policy

A newly introduced bipartisan bill in Congress takes important steps to address urgent bottlenecks in meat and poultry processing for independent small and organic livestock producers.

CCOF submitted a written comment to the National Organic Program (NOP) on inert ingredients in pesticides. The NOP sought input on how to update the organic regulations, which currently reference outdated Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) policy on inert ingredients in pesticides. Inert ingredients are any substance other than the active ingredient in a pesticide product, including solvents, diluents, stabilizers, and preservatives.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has established a new goal that 20 percent of California’s cultivated land be farmed organically by 2045.

America’s appetite for organic dairy, meat, and eggs has soared in the last decade—growing on average 9 percent annually. 

California producers of cattle, goats, sheep, and swine can now register with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to conduct on-farm slaughter using a mobile slaughter operator (MSO).

After making it through the California Assembly and Senate, AB 1870, the bill that would make needed reforms to the state program regulating organic food manufacturers, processors, and handlers, was vetoed by Governor Newsom.

CCOF pursued the legislation in response to issues raised by members about the administration of the State Organic Program by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), which uses an outdated, paper-based registration system and continues to carry a backlog of unresolved complaints.

Adapted from Organic Trade Association (OTA) https://ota.com/advocacy/critical-issues/organic-animal-welfare-standards 

The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) is a federal advisory board that reviews and makes recommendations on a wide range of issues involving the production, handling, and processing of organic products. The NOSB meets twice each year in a public forum to discuss and vote on recommendations to the USDA. 

This year, CCOF sponsored a bill that will benefit organic food manufacturers, processors, and handlers in California by strengthening organic integrity in the state and creating more transparency in the program that regulates them.

Authored by Assemblymember Mark Stone and co-authored by State Senator John Laird and Assemblymember Marc Levine, AB 1870 has passed the state legislature and now heads to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk to be signed into law.