|
Area of comparison
|
Organic
|
Conventional
|
|
Type of Feed |
Must be 100
percent organic; plastic pellets, urea, and animal waste prohibited as feed for organic livestock.
|
No specifications |
|
Access to outdoors |
Required by law |
No specifications
|
|
Access to pasture |
Required by law |
No specifications |
|
Use of antibiotics |
Prohibited for organic livestock; antibiotics cannot be withheld if their use would prevent undue suffering, but animals treated with antibiotics are removed from the organic herd. |
No restrictions on antibiotic use; Overuse of antibiotics in agriculture contributes to creating bacteria resistant to antibiotics
There are over 150 antibiotics approved for use in animals. |
|
Synthetic growth hormones |
Prohibited by law |
Allowed for routine use to stimulate growth |
|
Medical care |
Must be provided |
-- |
|
Animal drug review |
Public approval process and mandatory periodic re-review of any drugs and supplements |
No public review process and permanent listing. |
|
Strategy for managing illness |
Strong reliance on prevention. Living conditions and health care practices standards are regulated. |
Strong reliance on treatment as backup
|
|
Use of added growth hormones |
Prohibited by law |
Prohibited in poultry and pork |
|
Use of genetic engineering |
Prohibited by law |
No restrictions |
|
Use of toxic and persistent pesticides |
Prohibited by law |
No restrictions
|
|
Use of sewage sludge on fields |
Prohibited by law |
No restrictions |
|
Federally regulated |
Yes |
No |
|
Third-party verification/certification by USDA accredited certifiers |
Yes |
No |
|
Use of irradiation |
Prohibited by law |
Allowed |
Source: Organic Trade Association, January 2010 | 
