Dear Egg Buyer,

Introduction

There is no organic fishmeal production in the United States and there is little fishmeal being used in U. S. poultry diets. The reason that fishmeal is not used for poultry is most certainly due to its relatively high cost. Corn and soy plus methionine furnish enough of the necessary amino acids at a lower cost. The protein in poultry rations is calculated on the basis of individual amino acids, not on gross protein.

In spite of its high cost, The Country Hen has used fishmeal for the past 15 years, except for the time when it had to meet organic standards, which required the use of Naturox. Naturox was not available to the fishmeal producer that serviced our company at that time.

The company which preceded The Country Hen is called Huevos Oro, and is located in Colombia, S. A. It used fishmeal for about 10 years. The reason that the owner of both these companies believed, and believes, in fishmeal is that fishmeal is not only very high in protein and Omega-3's, but also contains UGFor an Unidentified Growth Factora term that is not used very much today. Fishmeal is not only important for chickens, but it is important for humans, and for the environment.

Fishmeal Is Good For Chickens

In looking back, it's easy to see the UGF may have been due to the effect of the Omega-3 oil contained in the fishmeal. Recent research has shown that the particular Omega-3's from the fish oils, called EPA and DHA, are important to the health of the bird, especially in fortifying the immune system. Three studies show that the use of fish oil reduces the severity of coccidiosis, an inflammation of the intestines due to parasites. Since organic regs prohibit the use of conventional anti-cocci drugs such as Amprol, fishmeal becomes very important to us in controlling cocci. Another study shows that chickens subjected to salmonella and staphylococcus fared better when the diet contained fish oil. A Purdue study has shown that fish oils also help better bone formation.

It seems obvious that modern day hens living in egg factories are existing on artificial diets. They eat a ratio composed basically of seeds high in Omega-6, another essential fatty acid. A hen should have a ratio of about 5 to 1 in Omega-6 to Omega-3. A hen that is eating a percentage of fishmeal is getting valuable Omega-3's, especially the very important EPA & DHA. Hens roaming outside on spacious pasture (50 birds per acre) will, naturally, increase their Omega-3's from the grass (if it hasn't been stripped bare). However, they will only receive LNA, which is not as important since LNA converts very, very slowly to EPA & DHA. In addition, free ranging carries a very high risk of avian influenza, which can be caught from waterfowl and other birds. We prefer to include the Omega-3's in the normal daily diet, and to use porches instead of free range with its high risk of AI.

Fishmeal Is Good For Humans

Fishmeal is not only good for chickens, but it is good for humans, too. In the 1970's, two Danish scientists created a stir among the medical world when they found a traditional Eskimo village practically free from cancer and heart disease. The Eskimos lived on a diet high in fish and seal, full of fat and cholesterol. Since then, over 2,000 studies have been done, many of which have confirmed that Omega-3's are very important in the control of heart disease, cancer, strokes, depression and arrhythmia. The average American diet has a ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 of 20 to 1 when the average should be 4 to 1. A book by Dr. Artemis Simopolous, called The Omega Diet, is an excellent reference on the subject. Dr. Andrew Stoll at Harvard is an expert on the effects of Omega-3 on manic depression, and has written a book called The Omega-3 Connection. Two Country Hen eggs, size large, which are fortified with Omega-3's by means of fish and other natural ingredients, contain 600 mg of Omega-3. This is 1/3 of the adult need of 1.8 grams/day.

Fishmeal Is Good For The Environment

Fishmeal also has a favorable effect on the environment. If poultry feed has to be made out of soy and corn with no methionines and no fishmeal, too much total protein is included merely to meet the limiting amino acid: methionine. The excess protein is then discharged by the hen and finds itself polluting the aquifers, then streams, rivers and coastal waters. A balanced ration with fishmeal and methionine does not produce excess protein, so that type of pollution is not produced. Another ecological advantage of fishmeal is that 90% of it is produced from fish not generally eaten by humans: anchovy, menhaden & capelin.

The Fishmeal Used At TCH

The use of fishmeal at our company has been approved by OGBA, QAI, NOFA-MASS, and our present certifier, NFC. When the present regs were published, I argued in a letter dated October 10, 2002 that we should be allowed to use fishmeal under 205.603or the exact clause referred to by NOSB Livestock Committee Directive for Fishmeal dated Sept 21, 2004. We have used various types of meal from various sources. However, since May 10, 1999 we purchased meal containing at least 500 ppm of Naturox. Naturox contains mono- and di-glyceride, natural mixed tocopherals, soybean oil, citric acid and a rosemary extract.

Our present supplier is evidently not willing to certify their process as organic. We are presently searching for a fishmeal derived from wild caught fish, which will be acceptable to the NOSB. Whatever the sources, providing there are no contaminants, we are confident that fishmeal is beneficial for chickens, for humans, and for the environment.

For those at the Country Hen,

George S. Bass