livestock health care practices,
> including:
>
> (b) When preventive practices and veterinary
> biologics are inadequate to prevent sickness,
The biologics above are typically ... vaccines.
The use of parasiticides are permitted in very restrictive cases as
mentioned: prior to the last 1/3 of gestation. And dairy can use them with a
90 day withholding period. Although this would be economically impossible to
sustain during lactation, does this mean that you could use parasiticides
when drying off cows providing you did not begin milking again until the 90
days elapse? It seems that it would allow that.
However, no parasiticides can be used for any slaughter animals so that
would seem to suggest to me that you could never use slaughter dairy cows
for meat sales if they ever received any anthelmintics during their
lifetime.
> And for teh DE folks
> � 205.605 Nonagricultural (nonorganic)
> substances allowed as ingredients in or on
> processed products labeled as "organic" or "made
> with organic (specified ingredients or food
> groups(s))."
>
> Diatomaceous earth - food filtering aid only.
>
>
> So the only legal use of DE is as a filter, you
> cannot feed it to organic livestock
Oogie, you are misreading this. The reference above is for "processed
products" and has nothing to do with the livestock. DE is permitted under
the NOP rules for feeding to livestock. But what they mean above is that you
can not mix DE with organic products and can only be used for filtering
purposes.
> "Residue Information: Do not treat cattle within
> 35 days of slaughter. Because a withdrawal time
> in milk has not been established, do not use in
> female dairy cattle of breeding age. Do not treat
> swine within 18 days of slaughter."
The Ivomec product that you have has not gone through the required testing
(read millions of dollars) so they use that label. If you check with similar
products that are based in the ivermectin family and have gone through the
USDA required testing, there is no withholding for dairy or for slaughter.
The main examples would be Ivomec Eprinex and more recently Cydectin. In the
case of Cydectin, several years ago a serious error was made by the
advertising department who prematurely released information to farmers that
there was zero withholding from the product. Within days we received a
follow up letter apologizing for the error and rescinding the claim.
However, a year or so later when the study was actually completed and
approved, it did in fact have zero withholding.
Sincerely,
Rick Williams
Misty Ridge Farm
Pastured Beef and Farm Produce
Viroqua, WI
www.mistyridgefarm.com
