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Major players like the Produce Marketing Association, the United Fresh Produce Association, and Western Growers went on record in support of new organic regulations just before an official comment period ended on Oct. 5. Advancing to the final rule writing phase also appears to have the support of the broader organic community.
USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) plans to amend the organic regulations, saying the agency needs to strengthen oversight and enforcement of the production, handling, and sale of organic agricultural products.
Amendments are to 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.
Topics addressed in the proposed rule include:
AMS asked for comments that addressed such specifics as:
The PMA, WGA, and UFPA filed joint comments, saying strengthening the organic enforcement rule will toughen oversight and enforcement of the production, handling, and sale of organic agricultural products.
“We believe the rule will yield greater integrity and reliability in the organic supply chain and will continue to build consumer and industry confidence in the USDA organic label,” said the joint letter.
“We believe the rule will yield greater integrity and reliability in the organic supply chain and will continue to build consumer and industry confidence in the USDA organic label,” it added.
Comments filed by the produce groups suggested:
Posted for a 60-day comment period on Aug. 5, the proposed changes drew 1,511 formal comments by the time the period ended on Oct. 5.
Among those filing were the Organic Trade Association (OTA), which 18 different support documents. The OTA represents 9,500 organic growers in 50 states.
“Continuous improvement in advancing organic standards is essential for building consumer and industry trust in the USDA Organic label,” says the OTA comment cover letter. “We look forward to working with USDA to strengthen the public-private partnership, and ensure the success of the USDA Organic label into the future.”
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