The National Organics Standards Board on Wednesday opened public hearings in Denver to gauge whether producers of organic meat and poultry should be held to higher animal welfare standards.

Anew Consumer Reports surveystrongly suggests that the issue is important to consumers. About86 percent of consumers who buy organic food said they strongly cared thatthe animal farms their food was raised on were held to high standards. About a quarter of American shoppers always or often buy food labeled organic.

Consumers expect organic farms to adhere to strong and consistent standards, including high standards for animal welfare, said Charlotte Vallaeys, a senior policy analyst with Consumer Reports who will testify at the U.S. Department of Agricultures organic standards meeting Wednesday. That includes letting chickens outdoors where they can move around freely, rather than continually cooped up indoors.

The USDA in Januaryissued a final rule for livestock and poultry producers that, among other things, added requirements for organic animal living conditions, transportation and slaughter. It set standards, for example, for minimum indoor and outdoor pace for organic chickens and requires soil and vegetation for outdoor poultry spaces. The intent, the agency said, was to boost consumer confidence in the products sold under the USDA organic seal.

Eighty-three percent of consumers thought it was highly important that organic eggs come from hens who are able to go outdoors, the Consumer Reports survey said.

But a strong push back from some agriculture businesses prevented the new rules from taking effect in March.

Powerful agricultural interests, especially organic egg producers who raise hens in indoor confinement with no meaningful outdoor space, oppose the rule, a release from Consumer Reports said.

The USDA should make the organic animal welfare rule effective without further delay, Vallaeys said. Producers shouldnt be allowed to pick and choose which organic requirements they will meet. This new rule for organics makes clear that outdoor access for animals is not negotiable.

The NOSB meets twice a year to hear from the public anddiscuss regulation issues. Meetings are scheduled for Wednesday, Thursday and Fridayat the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel with a public hearing from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday and 8:30 a.m. to noon on Thursday.

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86 percent of shoppers care about animal welfare in organic meats and poultry, Consumer Reports says - The Denver Post