ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Animal Welfare Approved (AWA), a certification label for family farmers raising animals outdoors with high-welfare standards, added Organic Pastures Dairy Company of Fresno, CA into the AWA program. Organic Pastures Dairy Company has 500 dairy cows and specializes in bringing raw milk and raw milk products to California consumers.
Organic Pastures is the largest retail-approved raw and organic dairy in the United States; California allows sales of raw milk in retail outlets. According to Mark McAfee, whose family has operated Organic Pastures for four generations, "Raw milk is natural milk and it's tastier, healthier for digestion, boosts immunity and nutritious. Organic Pastures was the first raw milk dairy in California with certified organic pastureland-you can't be more natural and essential than that. And what many consumers don't realize is that raw milk sold in California must meet and exceed the bacteria standards of pasteurized milk without being pasteurized."
Becoming Animal Welfare Approved was a natural outgrowth of the McAfees' desire to provide the best products to their customers. "Being organic is great,” McAfee said. “It guarantees Californians are getting hormone and antibiotic free dairy products, but that doesn't really tell people what kind of care we give our cows. We want our customers to know the cows in our herd are getting superior care and are able to express their natural behaviors. Great animal welfare also means superior and safer products. Safe raw milk comes from grassfed cows, and not all raw milk or organic dairies pasture their cows. Having the AWA seal on our products is added assurance that our herd lives on pasture, and it lets people know we really do walk the talk. "
The McAfees were attracted to Animal Welfare Approved because of its reputation for having the highest standards of all third-party certifiers, but also because the program doesn't gain financially from the farms it approves. "Since it's free to farmers, one of the bonuses of the program is that there won't be any question about the integrity of the label due to financial concerns," McAfee commented. "AWA visits the farm once a year, which is more than most certifications, and that gives added confidence that we're maintaining standards. We liked the thought of having regular interaction with the program."