Based on your reporting, this business is now toast. The feds can, (and should) fine the bejeebus out of these morons for violating federal organic practices. The rules are very clear for retailers, (I know because I am one), and there is absolutely no way they didn't know the law about how to label, merchandise and sell their product. This goes far beyond one or two poorly trained staff members. This is obviously and deliberately fraudulent. Feds, shut 'em down!!

Now that's old-school reporting, sir! Boom and then boom!

Wouldn't it be easier to just go vegetarian than to obsess about which farm the carcass you are buying came from?

I mean, surely all the feel-good shoppers who patronize places like this aren't specifically only eating meat that you bought from your preferred organic butcher (which has now been proven to be a bullshit claim)

You're still eating out 3,4 times a week at this nice restaraunt and that.

Just simplify and cut it out of your life. Then the next time you read an article like this, you can think to yourself "suckers." instead of "oh my gosh what if muh meat wasn't organix!?@#!@!"

@3: I'm a lapsed vegan so my opinion will probably be suspect to you, but the world needs more smug and self-satisfied vegetarians like it needs a hundred more offshore oil spills.

@3 - The story is about non-compliance with federal organic retailing standards, which apply equally to vegetables, grains or any other food stuff. Their are laws, federal laws, with exact statutes regarding the production, storage, transport, retailing and labeling of organic food. The stranger is calling out a butcher in this case, but they could just as easily be calling out a vegetable stand or wholesaler - it would be the same story. So, while The Stranger is doing actual investigative reporting that helps make the food chain a little safer for everyone, you are doing what, exactly?
Fucktard.

they're...

there...

Wow. I'm not particularly surprised considering truly organic beef is hard to come by, (you can't give your animals antibiotics, I believe).

How many of the farms did you find were at least "sustainable?"

Actually, you probably need to search for "beef" since there are farms producing "Dairy Cows (Beef)" alongside "Dairy Cows (Milk)" (and, evidently, "Dairy Cows (Heifers)").

By the 'beef' count, there are 32 certified organic beef producers in WA...

Technically, they could be buying from out of state so this is not conclusive. But I still won't be a customer under the "trust me, it's organic" model.

(I don't care about organic meat since as I understand it a steer can be standing hock-deep in its own shit eating organic grain and be called "organic". But they shouldn't say it is when they can't demonstrate.)

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come across as smug. That's the last thing I want to portray. I don't speak for any other vegetarians, only from my personal experience.

Pointing out the obvious is not smug.

I'm laying out the logic and simply advancing the notion that all of this concern--on a *personal level*-- can be abolished by choosing to not choose which butcher and which label is lying to you.

News flash: all meat vendors are lying to you.

Now, on a more meta level, thank you for this piece and exposing that they REALLY ARE lying to you.

It is an outstanding investigation.

StillNon is a fucking moron.

Actually, I'd say I'm smarter than the average bear for not eating the average bear.

What's your excuse, 12?

OK, I get it, people who eat meat and put themselves at risk of falling victim to schemes like the one exposed by this very article are the wise ones. There's no arguing here.

I'll find the exit now.

As a vegetarian myself, StillNon please STFU.

All of this information is available with even the most cursory Google search. People don't eat meat based on ignorance, or if they do it's their own damn choice.

You're making me look like an asshole by association. Quit it.

@StilNon: while claiming to not want to come across as smug, you come across....as smug.

NewsFlash: Not all meat vendors are liars!

NewsFlash2: The vegetarian diet does not work for everyone. I know, as I am living proof. I was vegetarian for 16 years, 16 wonderful years. 3 years ago I had to start eating meat again because I simply needed the protein. This was after 16 years of a great diet, fully supplementing my need for protein with soy and lush, leafy, green veggies. From my own experience I know that there are plenty of people who would love to be vegetarian but simply are not able to, either from age (me) or other complications. Its pure out right smuggery (is that even a word) to assume as you do that vegetarianism is right for everyone. Yes, absolutely, the world would benefit if millions more became veggies, but to simply assume that everyone should is moronic.

Its also as Pol Pot rightly points out its a food labeling/compliance issue, which also affects you.

And for the record I have had *lots* of people ask me why I am/was vegetarian. I always say for the 3 reasons: environmental, moral/ethical, and religious. But I always stated, always, that becoming vegetarian should be a personal issue, deeply discussed with your doctor/nutritionist.

StillNon, I eat lots of meat, and I didn't think you came across as smug at all. Obviously, vegetarianism is a better way to go. If only I had the willpower....

As for those who complained about your "smugness"? Fuck 'em. Keep posting.

protected static @9, i didn't count the dairy cows, just the ones certified as "cattle (beef)"

@8,

I'm highly skeptical that farmers can't give antibiotics even to a sick animal. I suspect that antibiotics aren't allowed in the animals' feed, which is completely reasonable.

@8 and 20,

it's true that a certified organic cow can't have any synthetic medicines, or any non-organically grown natural medicines, whatsoever. if a cow in the organic herd needs medical attention and requires medicine, it has to be pulled from the organic herd and sold as a non-organic cow.

the nice thing is that this pretty much means a certified organic cow hasn't ever been sick.

Eh, what makes you think all the meat came from Washington state? Did "Bill The Butcher" specifically state it all came from Washington state?

@22, no, in fact they were clear that the meat comes from as far as nevada.

yeah, to clarify, this DOES NOT mean that no one supplies them with organic meat--it just means that no one in-state provides it.

@21,

Interesting. Thanks.

@3: Funny you say that. That's the precise reason I went vegetarian -- it WAS easier than trying to restrict myself to well-sourced meats.

But I still think there's value in letting those who eat meat -- and will spend the effort to reacquaint themselves with the idea of it as a once-living animal -- have the option of knowing if that animal (in most cases long since domesticated by humans for food and bearing little similarity with any creature that exists outside of our food-supply chain) was raised healthily and treated fairly. This is the antidote to the American phenomenon of "magic meat," divorced from its origins and inhaled without a second thought.

So basically, I'm a pro-meat-eating vegetarian (as long as the meat-eater isn't being a willfully ignorant fuck about it).

As for the investigative journalism behind this story, it's really top-notch. Fantastic job, Matthew; maybe the death of the newspaper won't be the demise of this vital art!

I hope you win some kind of investigative journalism prize for this, Mathew.

And please add my voice to the chorus begging StillNon to STFU. I've been an ovo-lacto vegetarian for more than 20 years, and people like StillNon make me crazy. Thanks to the StillNons of the world, my friends hesitate before ordering a steak in front of me and ask if I'd be offended. I might not care for the smell of it, but good manners demand that I shut the fuck up and eat my damn pasta like a grown up. For Christ's sake! What business is it of mine what they eat?

All I care about is what I eat. Haranguing others to follow my example is the height of arrogance and rudeness. Again, self-righteous, evangelizing vegetarians of the world: for the sake of your polite brethren, SHUT. THE. FUCK. UP.

Phew. I'm gonna go wipe the sweat of moral outrage off my forehead.

Great work. This is what journalism looks like.

@22, 23. they may not have said it was from washington state, but if they say it's "local" and "organic" and no organic farms in the state sell to them..... well then it's at least not local, neh?

My wife likes to call me a carnivore. I always reply, "No, I'm an omnivore. I eat everything!" (eyebrows waggling up and down)

My first reaction when I read this article what that there would be a high likelihood of a Soylent Green ending when everything was finally revealed (or at least an Alfred Hitchcock "lamb fritters" ending).

@31: Local champion ultramarathoner Scott Jurek is a vegan.

Did you run 100 miles today?

(I'm still pro-choice about meat... but just sayin'.)

@4 - thanks!!

@11 - you're wrong. And Fuck Off.

Skagit River Ranch farms the best meat near Seattle.

#39, ditto. You can meet Farmer George of Skagit River Ranch sometimes at the Ballard Sunday market. We went up to his farm to pick up 1/4 cow last summer -- he gave us a long entertaining tour of his farm, talking up a storm on all sorts of topics. He's a bit crazy and a hoot.

BTW, I think he does best w/ pork.

Matthew - "it's true that a certified organic cow can't have any synthetic medicines, or any non-organically grown natural medicines, whatsoever [....] the nice thing is that this pretty much means a certified organic cow hasn't ever been sick. "

Sigh. "Synthetic" vs "natural" medicine is a meaningless distinction (many compounds used as medicines are or were originally derived from plants, fungi, and bacteria), and is moreover incorrect. The organic certification standards include a list of treatments that are allowed, which list is not the same as a list of "natural medicines" (whatever that might mean).

Perhaps more importantly, certified organic meat is not guaranteed to come from a cow that has never been sick. Economic realities mean that farmers who maintain an organic herd on organic feed are extremely reluctant to move an animal into the non-certified herd in order to treat it appropriately with antibiotics etc; more likely by far is that the animal will be left untreated, or treated with ineffective measures.
(Moreover, as someone else has pointed out, organic certification in no way guarantees optimal housing conditions, sustainable farming practices, or humane treatment of animals.)

Organic certification standards as written are terrible for animal welfare.

Matthew - "it's true that a certified organic cow can't have any synthetic medicines, or any non-organically grown natural medicines, whatsoever [....] the nice thing is that this pretty much means a certified organic cow hasn't ever been sick. "

Sigh. "Synthetic" vs "natural" medicine is a meaningless distinction (many compounds used as medicines are or were originally derived from plants, fungi, and bacteria), and is moreover incorrect. The organic certification standards include a list of treatments that are allowed, which list is not the same as a list of "natural medicines" (whatever that might mean).

Perhaps more importantly, certified organic meat is not guaranteed to come from a cow that has never been sick. Economic realities mean that farmers who maintain an organic herd on organic feed are extremely reluctant to move an animal into the non-certified herd in order to treat it appropriately with antibiotics etc; more likely by far is that the animal will be left untreated, or treated with ineffective measures.
(Moreover, as someone else has pointed out, organic certification in no way guarantees optimal housing conditions, sustainable farming practices, or humane treatment of animals.)

Organic certification standards as written are terrible for animal welfare.

-a large animal vet

@29 Yes, haranguing people about what they eat as they sit down for a meal is the height of rudeness. But that certainly doesn't mean that vegetarians need to STFU in a totally appropriate venue for a debate-- like the commenting section of a blog--because some people are uncomfortable with thinking about the reality of the industry.

The self righteous accusation hurled at vegetarians is inescapable, no matter how polite you are about your lifestyle. There's always people out there that find your very existence to be self righteous because you defy a cultural norm in the interest of doing "the right thing," thereby passively accusing everyone else of being "wrong."

Making it personal ("vegetarians just want everyone to be like them/ want to feel superior to everyone else") is pure derailment. It comes from the mindset that the decision to eat meat is exclusively personal and effects no one but the consumer. Of course that's not true. The meat industry has disastrous effects on animals, the environment, and people it employs.

Finally, how could one not see this debate coming, in an article highlighting how problematic it is to find humane meat in the middle of the city. If the meat industry (the "organic" meat included) isn't guilty of lying, it's guilty of straight up obstruction. There has definitely been a vested effort over the last 50 years of concealing the reality of animal agriculture from the public, complete with old timely pastureland imagery and perfunctory claims of "all natural" and "free range." An "organic" butcher shop pops up with the same same song and dance as Tyson, Perdue, Con-Agra, and BPI, and people are shocked? Really? How the fuck do you think meat has been sold for your life time?

Completely unrelated, I think it's hysterical that when I search on "Bill the Butcher" to find this company's website, Google serves up a big picture of Daniel Day Lewis from Gangs of New York. If he ran the company, there's no way that I'd fuck with him over the source of his meat...

i started going to bill the butcher as the ''solution'' for my concerns about eating in a more env. friendly way. was willing to pay extra. very irritated to find that they are (at best!) playing fast and loose with regulated, legally defined terms.

this entire chain should be fined and sued out of business. the owners should go bankrupt. this is just immoral, and there is no excuse for it.

We as a nation need to re-learn how to yank a businesses charter when they lie to/steal from/harm their customers. Our 'free market' is a toothless free-for all wherein businesses feel free to lie, cheat, steal, and despoil all they can in the name of short-term profit.

I agree with mike22-The entire chain should be fined/sued out of existence. We don't let individuals get away with lying. Why should businesses get off scot-free?

Is there a universally agreed-upon definition of "local" food, I wonder? Within the city? Within the state? Within the region?

No need to yank a business charter. Just discuss the issue. They'll either come clean and fix the problem or lose their clients. The information age is wonderful. Use the tools at hand rather than inventing more cumbersome bureaucracy.

@50 - ...or they'll continue to fleece the 90% of their customers who don't read The Stranger/Yelp/next big thing in crowdsourced responsibility.

No...there have to be consequences for antisocial behavior. Otherwise, we'd let people post "He's a dick" on a rapist's Facebook page and be content with that.

Actually, historically word of mouth has worked quite well to drive marginal characters out of business or correct their practices. No need to be so draconian. It isn't like he is dropping nuclear weapons on your house.

I attempted to write a Yelp review of Bill's in Redmond to sum up our feelings on this development and to warn other people. It posted on May 19 and since that time, it has been removed. I find this highly suspect and one more (bad) example of what a poor business model this place has!

Here's my Yelp review:

My husband and I were initially thrilled to find this place. We are big supporters of local, sustainably-raised, natural, grass-fed beef, chicken, pork, and eggs. But I must admit that the article in the Stranger truly concerned us. Even after reading Bill's response, I think that we will ultimately take our business elsewhere.

It is simply unacceptable to us to not be able to get the correct information regarding our eggs and meat--where it is from, how it is produced, etc. We feel completely duped and wish we had never given this shop any of our hard-earned money. From the signage in the store, it does seem as though everything is organic and grass-fed and although we, like Bill, do not believe that something necessarily has to be organic to be okay, we do not want to be explicitly lied to by staff members who do not know what they are selling.

I understand that this is a growing business, but I believe that if Bill and the company were as focused upon sustainability and transparency as they claim they are, these are kinks that should have been worked out before such rapid expansion. Accountability and transparency are absolutely key in the local and sustainable foods movement and I don't think it is wrong to want to know where our food comes from.