The U.S. regulatory apparatus has stifled innovation and continuous improvement within the organic industry. Over the past 10 years, organic has advanced 20 consensus recommendations for improvements to the organic standards, but USDA hasn't completed rulemaking on a single one. Tell Congress that USDA needs to work with industry to repair the public-private partnership and advance organic standards. Congress just introduced a bipartisan bill that is the largest assessment of the National Organic Program to date. The bill will:
- Clear the backlog: requires USDA to issue an Organic Improvement Action plan comprised of National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) recommendations that haven't been implemented.
- Continuously Improve: when NOSB passes a recommendation supported by the majority of the board (2/3rds vote), requires USDA to issue a final rule implementing the recommendation within two years.
- Increase Accountability: requires USDA to report annually to Congress on whether certifiers have implemented new rules and guidance and identify if there are inconsistencies.
Tell your Congresspeople to support continuous improvement and accountability in organic standards today!