"USDA Proposes New Standards For Animals Certified 'Organic'"

"The Obama administration is proposing new requirements for how animals are to be treated when their meat is sold with the certified organic label.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture rule clarifies how organic producers and handlers must treat livestock and poultry throughout the animals' lives, including when they are transported and slaughtered.

The rules set maximum indoor and outdoor living space requirements. Barns, pens, coops and other shelters, for example, have to be big enough for the animals to lie down, stand up and fully stretch their limbs without touching other animals or the sides of the shelter. They must also be designed to allow the animals to express normal patterns of behavior."

Lydia Wheeler reports for The Hill April 7, 2016.