Emergency treatments for crops

On rare occasions, federal or state authorities put into effect emergency pest or disease treatment programs that mandate the use of materials that are prohibited for use in organic production.

Will my organic certification status be jeopardized if I’m required to use a prohibited material on my crops?

No, provided all harvestable crops or plant parts that come into contact with a prohibited substance, applied as the result of a federal or state emergency pest or disease treatment program, are not sold, labeled, or represented as organically produced.

What documentation is needed for organic records in case of a federal or state emergency treatment program?

In general, we request as much information as possible prior to implementation of a federal or state emergency treatment program. Records may include: a copy of the federal or state emergency program mandate; information regarding the required material for application; whether or not an alternative approved organic material or method is available, and explanation for why that cannot be used; locations and schedule for applications; and, crop-specific information such as plant stage, etc.