Previewing his path forward for organic and pledging to elevate the significance and importance of organic agriculture at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack kicked off the Annual Membership Meeting of the Organic Trade Association (OTA) on June 16.
Speaking live at the virtual meeting to over 250 members of the trade association, Vilsack laid out a forward-looking agenda for the organic sector, including a vow to resolve the ongoing issue over USDA’s failure to implement a critical and fully vetted organic animal welfare regulation.
The day after his comments to members of the trade association, Vilsack announced the department would draft a new rule that will address the Trump administration’s outlier interpretation of the authority of USDA regarding organic animal welfare regulations, and also disallow the use of porches for outdoor access in organic poultry operations.
The OTA welcomed Secretary Vilsack’s acknowledgement that animal welfare belongs in organic, and birds belong outside. This has been in the Courts since 2017 when the OTA took legal action to defend organic standards. The association said in a statement that it hopes that USDA’s acknowledgement facilitates a full and timely resolution of this litigation. The next court filing deadline was June 18.
Vilsack told members of the OTA at the annual meeting that he appreciates the importance of the organic animal welfare issue. “We understand, appreciate the concern of getting this done, getting it done right, getting it done in a way that preserves the brand … I am committed and I committed our team to an accelerated approval process.”
Addressing positively the majority of the OTA’s priorities for the Biden administration, Vilsack vowed to “build a solid trust foundation” between USDA and the nation’s organic farmers and stakeholders.
Other actions Vilsack announced included the following:
• Working to finalize the Origin of Livestock rule in 2021;
• Re-establishing the position of USDA Organic Policy Advisor;
• Increasing by “tens of millions of dollars” the funds available through USDA’s Organic Certification Cost Share program to help farmers transitioning to organic;
• Expanding the procurement for USDA’s emergency feeding programs to “small and medium-sized distribution systems,” and giving “socially disadvantaged producers” access to more federal procurement dollars;
• Significantly expanding processing capacity in the U.S. through a soon-to-be-announced USDA initiative to “provide resources that could be leveraged with state economic development, resources, private sector investment and others,” to build out processing capacity, boost competition and provide value-added products with more processing outlets;
• Beefing up organic enforcement and “expanding the number and the diversity of those who will be involved in inspections and certifications;”
• Prioritizing climate-smart agriculture and regenerative practices, and creating “new revenue streams for producers who are embracing climate-smart agricultural practices in a way that is beneficial to farmers.”
For more information, visit www.ota.com.
