The Organic System Plan (OSP) is the foundation of the organic certification process. It is a living document which will reflect the current state of your organic systems at any time. When you first apply for organic certification with Oregon Tilth, you will work with the Applicant Experience Team to submit your OSP for review – this is essentially your application for certification. The importance of your OSP cannot be over-emphasized, it is a comprehensive document that outlines the strategies, practices, and measures implemented by operators to ensure compliance with organic standards.

Once a complete application is received, Oregon Tilth assigns it to a review team to conduct a thorough desk review of all submitted materials to USDA National Organic Program (NOP) standards. The review team carefully evaluates the applicant’s OSP to ensure the operator will maintain compliance, including details on practices, inputs, and recordkeeping systems. All input products listed in the application are cross-referenced against the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances to confirm their suitability for use in organic production.

• Reviewers of Crop OSPs assess field histories, buffer zone descriptions, and any documentation related to the land’s transition to organic management.
• For Livestock operations, reviewers additionally examine animal health care practices, living conditions, access to pasture documentation, and the source and certification status of feed to ensure compliance with NOP livestock standards.
• For Handling operations, reviewers assess facility descriptions, cleaning and sanitation protocols, pest management practices, and product flow to evaluate the prevention of commingling and contamination of organic products.

If areas of concern or gaps in compliance are identified during this review, the applicant is issued a Request for Information (RFI), asking them to provide clarification or additional documentation before the process moves forward.

Once the review team is satisfied that the operation demonstrates a strong foundation for compliance with NOP standards, the application advances to the next stage, in which an on-site inspection is scheduled with an independent, accredited inspector.

Overview: All certified operations are subject to a mandatory annual inspection within the calendar year. 

How it will be scheduled: You will receive an email from an Oregon Tilth team member that identifies your assigned inspector, and will help to coordinate the date and time of your inspection.  

What to expect: Throughout the year, check to make sure your Organic System Plan modules measures are up-to-date and accurate. It’s best to review and organize pre-inspection checklists and common records that will be inspected. 

Once finished, our inspector will review the inspection with you and provide a summary of any additional information required, changes to your OSP, or noted concerns on the exit interview form.  The inspection report will be posted to your MyOTCO file upon completion.

What to have ready: Oregon Tilth has pre-inspection checklists available for each scope, to help you know what to have prepared.  

1. Final Review: After your inspection, your inspector will write up a report of their findings, and share it with your Client Services Team. Your Client Services Team will then review this inspection report and determine if you are in compliance with organic regulations. The review process can take weeks to months, depending on the complexity of your operation, the findings of the inspector, how long requests for information take to complete, and other factors.
   
2. Certification Decision: Your Client Services Team will let you know when your review is complete, and then issue you an updated certificate to signify this achievement.
   
3. Certification Issuance: Once final review is complete, the operation is logged in the Organic Integrity Database as being fully certified and an organic certificate is issued by email or printed and mailed according to client preferences.

As a client of Oregon Tilth, you are required to submit renewal paperwork annually to maintain compliance with the standards set forth by the NOP. This is your opportunity to review your paperwork, and report any changes that may have been missed throughout the year. This renewal application should cover any changes to your Organic System Plan (OSP), as well as a report of accurate sales figures from the previous year. Renewal fees may be paid during the renewal process, or our accounting department will issue you an invoice once the renewal is processed. Our renewal form is available on our website. We will also send you renewal reminders as the date approaches with instructions for completion.

It is important to remember that renewal of your certification is a separate process from the inspection and certification decision.