MOSA Announces New Grass-Fed Certification Services for Dairy and Beef

BY MOSA Certified Organic | Apr 25, 2019

MOSA Announces New Grass-Fed Certification Services for Dairy and Beef

MOSA is proud to announce our accreditation to certify to the Grass-Fed Dairy and Grass-Fed Meat Standards administered by Organic Plus Trust, Inc (OPT).

Grass-Fed certification requires USDA Organic certification and has some specific standards. Therefore, some unique documents and an inspection are required for MOSA to determine compliance. Please carefully read through the new Grass-Fed Dairy Standards, the Grass-Fed Meat Animal Standards, and the Program Manual for Certified Grass-Fed Organic Livestock (also referred to as the Policy Manual elsewhere within OPT’s documents) to ensure your ability to meet these standards.

Please note: The Grass-Fed Dairy Standards require an additional third-party animal welfare program assessment. For 2019, these welfare assessments must be conducted under the Farmers Assuring Responsible Management or “FARM” Program. These Animal Care Standards can be found online at: https://nationaldairyfarm.com/dairy-farm-standards/animal-care/#standardsapp or by calling FARM at (703)243-6111. Organic Valley and Westby Cooperative Creamery members are already participants in this program and do not need to contact FARM. All others must contact Emily Yeiser Stepp at eyeiserstepp@nmpf.org or by calling (703)224-1381. Please reference the “MOSA Grass-Fed Program” when contacting her. The assessment must be completed once every three years. Fees for the assessment average $1000-$1200 per farm, but may be lower if additional farms share the evaluator expenses. MOSA will verify that your assessment is complete with the FARM program before issuing a Grass-Fed Certificate.

To apply for 2019 Grass-Fed Dairy and/or Grass-Fed Meat certification, or if you have any questions about this new service, please contact MOSA.