Farmers to Launch Separate Grassfed Label
American Grassfed Association will Partner with Food Alliance
to Promote a Separate Standard and Certification Program

Austin, Texas November 4, 2007 – The American Grassfed Association (AGA), representing over 300 grassfed livestock producers, today announced that they will be launching a certification program in reference to a grassfed label.  The United States Department of Agriculture has been working to publish a grassfed claim since 2002. The AGA strongly protested the 2006 revision which addressed the feeding practice alone and did nothing to link the claim to animals raised on pasture.  Hence, it would have allowed for animals to be raised in a feedlot, fed antibiotics and growth hormones and bear the grassfed label.  Over 19,000 comments  were primarily based in opposition to the confinement issue.

Rising consumer interest in the potential health benefits of grassfed meats has created new market opportunities for farmers and ranchers. However, without accepted standards and criteria, grassfed claims are being made for a wide variety of management and feeding practices. This lack of clarity has made it difficult for consumers to evaluate grassfed claims. While the USDA standard was intended to remedy the problem, producers are reluctant to wait further as they fear the lack of a definitive standard has already eroded the market as many companies market themselves as grassfed and yet finish their beef in feedlots.  The AGA believes it is important to protect the true grassfed producer and consumer by defining the term in a manner that allows for transparency of the entire process.