OTA

The USDA recently withdrew its organic livestock and checkoff rules, which signals that the agency likely won’t be setting any higher standards for the organic seal. Laura Batcha, CEO of the Organic Trade Association, said it’s up to the industry to take over from here.  At the OT...

More of America’s grocery carts were filled with organic products in 2017. The Organic Trade Association’s 2018 Industry Survey shows consumers were buying everything from organic produce and organic ice cream to organic fresh juices and organic dried beans.  U.S. orga...

The Department of Agriculture has stopped consideration of a national organic checkoff program. The Agricultural Marketing Service published the proposal this week to terminate the rulemaking for the organic checkoff. USDA says the decision is “based on uncertain industry support” for the program and “substantive issues” with the proposed program.   The Organic Tr...

On Wednesday, the Organic Trade Association announced a lawsuit against the Department of Agriculture over its failure to advance new organic livestock standards.  The suit alleges USDA violated the Organic Foods Production Act, and unlawfully delayed the effective date of the final livestock standards.  ...

By a unanimous vote of its board of directors, the organic farmer-controlled Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association has withdrawn its membership from the Organic Trade Association.  The Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association announced the move last week because a small number of OTA board members endorsed the Senate’s GMO labeling bill.   The Seed Gr...