LPT 321: Meat Science (1+1)

RAISING LIVESTOCK THE ORGANIC WAY

• Organic production of livestock is to provide conditions that meet the health needs and natural behavior of the animal.
• Thus, organic livestock are given access to the outdoors, fresh air, water, sunshine, grass and pasture, and are fed 100 percent organic feed.
• Any shelter provided must be designed to allow the animal comfort and the opportunity to exercise.
• Organic practices prohibit feeding animal parts of any kind to ruminants that, by nature, eat a vegetarian diet.
• Thus, no animal by-products of any sort are incorporated in organic feed at any time.
• In the United States, regulations specify that organic standards require oversight of production and handling systems.
• For instance, production and handling operations must undergo onsite inspections and have farm or operating plans in place in order to be certified organic.
• The standards also specify feed requirements, including what is and is not allowed.
• For instance, in organic production, livestock cannot be fed plastic pellets for roughage, or formulas containing urea or manure.
• They cannot be given antibiotics or growth hormones.
• All of these are allowable practices in conventional agriculture.
• For an animal to be raised for organic beef, its mother must have been fed organic feed for at least the last third of gestation.