Methionine is an essential amino acid vital to poultry health. It is not produced by the body and must be obtained through diet. Methionine deficiency can lead to curled toes, bare spots and improper feathering. But poultry farmers can avoid using synthetic methionine by raising “free-range” organic birds, giving them access to pasture or supplementing their diet with organic feed ingredients that provide natural methionine.
Eggs from organic free-range hens raised on pasture are far more nutritious than eggs from confined hens in factory farms:
• 4 to 6 times as much vitamin D
• 1?3 less cholesterol
• 1?4 less saturated fat
• 2?3 more vitamin A
• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3 times more vitamin E
• 7 times more beta carotene
So, why isn’t this the norm in organic poultry and egg production?
Because the industry has been lobbying for cheap feed and factory farm production methods.
The United Egg Producers, lobbyists for industrial egg producers, have submitted comments to the National Organic Standards Board to block the October 2010 sunset on the use of synthetic methionine in organic production. UEP represents these organic egg producers: Cal-Maine Foods, Delta Egg Farms, Dixie Egg Company, Fassio Egg Farms, Fort Recovery Equity, Inc., Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch, Kreher’s Farm Fresh Eggs, LLC, Nature Pure, LLC, Oakdell Egg Farms, Ritewood, Inc. and R.W. Sauder, Inc.
United Egg Producers are no fans of organic. On their home page, the top article is “Organic food not nutritionally better, survey finds.” And, they claim that, “While farmers produce all types of eggs (regular, cage-free, organic) to meet consumer and market place demand, right now Americans prefer ‘regular’ eggs produced in modern, sanitary cage systems by a margin of 95% based upon their purchases and consumption statistics.”
We can’t let the United Egg Producers bully the organic industry into adopting their industrial production methods.
Organic consumers need to stand up for TRULY organic eggs and poultry.
Learn more & Take Action
http://capwiz.com/grassrootsnetroots/issues/alert/?alertid=13184481
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