Our wool adheres to organic standards: humane treatment, animal welfare, and certified organic feed and pastures. We co-own a wool collective in the foothills of the Indian Himalayas with over 200,000 sheep.
As described by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Standards:
• Genetic engineering is prohibited.
• All livestock feed, forage, and bedding (if roughage) used from the last third of gestation must be certified organic (including pasture).
• All organic sheep must have year-round access to the outdoors and obtain a minimum of 30 percent of their dry matter intake from pastures for a minimum of 120 days to ensure grazing is a substantive portion of the animal’s diet.
• Using conventional synthetic hormones, medicines, and synthetic pesticides (internal, external, and on pastures, including organophosphates, amidines, and synthetic pyrethroids), is prohibited. Only those “least toxic” materials on the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances as found in the organic regulations (section 205.603) may be used.
• Producers must encourage livestock health through preventive disease management practices before using approved synthetic medicines.
Organic livestock management is different from non-organic management in several ways:
• Organic sheep cannot be dipped in commonly used parasiticides (insecticides).
• Organic sheep must have access to the outdoors at all times. (Note: Animals may be temporarily confined during bad weather to prevent illness and environmental damage.)
• Mulesing, the practice of removing strips of wool-bearing skin from around sheep’s buttocks to prevent flystrike, is prohibited.
• Tail docking is prohibited shorter than the caudal fold and only in a manner that minimizes pain.
• Organic livestock producers must ensure that they do not exceed the natural carrying capacity of the land on which their animals graze.
Third-party certification organizations verify that organic producers use only methods and materials allowed in organic production.
The Avocado brand is built on two core pillars — sustainability and social responsibility — that go well beyond organic practices. When you purchase our products, you’re voting (with your wallet) to support environmentally conscious, ethical, and sustainable business practices that help safeguard your health and our planet.
