Talking Points for Comments Due March 30, 2022 Personalization will make your comments most effective. Tell the regulators why you care! Comment in the Federal Register The National Organic Program’s failure to implement National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) recommendations is actively eroding organic integrity. The NOP process for taking action on NOSB recommendations must be… Read more »
Search Results for: national organic program
Government Shutdown Closes National Organic Program
Cornucopia’s Take: The latest round of politics in Washington, DC has led to a government shutdown. The entire organic program is currently suspended. Natural Resources Conservation Service and Farm Service Agency offices are either closed or offering only partial services to farmers who are planning for next season. Farm loans and other governmental financial assistance… Read more »
New National Organic Program Director Hired
Since founding The Cornucopia Institute in 2004, one of our prime messages has been that the USDA’s National Organic Program needed new competent leadership with deep experience in the organic community. We have been highly critical of the past leadership and its lack of understanding of organics and reluctance to stand for integrity and ethics… Read more »
Congress to Consider Doubling National Organic Program Funding
Cornucopia’s Take: The reputation of “USDA Organic” has suffered enormously this year. The Washington Post has run a series of investigative stories, detailing the fraud, lack of enforcement, and conflicts of interest at the National Organic Program (NOP). Cornucopia has shared insight into these issues with organic stakeholders for almost 15 years, conducting investigations and publishing reports… Read more »
Anemic National Organic Program Listening Session Ends Quickly
By Will Fantle The USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) held the first of what they described as a series of listening sessions on the afternoon of Thursday, October 16. Following introductory remarks from Deputy Administrator Miles McEvoy, who oversees NOP operations, the teleconference session was turned over to participants on the call who were given… Read more »
National Organic Standards Board Spring Meeting Recap
Did you miss the recent National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) meeting in Atlanta, Georgia? Cornucopia has you covered! The NOSB is a federal advisory committee that makes recommendations to the National Organic Program (NOP) on organic materials and standards. The group of volunteers from different areas of the organic community meets twice annually to take… Read more »
National Organic Program Addresses New Hydroponic/Aquaponic Task Force
This email notice from the National Organic Program is a bit of damage control (it is unknown whether their email could supersede the legal notice published in the Federal Register). The Federal Register notice suggested that the only Task Force nominees that would qualify for this new panel are those with hands-on industry experience. That… Read more »
National Organic Standards Board Fall Meeting Recap
Did you miss the recent National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) meeting in Providence, Rhode Island? Here’s your chance to catch up! The NOSB is a federal advisory committee that makes recommendations to the National Organic Program (NOP) on organic materials and standards. The group of volunteers from different areas of the organic community meets twice… Read more »
Former Chair of National Organic Standards Board Writes Resignation Letter to the Organic Trade Association
The esteemed former chairman of the National Organic Standards Board, James Riddle, responds to comments from the board president of the Organic Trade Association (OTA) by resigning his long-time membership with the OTA. In his resignation letter, Mr. Riddle corrects the OTA’s new president Melody Meyer, who is a vice president of the $6 billion… Read more »
What the National Organic Program Doesn’t Say Is Telling
At the October National Organic Standards Board Meeting, National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) Chair Harriet Behar identified several troubling issues that have plagued the organic program in recent years. These issues included the languishing origin of livestock, pasture, and native ecosystems rules, and the certification of hydroponic production in 2017.
