The NOP has issued a Notice to Accredited Certifying Agents regarding California State Organic Program, Additional Requirements Granted (PDF)

A new section has been added to the NOP Reading Room – Appeal Waiver of Hearing.

NOP has added a U.S. – Canada Determination of Equivalency page. New items included on this page are:

TO: All USDA-ACAs

FROM: Barbara C. Robinson, Acting Director, National Organic Program

Deputy Administrator, Transportation & Marketing Programs, USDA-AMS

SUBJECT: U.S.-Canada Determination of Equivalency

Effective Date: July 1, 2009

1. ACAs must inform their clients that effective July 1, for raw produce intended to be shipped to Canada, no field from which such produce is intended to be harvested may be treated with sodium nitrate (Chilean nitrate). Fields do not have to undergo a three-year transition to meet this requirement. However, fields must be designated free from the application of sodium nitrate, OSPs must be amended, records kept, and the OSP must be auditable. This does not apply to products used in processed products.

2. ACAs must document and collect livestock density ratios for all operations certified for livestock, poultry, and eggs. Data required are animal units per acre or per square foot (for swine and poultry) for all certified operations. ACAs may use their own format for collecting such data, such as an Excel spreadsheet. During the next year, NOP will call on ACAs to submit this data to the NOP in a form needed by the NOP so that such data can be reported to CFIA. More details will be forthcoming as necessary. This does not apply to processed products.

Links to information on the NOP Website http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop

An updated Issuance of Export Certificates under an Export Arrangement with Japan (PDF) has been posted to the Japan Export Arrangements page.

Letters determining U.S. – Canada equivalence: