Trying to return with some good news, chapter two

The Agriculture Department, under pressure from trade groups and some members of Congress, has agreed to drop proposed guidelines that would have allowed produce treated with pesticides and antibiotics to still be labeled "organic," CNN reports on May 28.

[Agriculture Secretary Ann] Veneman's action is "refreshing," said Jim Riddle of Winona, Minn., chairman of the National Organic Standards Board, a 15-member panel that advises the department. Veneman directed department officials to listen to the board; Riddle said the department often has not heeded its recommendations. ...

The executive director of the Organic Trade Association, Katherine DiMatteo, said Veneman's action was "exactly what we wanted." DiMatteo said any future clarifications of the organic standards ought to meet consumer needs.

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) applauded the decision, saying that the label "organic" should "mean something." Indeed it should, and there is already more than enough deception from the WHS* going around. What this does indicate, moreover, is that people's desire for food products free of unnecessary chemicals (i.e., pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, etc.) and overuse of medications is a big enough market to support a big enough industry to get the corporate bootlickers in the White House to listen.

*White House Sociopaths