*Media Alert*
The Organic Trade Association on Thursday issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA's) further delay of the Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices final rule, as announced in the Federal Register.
"In defense of the integrity of the USDA Organic seal and of organic standards, the Organic Trade Association in September filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture seeking judicial review of the Trump Administration's delay of final organic livestock production rules. The lawsuit is pending and the USDA must answer it by mid-November.
The Organic Trade Association has anticipated a further "walk back" by the Trump Administration of fourteen years of work to improve and clarify organic animal agriculture regulations. Any steps by USDA to unwind the changes to federal organic regulations are being taken against a backdrop of nearly universal support among the organic community, animal welfare advocates and consumers for the rules that USDA has now rejected. We will continue this fight in the court, where a federal judge will now evaluate whether the Administration has wrongly ignored the laws that require consultation with the National Organic Standards Board and those requiring informing the public and providing consumers a chance to comment on organic policies before they take effect.
The Organic Trade Association will continue to fight to uphold organic standards, that this Administration continues to willfully ignore by repeatedly delaying this fully vetted and final voluntary organic standard. We will see the department in court and are confident that we will prevail on this important issue for the organic sector."
For more information on this issue please visit OTA.com/livestockpractices.
