National Campaign Organic Committee Archives

For information about joining the Organic Committee, contact Annette Higby, .

• Letters Needed in Support of Pasture Systems Research
• Summaries and Details about the "Harvey" Lawsuit, the 2005 Congressional changes to the Organic Foods Production Act, as well as interesting opinion pieces.

May 2006

• Comments To USDA/NOP on the Proposed Rule on Transition of Dairy Animals, Synthetic Substances, and Commercial Availability

March 2005 — NCSA Organic Steering Committee

• Comments to NOP Development, Issuance and Use of Guidance Documents, TM-03-03

December 2004 — Looking for Clarity on the April Directives

• Letter from N.O.C. and N.C.S.A.

September 2004 — Organic Certification Cost Share information

• Information from the USDA 15-state program and State funds for Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. Many states still have funds left from the national program funded through the last Farm Bill.

June 2004 — Holding Secretary Veneman and the National Organic Program Accountable

1. Letter to Ann Veneman, Secretary U.S. Department of Agriculture (6/22/2004)
2. Victory on Organic Standards! Now Let's Get to Work! (6/4/04)

May 2004 — National Campaign Organic Policy Coordinator in the News!

1. Beware of labels—That "organic" food you're buying may not have been produced using the responsible techniques once required of organic farmers. St. Petersberg Times Editorial (5-25-04)
2. Uproar over organic foods — Changes in standards permit use of antibiotics and hormones by Carol Ness, San Francisco Chronicle and other Knight-Ridder Newspapers (5-22-04)

April 2004 — Watchdogging the NOP, Providing Public Input on Organics and GMOs

1. NOP Changing the Meaning of Organic?
2. Organic Committee Public Comments to USDA National Organic Standards Board Meeting, April 28, 2004.
3. National Campaign Organic Committee Comments to USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) regarding preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement for releases of novel organism (genetically modified organisms). April 13, 2004.

March 2004

1. Organic Committee Comments on NOSB 1/30/04 draft "Compatibility with Organic Production and Handling." (March 3, 2004)
2. Organic Committee Comments on NRCS Proposed Rule for the Conservation Security Program (March 1, 2004)

February 2004

1. Organic Committee Draft 2004 Work Plan
2. National Organic Certification Cost-Share Program— joint information letter from Organic Farming Research Foundation and the National Campaign Organic Committee
3. Fact Sheet on Partial Reimbursement for Organic Certification Costs

October 2003

1. 10.1.03 National Organic Program (NOP) Implementation Update — Emerging Trends and Challenges
   
   The National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture's Organic Committee has begun to outline some of the structural issues developing in the implementation of the National Organic Program (NOP). In September, this document was presented in draft form to the House Organic Caucus and the Senate Organic Working Group to begin discussion regarding possible solutions.
   
   
2. Action Alert 10.2.03 Urge Representative and Senators to Sign Organic Appropriations Letters

 

September 2003

• 9.22.03 NOP Has Not Yet Established Peer Review Panel Mandated By Law
  
  The National Campaign's Organic Committee and others have repeatedly urged USDA to establish the Peer Review Panel mandated by law to oversee the NOP's decisions on accrediting certifiers. More specifically, the Organic Committee has called for a Peer Review Panel made up of people with expertise in organic farming and processing, which operates in accordance with international norms and ISO Guide 61 regarding accepted accreditation proceedures.
  
  In their ongoing assessment of NOP compliance (or failure to comply) with international norms regarding accepted accreditation procedures, the National Campaign Organic Committee sent a letter to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) regarding the performance of a one-time audit of the NOP by ANSI. The letter also refers ANSI to an excellent overview analysis done by the NOSB itself. This document may also be viewed at: http://www.ams.usda.gov/nosb/NOSBrecommendations/ISOIECGuide61EvaluationUSDA.pdf

August 2003

• 8.25.03 Organic Partners Support Committee Work
  
  Many partner organizations understand, value and participate in the unique forum the National Campaign committees provide for diverse interests to analyze policy issues and to develop and coordinate implementation of unified strategies to mobilize timely action across the country. But few go so far as our partner organizations on the organic committee. These partners deserve very public thanks for providing critical financial support for the collaborative work of the Organic Committee.
  
  Our acknowledgment and heartfelt appreciation also go to all of the individuals who donate both professional and personal time to the incredibly detailed and thoughtful work needed to make the Organic Committee respected defender of organic integrity and promoter of organic family farmer interests in the National Organic Program.

July 2003

1. 7.1.03 Seeking Participants In Organic Livestock Research Survey
   
   Please participate in a comprehensive survey of organic livestock research needs! The list of organic livestock research needs has been compiled by James Riddle, UMN Endowed Chair in Agricultural Systems, to guide the University of Minnesota and other research institutions in an effort to meet the needs of the growing organic livestock sector. While some topics are relatively new, other topics have been addressed through "traditional" livestock research, but not specifically from an organic system perspective.
   
   
2. 7.14.03 NOP study: Organic Feed for Poultry and Livestock: Availability and Prices
   
   The USDA National Organic Program announced the completion of a study entitled: Organic Feed for Poultry and Livestock: Availability and Prices . This study was mandated in the 2002 Farm Bill, as well as the Organic Feed Rider that was recently repealed. To access this PDF file, go to the NOP website: http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/indexIE.htm then click on Today's News and see the posting under July 14.

June 2003

• 6.2.03 National Campaign and RAFI-USA submit comment on National Organic Program proposed amendments
  
  The National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI-USA) recently submitted comments on a Federal Register Docket by the National Organic Program (NOP) proposing amendments to the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances. While there were issues with the materials themselves that were developed into public comments by OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute), the focus of our comments were on the poor process itself: NOP allowed only 10 days for comments, and only posted the Notice to their website the Friday before a Monday comment closing. This meant that unless one was watching the Federal Register itself, they would not have known of this proposal.

May 2003

• 5.13.03 National Campaign Organic Committee Public Comments to the National Organic Standards Board
  
  The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) met in Austin, Texas on May 13 and 14, 2003. As usual, the National Campaign's Organic Policy Coordinator, Liana Hoodes, was there to monitor the NOSB meeting and to convene National Campaign partners. Liana also reports back to the National Campaign Organic Committee as a whole, to ensure that the wide diversity of organic farmers, certifiers, advocacy groups and trade associations that make up the Committee are kept current on National Organic Program developments.
  
  On May 13, Liana submitted on behalf of the Organic Steering Committee of the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture an excellent set of detailed comments on several key NOSB agenda items. Since May, these comments have served as an important reference document for many National Campaign partner organizations.
  
  Throughout their comments, the Organic Steering Committee emphasized:
  
  
• the impact of NOSB recommendations and National Organic Program (NOP) decision on family farmers, certifiers and consumers, and
  
  
• the need for both the NOSB and NOP to honor both the spirit and letter of the organic law, which requires a high degree of public notice and comment for organic policy review, recommendations and regulations.
  
  
• For a detailed report on the May 13-14 NOSB meeting, click here.

April 2003

• 4.10.03 Congressional Organic Agriculture Caucus holds its initial meeting
  
  The newly formed Congressional Organic Agriculture Caucus held its initial meeting in Washington, D.C., on April 10, 2003. The Caucus, whose mission is to "enhance availability and understanding of information related to the production and processing of organic agricultural products" consists of sixteen Democrats, five Republicans, and one Independent and is truly groundbreaking for organic farmers nationwide.

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