For the 10th anniversary of the National Organics Program officials are reviewing the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s oversight role with an eye on reducing paperwork while maintaining standards.
Some organic certifiers, including California Certified Organic Farmers, raised questions specifically about certification processes.
“There have been some unintended consequences and 10 years after the launch of the NOP it’s time to take stock,” said Jake Lewin, chief certification officer at CCOF, Santa Cruz. “We’ve seen full support from NOP on making changes with initiatives such as the ‘Sound and Sensible’ approach to certification.”
“We want to see a move toward practices instead of having producers endlessly chasing paper,” Lewin said.
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