Organic farmers, certifiers express concerns about USDA Strengthening Organic Enforcement rule

USDA official says rule is closing the gap on organic fraud

According to interviews conducted by Farm Progress, the U.S. organic food supply chain has been under pressure to come into compliance with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s March 19, 2024, Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE) final rule (See Daily News here).

“We are now seeing up to 95 percent of NOP (National Organic Program) import certificates that are coming in are valid, which means that we really closed the gap on products coming into the United States without an import certificate,” says Jennifer Tucker, PhD, deputy administrator for USDA National Organic Program (NOP). “We really closed the door on illegitimate shipments.”

Concerns raised by organic supply chain

According to reporting, farmers, certifiers, and other members of the organic supply chain are expressing concern at the rollout of the new regulations with its associated requirements. Farmers have voiced concerns about the significant amount of work hours that have to be allocated to prepare for implementation of SOE to ensure that they are up to code operating as part of complex, international supply chains. At the same time, organic certifiers are raising their fees for certification to cover the cost of additional training and staff time, given the increase in frequency and depth of inspections. In preparation for the SOE rule going into effect, NOP offered additional educational resources through its Organic Integrity Learning Center. Additionally, there has been a doubling of NOP staff since 2017 when high-profile instances of organic fraud emerged in the marketplace.

Strengthening Organic Enforcement Rule

The new requirements in the final SOE rule aim to strengthen the integrity of the organic label through enhanced oversight and enforcement of existing program regulations, and the introduction of new requirements to address occurrences of fraud in organic supply chains. As the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) lays out in a 2023 announcement, the rule is expansive in covering a range of regulatory topics.

The Federal Register notice of the SOE asserts that the rulemaking is designed to “strengthen oversight and enforcement of the production, handling, and sale of organic agricultural products.” It continues, “The amendments protect integrity in the organic supply chain and build consumer and industry trust in the USDA organic label by strengthening organic control systems, improving farm-to-market traceability, and providing robust enforcement of the USDA organic regulations.”

Reporting by The Washington Post notes, “Key updates to the rules include requiring certification of more of the businesses, such as brokers and traders, at critical links in organic supply chains. It also requires organic certificates for all organic imports and increases inspections and reporting requirements of certified operations.”

Organic advocates are concerned that the burdens imposed on organic farmers through high certification costs, as well as upfront expenses that come with transitioning and maintaining organic land management systems including soil testing, training, and marketing/transportation, should not fall on farmers.

“Organic farming should be a public good that is treated as such through federal agricultural support programs in the Farm Bill,” says Max Sano, organic program associate at Beyond Pesticides.

Source: Beyond Pesticides

To view source article, visit: https://beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/2024/12/following-exposes-on-lax-import-oversight-organic-integrity-strengthened-by-enforcement-rule/

Organic & Non-GMO Insights February 2025