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AnnouncementJune 9, 2016


The National Organic Program (NOP) of the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is pleased to announce that it has posted indices of recommendations made by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB).
Indices of NOSB Recommendations
Since it was first established, the NOSB has made 599 recommendations regarding organic food production standards. Of these, 179 were regarding practice standards, 287 regarding the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (National List), and 133 regarding the Sunset Review process.
 
Approximately 86 percent or 518 of the recommendations have been addressed and most of these have resulted in rulemaking by the National Organic Program (NOP). As of June, 2016, NOP is in the process of addressing 54 recommendations. Thus a total of 27 recommendations are outstanding. Of the 27 outstanding recommendations, the majority are related to changes to the National List which are anticipated to be addressed by 2017.
 
To facilitate public awareness of the status of all recommendations, the NOP has developed three indices, one each for recommendations related to practice standards, the national list, and the sunset review process. For each recommendation, the indices shows the date the recommendation was made; the action associated with the recommendation (rulemaking, guidance, etc.); the status of the action (outstanding, in process, or complete); and any relevant notes.
 
The NOSB Recommendations Indices will be living documents that will be regularly updated and posted on the AMS website. Questions or comments related to the indices can be submitted via nop.guidance@ams.usda.gov.
About the Agricultural Marketing Service
USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) facilitates the competitive and efficient marketing of agricultural products. Through its National Organic Program, AMS facilitates trade and ensures the integrity of organic agricultural products by consistently implementing organic standards and enforcing compliance with the regulations throughout the world.
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About the USDA Organic Insider

The USDA Organic Insider informs the organic community on a wide range of functions, including regulatory updates, requests for public comments, and USDA programs and services.

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