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UPDATE FILE

Controversial organic standards revisited

At the most recent meeting of the national Organics Standards Board (NOSB), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced several significant improvements on policy issues for the National Organic Standards that were among the most controversial of the first proposed standards. [See The Workbook, Vol. 23, No. 2, Summer 1998, "Where's Organic Going in the Quest for Higher Standards?" by Joan Dye Gussow, p. 51]

Keith Jones, Director of the USDA's National Organic Program, outlined improvements in standards for livestock, synthetic materials, inert ingredients in pesticide formulations, and eco-labeling. Important provisions include a 100 percent organic feed requirement; a ban on antibiotic use in livestock; a requirement for access to the outdoors for all animals and pasture for all ruminants, with some limited exceptions; NOSB authorization for all approved synthetic materials; a prohibition on all List 2 EPA inerts and all List 3 inerts unless specifically approved by the NOSB; and no restrictions on label claims other than the organic claim.

The USDA will seek a one-time authorization to cover the cost of the first round of certifier accreditation, which will enable small, private certifiers to work in the national program. It is also negotiating a contract with the Organic Materials Review Institute to conduct the necessary technical reviews of materials being considered for the National List of allowable synthetics in organic production. The NOSB has also brokered a tentative compromise between the USDA and the private certifier community on provisions for termination of certification. The arrangement would allow private certifiers, after finding a serious violation of standards and conducting an internal appeal process, to revoke the letter of certification through which it authorized the offending operation to use its seal. The operation can elect to appeal the certifier's decision to the USDA Secretary, who retains final authority to terminate certification.

From Alternative Agriculture News, Vol. 17, No. 4 (Henry A. Wallace Institute for Alternative Agriculture, 9200 Edmonston Rd., Ste. 117, Greenbelt, MD 20770).