A couple of weeks go, we talked about the differences between “organic” and “natural” food. Since then, many of you have called, written, texted, faxed and emailed us, demanding that we discuss organic meat… and explain what, exactly, it is. Well, here we go…

Just like the organic foods we talked about two weeks ago, there are certain standards that meat has to meet in order to be considered and labeled organic.

Food animals raised on an organic farm need to consume organic feed and have access to the outdoors. These animals are not administered antibiotics or growth hormones, either. In order to minimize diseases in organic food animals, farmers use methods such as rotational grazing, different housing systems and “organic” or “natural” diets, as opposed to synthetic growth hormones, antibiotics and the majority of modern, synthetic medications. Instead, they use older, non-synthetic substances that our great-great grandfathers used a century ago. Unfortunately, these drugs have not gone through the rigorous review and approval process like the newer drugs have. Consequently, we don’t have good information about the effectiveness and safety of the old drugs.

While organic production may have its ups and downs, it’s considered to be a safe and healthy food source but not any healthier or safer than conventionally produced food. Some studies show organically grown meat to have higher levels of bacterial contamination, but the bacteria that are present are sometimes less resistant to antibiotics. So if a foodborne illness does occur that requires treatment with an antibiotic, which is not common, then the antibiotic treatment may have a higher chance of success. But the trade-off may be more cases of foodborne disease.

Food veterinarians have experienced some difficulty treating ill organic livestock because they had a limited list of remedies for these animals. If an animal on an organic farm is sick, veterinarians now have a short list of the newer synthetic treatments that they can use to relieve pain. But food animal veterinarians still cannot use antibiotics. If the animal is treated with a non-listed substance, it can no longer be part of organic production. The organic standards recommend that necessary treatment be given to the animal and the animal be removed from organic production. But we fear that many animals could be denied appropriate medical care so the farm can remain organic.

This doesn’t sit well with the AVMA. While we recognize the interest in organically produced food, the well-being of food animals should not be compromised in the process, and medically necessary treatments should not be avoided to preserve organic status. The AVMA proposed that the ill animals should be treated with the best drug available to make them well. If the drug is a newer synthetic drug, the animal should be able to be returned to the organic classification after an extended withholding period. But it’s comforting to know the USDA has approved amendments that allow a few chemicals to be used in a few species of animals for pain management purposes to the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances for organic livestock. But antibiotics need to be added to permit reliable treatment of disease.