A federal judge last week dismissed lawsuits against Boulder- based Aurora Organic Dairy. The lawsuits, filed by consumers, alleged the company’s milk did not meet organic requirements.
Judge E. Richard Webber in St. Louis ruled June 3 that the company did meet the standards enforced by the National Organic Program under the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“We are delighted with the outcome,” said Sonja Tuitele, vice president of communications for Aurora Organic Dairy. “We believe the court has correctly ruled in finding that consumers can trust products bearing the organic label.”
The 19 original lawsuits were consolidated into one case and first emerged in 2005 when the Cornucopia Institute, based in Wisconsin, questioned the company’s practices.
The institute led the research that resulted in claims from consumers in 40 states alleging they did not get the organic products they paid for.
The suits also named various retailers, including Wal-Mart, Safe way, Costco and Target.
Cornucopia Institute co-founder Mark Kastel said the group’s largest concerns were that cattle were unqualified for organic certification and did not have adequate grazing time.
He said this resulted in factory farming practices that were against federal organic standards and amounted to a 30 percent reduction in overhead.
Kastel described the judge’s decision to dismiss the lawsuits as “flawed logic.”
“People that are gaming the system and trying to produce a cheaper product injure the reputation and value” of the organic farming industry, he said.
He said lawyers for the consumers plan to appeal.
In April 2007, the USDA released a notice of proposed revocation alleging 14 acts of willful violations of National Organic Program regulations. The following August, the USDA issued a consent agreement confirming those were allegations and weren’t based on factual evidence.
Sara Castellanos: 303-954-1381 or scastellanos@denverpost.com
