Organic Report Fall 2021 - Flipbook - Page 16
LEGISLATIV E UPDATE
Bipa rt is an l e gis l atio n s h a p e s t he ro a d fo r w a rd fo r or ga n i c
O
n April 30, Congress introduced H.R. 2918,
the Continuous Improvement and
Accountability in Organic (CIAO)
Standards Act. Introduced by Reps. Peter
DeFazio (D-OR), Rodney Davis (R-IL), Chellie
Pingree (D-ME), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Dan
Newhouse (R-WA) and Ron Kind (D-WI), the
bill represents the most significant assessment to
date of the National Organic Program’s track record
on advancing standards as a primary function of organic’s
public-private partnership. The Organic Trade Association
worked closely with Congress on the legislation, which for the
first time, requires the U.S. Department of Agriculture to
advance and implement recommendations from the organic
industry in a timely manner and to ensure the continuous
improvement of organic standards. The bill puts into place an
improved federal process for the oversight of organic that will
bring the government up to speed with the modern organic
sector, and enable organic to continue to forge ahead into the
future.
Since the first nationwide organic standards were officially
established on Dec. 21, 2000, the strict and comprehensive
network of federal requirements and regulations that monitor
and check the organic industry, from the farm gate to the
dinner plate, have been transparent, and powered and driven
by stakeholders throughout the supply chain and the organic
community. This unique private-public partnership has made
the organic regulatory system the gold standard for food and
agricultural systems around the world. But in the last several
years, the federal regulatory apparatus has fallen behind the
evolving organic sector and the market, and has slowed
innovation and continuous improvement within the industry.
In the past 10 years, the organic industry has advanced
20 consensus recommendations for improvements to the
organic standards, yet USDA has not completed rulemaking
on a single one of them.
Specifically, H.R. 2918 lays out a road forward for organic
through three main areas:
1. Clearing the backlog of recommendations. The bill requires
USDA to issue an Organic Improvement Action Plan
comprised of the backlog of recommendations put forward by
the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) that have not
been implemented. The plan must include detailed timelines,
prioritization, and implementation plans for dealing with each
recommendation.
2. Establishing a new framework for advancing future organic
standards. When the National Organic Standards Board passes
a recommendation that is supported by the majority of the
board, the bill requires USDA to issue a final rule
implementing the recommendation within two years.
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3. Improving oversight and ensuring consistent
enforcement. The bill requires USDA to report
annually to Congress on whether accredited thirdparty certifiers have implemented new rules and
guidance, and identify any inconsistencies found.
“This legislation is the result of a broad
coalition of farmers, industry, environmental and
other organizations working together with
Congress to preserve organic’s place at the cutting
edge of a progressive food and farming system that cares
about people and the planet,” said Laura Batcha, CEO of the
Organic Trade Association.
“Continuous improvement is a fundamental tenet of
organic. As organic farmers, we are always adapting our
practices and becoming better stewards. This bill directs the
USDA to reform its management of the NOP and respect the
work of organic farmers, the advice of the NOSB and the
demands of consumers for a dynamic standard that recognizes
positive innovation and maintains organic as the ‘gold
standard’ of agriculture,” said Doug Crabtree, organic farmer
and owner of Vilicus Farms in central Montana, member of
the Organic Trade Association Board of Directors and Chair
of the association’s Farmers Advisory Council.
HOLDING USDA ACCOUNTABLE
What’s next? We don’t need to wait until Congress passes the
bill to get USDA to act. We have called on USDA to open a
public comment docket in the Federal Register and get
feedback from stakeholders on how to prioritize and address
the backlog of stalled organic standards. They can act now to
issue an Organic Improvement Action Plan. Through our
Continuous Improvement Task Force, our members have
already done this work and submitted a suggested roadmap to
USDA for how to streamline implementation. We’ve also asked
USDA to immediately realign staffing and resources at the
National Organic Program to prioritize standards
development. Of the 63 full-time staff at NOP, only two are
devoted to standards writing and development.
Congress has also stepped in to provide additional
oversight in their Fiscal Year 2022 budget for USDA. This
year’s bill passed out of the House Appropriations Committee
increases NOP’s budget by $2 million with a requirement that
the spending be directed to standards development. The
report accompanying the legislation also requires NOP to issue
an Organic Improvement Action Plan addressing the stalled
backlog of standards within 120 days of the bill’s enactment.
For more information and to take action, go to OTA.com/future
Organic Report • Fall 2021
