U.S. National Standards on Organic Agricultural Production and Handling
http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/ofp/Pre205C.html#PreC5
Feeding organic feeds has become an issue for West Coast dairies since the
import of organic soy bean meal from China.
The federal organic guidelines permit tetanus and cd/t vaccinations and
ivermectin - under
certain circumstances. And the standards address the humane aspect.
"These standards will not allow an organic system plan that envisions an
acceptable level of chronic illness or proposes to deal with disease by
sending infected animals to slaughter."
To me, a heavy parasite load constitutes chronic illness. Obviously sheep
will always have some parasites.
What I worry most about is newbies reading superficially about organic
practices and just letting the sheep "do their thing."
Someone came to buy a mature Finnsheep ewe and her lamb from us in her car
from a long distance away and had a medium size dog crate in the car
thinking she would put them in that - - judging from the size of the two
year old Finn ewe she had raised. She was astounded at the size of our
sheep. I am not suggesting she was being organic - - just didn't know
anything.
I think the biggest problem is that some folks envision a vast horde of
shepherds
dipping their sheep in enormous vats of organophosphates. Dipping sheep was
mandated -as I understand it - in the UK years back. That was never the
case in the USA. I posed the question of how many shepherds dipped their
sheep on sheep-l and a couple in the UK replied that they had years ago.
None in the USA said they did. I suspect possibly the terminology to
"drench" sheep with wormers may be part of the problem. If one goes out in
the pouring rain, one gets drenched. However in sheep terminology, it means
an oral dose of something.
Grace
Fred and Grace Hatton
Hawley Pa
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