Increasing Demand for Pasture-Based Dairy: What Attributes and Images Do Consumers Want? - Re-Thinking Organic Food and Farming in a Changing World - page 132

the farming practices - it is in how we are treating the land, it's the chemicals that
we are infusing the environment with, its pesticides and fertilizers, etc., etc. I know
we can do without this and I know it will take a long time to get there, because we
have a lot of correcting to do, but I think it is something we should be looking for
and striving for.”
Some people were more concerned about the cows receiving no antibiotics and
growth hormones than if the cow is pastured due to human health reasons, while
other participants were equally concerned about the treatment of the animal. Many
assumed organic practices meant humane animal treatment and there was general
surprise that organic milk wasn't necessarily pastured milk. One participant said, “I
couldn't believe that an organic farm wouldn't pasture their cows. When I realized
that, I went 'what?'”
Based on these comments, participants in this study clearly thought organic milk
meant that the cows were also pastured and most then wanted to make sure that their
organic milk was also pastured milk. While the USDA has recently implemented
new grazing rules for their organic certification program, existing certified organic
milk producers have until 17 June 2011 to comply. The new grazing rule mandates
that animals must graze during the grazing season, which is defined locally and must
be at least 120 days per year. During this time, animals must have at least 30 % of
their dry matter intake from pasture (Agricultural Marketing Service 2010 ).
Even though most of these consumers indicated that they regularly purchase
organic milk, there was still much discussion about whether the USDA organic
certification could be trusted. One participant stated, “How do you define or do you
even know what the regulations are and do you trust the USDA in their oversight of
the farm versus your own eyes (seeing the farm)?” Most agreed that the program
is fallible because the government is in charge of enforcing the standards and
because “mega-corporations” had the power to block regulations. From an economic
viewpoint, one participant commented that “If I knew I could trust the organic label,
then I would be more likely to buy it. If you are paying twice as much (for the
product) and you're not sure (if the organic standards are being followed), then you
won't buy it.” These comments are consistent with a recent audit of the National
Organic Program that found weaknesses in the programs oversight and enforcement
of regulations (U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General 2010 ).
In fact, there were several instances in this report where producers were falsely
marketing their products as organic when they knowingly did not follow the organic
standards.
Due to this issue, many participants indicated that they would prefer to buy their
milk from local farmers that have organic practices (regardless of whether they
are certified organic or not), because they could see how the farmer produced the
product. One participant said, “There is a huge disconnect between humans and
food consumption - we need to see how farms are run. Even if the farmers aren't
certified organic, I want to buy from a farmer who has the organic mindset - not
just in it for the money.” Even though it is not feasible to observe farmer operations
24-h a day, participant's still felt that a local farmer would be more trustworthy.