The Fall 2021 National Organic Standards Board meeting ended Thursday, October 21st. We’ve outlined a few of the exciting wins and decisions from the meeting.

Organic as a Solution to Climate Change: 

• We are thrilled USDA Under Secretary Marketing and Regulatory Programs, Jennifer Moffitt, confirmed her dedication to mitigating climate change with organic agriculture. 

• Oregon Tilth fully supports the administration in prioritizing equity across programs. 

• We’re hopeful about the USDA’s new position: Senior Advisor for Organic and Emerging Markets and congratulate Marni Karlin on her appointment. This position will work across all agencies at the USDA to ensure organic is at the table.

• Oregon Tilth provided comments on the NOSB’s letter to Secretary Vilsack regarding Climate Change Initiatives and the 2021 Research Priorities. We are encouraged by the unanimous vote to send the letter to Secretary Vilsack. 

“We view [climate change initiatives and organic agriculture research priorities] as closely linked because the urgency of the climate crisis must inform research priorities that address challenges and unlock opportunities for adaptation and mitigation.” 

Investment in Organic:  

• We applaud the administration for allocating 200 million dollars for organic transition support.

• We applaud the NOSB for developing priorities to inform research focus areas. While there is a broad need for research relevant to organic, priorities pertinent to the climate crisis and climate adaptation are crucial. We outlined four research priorities in our comments:
  Climate Change (Reducing Greenhouse Emissions and Sequestering Carbon)
  Organic No-Till and Minimum Tillage
  Managing Cover Crops for On-Farm Fertility and
  Transition to Organic Production.
  The NOSB approved all four of these research proposals along with several others. 

Continuous Improvement:  

• Three final rules are in review with potential spring 2022 publication dates. We support the NOP in their efforts to strengthen the integrity and traceability of the organic system through the rules Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE), Origin of Livestock (OOL), and Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices (OLPP). 

• We urged the NOSB to continue strengthening organic enforcement to eliminate fraud in the organic system and ensure integrity. We’re pleased with the discussion of oversights to prevent fraud. This topic is moving onward with next steps being identified and discussed during the Spring 2022 NOSB Meeting. In the meantime, the NOSB welcomes additional input to further address the stakeholder questions outlined in the “Oversight improvements to defer fraud: Modernization of organic traceability infrastructure” Discussion Document. 

• Oregon Tilth submitted comments supporting the Crops Subcommittee’s Biodegradable Biobased Mulch (BDM) Film proposal. We stood with others in recognizing the possibility that the technology to evaluate all possible environmental impacts of BDM Film–partially made with synthetics or petroleum products–does not currently exist. Still, we support those alternatives that mitigate the impact of plastics and that have no known adverse environmental impacts based on available data. We’re pleased the motion passed to accept the biodegradable biobased mulch film annotation recommendation, “Must be at least 80% biobased with content determined using ASTM D6866 (incorporated by reference; see 205.3).”

NOSB Members: 

• Thank you to the outgoing Board Members for your time, hard work, and dedication to organics. 

• Congratulations to all incoming board members! We’re excited to see Oregon Tilth’s Nate Powell-Palm, who serves on NOSB as an organic producer, elected to serve as the next board chair. 

Votes on Agenda Topics: 

Livestock Subcommittee: 

205.603 Synthetic substances allowed for use in organic livestock production

• Activated Charcoal: Motion fails to remove activated charcoal from the National list.

• Calcium borogluconate: Motion fails to remove calcium borogluconate from the National list.

• Calcium propionate: Motion fails to remove calcium propionate from the National list. 
  
  Chlorine materials: 

• Calcium hypochlorite: Motion fails to remove chlorine hypochlorite from the National list. 

• Calcium dioxide: Motion fails to remove chlorine dioxide from the National list. 

• Hypochlorous acid: Motion fails to remove Hypochlorous acid from the National list. 

• Sodium hypochlorite: Motion fails to remove Sodium hypochlorite from the National list. 

• Kaolin pectin: Motion fails to remove Kaolin pectin from the National list. 

• Mineral oil: Motion fails to remove Mineral oil from the National list. 

• Nutritive supplements: Motion fails to remove Nutritive supplements from the National list. 

• Propylene glycol: Motion fails to remove Propylene glycol from the National list. 

• Sodium chlorite: Motion fails to remove Sodium chlorite from the National list. 

• Zinc sulfate: Motion fails to remove Zinc sulfate from the National list. 

Materials Subcommittee: 

Proposal: Research Priorities 2021: Motion passes to accept the 2021 Research Priorities 

Crop Subcommittee: 

Petitioned Substances:

• Chitosan: Motion passes to classify chitosan as synthetic 

Motion fails to add chitosan to the National List at 205.601(i)(4) for plant disease control. 

• Cow Manure Derived Biochar (CMDB): Motion passes to classify (CMDB) as nonsynthetic. 

Motion fails to annotate the listing of ash from manure burning at 205.602(a) to read “Ash from manure burning- unless derived as part of the production of biochar from pyrolysis of cow manure.”

• Kasugamycin: Motion passes to classify Kasugamycin as synthetic. 

Motion fails to add Kasugamycin to the National List at 205.601(j)(4) for plant disease control. 

• Hydronium: Motion passes to classify hydronium as synthetic. 

Motion fails to add hydronium to the National List as an organic processing aid.

• Carbon Dioxide: Motion made, seconded, and passes to send this proposal on carbon dioxide back to subcommittee. 

• Lithothamnion: Motion passes to classify lithothamnion as a nonagricultural substance. 

Motion passes that lithothamnion does not meet wild crop criteria and is not eligible to be certified to the wild crop standard. 

• Biodegradable biobased mulch (annotation change): Motion passes to accept the biodegradable biobased mulch film annotation recommendation. Must be at least 80% biobased with content determined using ASTM D6866 (incorporated by reference; see 205.3).

Sunset Material Review:

• Sodium nitrate: Motion passes to reinstate the listing of sodium nitrate 

• Ammonia Extract: Motion made to send this last motion back to subcommittee, motion seconded. Motion passes. 

• 205.601 Synthetic substances allowed for use in organic crop production

Copper sulfate (a)(3) and (e)(4) 

Motion fails to remove copper sulfate from the National list. 

• Ozone gas

Motion fails to remove ozone gas from the NationalSocial list. 

• Peracetic acid (a)(6) and (i)(8) 

Motion fails to remove peracetic acid from the National list. 

• EPA List 3-Inerts of unknown toxicity- for use only in passive pheromone dispensers 

Motion fails to remove EPA List 3 from the National list. 

Handling Subcommittee: 

Petitioned Substances: 

• Zein: This proposal is now off the NOSB work agenda. 

Annotation change: Fish oil: Motion passes to accept the proposed fish oil annotation: 

2023 Sunset substances reviews: 

205.605 Nonagricultural (nonorganic) substances allowed as ingredients in or on processed products labeled as “organic” or “made with organic (specified ingredients or food group(s)).” 

• Agar-agar: Motion fails to remove agar-agar from the National list.

• Animal enzymes- (Rennet – animals derived; catalase- bovine liver; animal lipase; pancreatin; pepsin; and trypsin): Motion fails to remove Animal enzymes from the National list. 

• Calcium sulfate – mined: Motion fails to remove Calcium sulfate – mined from the National list. 

• Carrageenan: Motion fails to remove Carrageenan from the National list. 

• Glucono delta-lactone: Motion fails to remove Glucono delta-lactone from the National list. 

• Tartaric acid: Motion fails to remove Tartaric acid from the National list. 

• Cellulose: Motion fails to remove cellulose from the National list.

• Chlorine materials (Calcium hypochlorite, Chlorine dioxide, hypochlorous acid, sodium hypochlorite): Motion fails to remove Chlorine materials from the National list. 

• Potassium hydroxide: Motion fails to remove Potassium hydroxide from the National list. 

• Silicon dioxide: Motion fails to remove Silicon dioxide from the National list. 

• Potassium lactate: Motion fails to remove Potassium lactate from the National list. 
• Sodium lactate: Motion fails to remove Sodium lactate from the National list. 

Spring 2022 NOSB Meeting Work Agenda:

The public comment process discussion will continue at the Spring 2022 NOSB meeting.

Learn more and continue to engage in this work at the 2022 Spring meeting: ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/organic/nosb