By Melody Meyer 

Late last month, at the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) Spring Meeting, the 15-member panel of organic industry representatives identified and reviewed over 30 substances—synthetic and natural—to determine which of these products may be used in organic production. A final vote for approval or removal will take place at the 2021 Fall Meeting.

Additionally, the NOSB passed a pair of resolutions important to organic produce growers. The measures:

• Allow for the continued use of paper-based planting aids—including paper pots—with some restrictions on biobased and cellulose content
• Implement a strategy for the recruitment and talent management of organic inspectors and reviewers

Gwendolyn Wyard, Vice President, Regulatory and Technical Affairs, Organic Trade Association

“We’re pleased NOSB unanimously passed the proposal on paper plant pots, paper seed tape, and other paper-based production aids,” said Gwendolyn Wyard, vice president of regulatory and technical affairs at the Organic Trade Association. “Organic growers need tools in the toolbox to facilitate transplanting of closely spaced crops such as onions, salad greens, herbs, and other crops."

As part of reviewing substances in organic production, every five years the NOSB assesses the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances in the “sunset review” process. This review identifies substances that should come off the national list because they are no longer needed or because there are suitable organic options that are commercially available.

"Organic growers using paper-based crop planting aids will be happy to know that the proposed definition covers the products in use, and they will continue to be allowed in organic agriculture.” -Gwendolyn Wyard

Many materials on the national list are tools farmers need to succeed in organic production, according to Lynn Coody, senior policy analyst, Organic Produce Wholesalers Coalition (OPWC). “Review of sunset materials is a two-step process: at the Spring Meeting, the NOSB discusses new information and comments on each sunset material, so everyone understands the views of different organic stakeholders. In the fall, NOSB votes on whether to allow continued use of each of these materials. It’s important for everyone in the produce sector to pay attention to the sunset cycles for the materials they use and to let NOSB know which ones are still needed.”

Lynn Coody, Senior Policy Analyst, Organic Produce Wholesalers Coalition

According to Wyard, there are two substances under review that are worth paying extra attention to.

• Ammonia Extract is a natural substance derived from manure, and it was petitioned to be placed on the prohibited non-synthetic list.
• Kasugamycin was petitioned to be allowed as an antibiotic to control fire blight in apples and pears. Five years ago, two antibiotics were removed from the national list, and many West Coast fruit growers want the material to be allowed. Current methods of fire blight control are labor-intensive and rely on copper and sulfur, both of which are somewhat toxic materials.

"It’s important for everyone in the produce sector to pay attention to the sunset cycles for the materials they use and to let NOSB know which ones are still needed.” -Lynn Coody

“Ammonia Extract is a hot topic that grapples with a fundamental question: whether these substances are compatible with organic principles and a system of sustainable agriculture,” Wyard said. “Produce growers should be aware that a fall proposal may consider this and other highly soluble fertility inputs, possibly restricting them to specific [use] conditions or a maximum percentage of specific nutrients provided by that fertility input within a season.”

At the Spring Meeting the NOSB expressed unanimous support for the Continuous Improvement and Accountability in Organic Standards Act in Congress. According to the OTA, the act “calls on USDA to develop an action plan for clearing the backlog of NOSB recommendations and creates a system of accountability and transparency going forward.”

“The goal is to improve the federal process of advancing organic regulations. The process is currently stalled. In the past 10 years, the industry and NOSB [have] made 20 consensus recommendations to USDA, and none of these have been implemented,” Wyard said. “Congress should work to repair the public-private partnership, so USDA is responsive to consumers and stakeholders, ensuring that organic continues to be the gold standard for transparent, sustainable food systems.”

OPWC’s Coody agreed, “I was encouraged that NOSB moved so quickly to express support for the Continuous Improvement and Accountability in Organic Standards Act, especially since it was introduced on the final day of the meeting. OPWC is an early endorser—we consider it crucial that the organic trade has clear standards to address emerging topics as organic production systems develop and evolve.”