Bill's comments regarding making USA honey distinctive could be a good
marketing technique.

As for the organic standards, it is not the organic producers who have
had problems, it has been big agribusiness which has tried to to keep
the organic products from being distinctive from their own. They have
heavily lobbied Congress and the USDA for such things as irradiated
produce and crops grown from sewage sludge to be classified as organic
as well as GM produce. Fortunately this is not going to happen thanks to
a grassroots common sense effort by many around this nation.

You may get this same type of effort from packers of foreign honey
should domestic producers want labelling.

It is apparent that as long as consumers see honey as all the same,
market forces will continue to make it difficult for honey producers in
this country to make a living family wage unless demand increases or
supply decreases.

Hank Mishima
Fairview OR

To contact your elected officials see www.vote-smart.org