Proposed Changes to the National List & Request to Review Lithothamnion
BY USDA NOP | Apr 05, 2021
NOP Memo to the NOSB
Request to Review Lithothamnion Classification
The National Organic Program (NOP) has sent a memo to the National Organic Standards Board (Board) requesting recommendations on Lithothamnion. Certifiers have different policies for classifying Lithothamnion as “agricultural” or “nonagricultural” and for whether it may be certified as a “wild crop” under the USDA organic regulations.
NOP is requesting the Board’s recommendation(s) to help address inconsistencies between certifiers and to provide organic handling operations, certifiers, and other interested parties with the opportunity to provide input through a public process.
Read the Memo
Proposed Changes to the National List
for Organic Crops and Handling
Open for Comment
Continuous improvement is a priority for the National Organic Program (NOP). USDA has published a proposed rule in the Federal Register to amend the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (National List), part of the organic regulations overseen by the NOP. The proposed changes are based on October 2019 recommendations from the National Organic Standards Board.
The National List identifies the synthetic substances allowed in organic farming and the natural substances prohibited in organic farming. The National List also identifies nonagricultural and nonorganic agricultural substances (ingredients) that may be used in organic handling.
This proposed rule would:
- Allow fatty alcohols as plant growth regulators for sucker control in organic tobacco production.
- Allow potassium hypochlorite as a pre-harvest sanitizer.
- Remove the redundant listing for dairy cultures. These would continue to be allowed as ingredients in organic handling under the separate listing for microorganisms.
USDA welcomes comments on the proposed amendments. The 60-day comment period will close on May 24, 2021.