G/TBT/N/USA/1829  
2 February 2022  
(22-0800) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original:  English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6  
 
1. Notifying Member:  UNITED STATES OF AMERICA   
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):   
2. Agency responsible:  Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), Department of Agriculture 
(USDA) [1858]  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers , email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:   
Please submit comments to: USA WTO TBT Enquiry Point, Email: usatbtep@nist.gov  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other :  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  Organics; 
Farming and forestry (ICS 65.020), Processes in the food industry (ICS 67.020), Food 
products in general (ICS 67.040)  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  National Organic 
Program; Proposed Amendments to the Natio nal List of Allowed and Prohibited 
Substances per October 2020 and April 2021 NOSB Recommendations (Handling, Crop) 
(5 page(s), in English)  
6. Description of content:  Proposed rule - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) 
Agricultural Marketing Servi ce (AMS) proposes amendments to the National List of 
Allowed and Prohibited Substances (National List) section of the USDA's  organic 
regulations to implement recommendations submitted to the  Secretary of Agriculture 
(Secretary) by the National Organic Stan dards  Board (NOSB). This rule proposes to add 
low-acyl gellan gum, a food  additive used as a thickener, gelling agent, and stabilizer; 
and paper -based crop planting aids to the National List, along with a definition  of paper -
based crop planting aids. If fi nalized, low -acyl gellan gum  would be allowed as an 
ingredient in processed organic products, and  paper -based crop planting aids would be 
allowed in organic crop  production. The rule also proposes the correction of a spelling 
error on the National List to change "wood resin" to "wood rosin".  
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable:  Prevention of deceptive practices and consumer protection; Protection of 
human health or safety  
8. Relevant documents:   
87 Federal Register (FR) 5424, 1 February 2022; Title 7 Code of Federal Regulations 
(CFR) Part 205:  
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2022-02-01/html/2022 -01915.htm  
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2022-02-01/pdf/2022 -01915.pdf  G/TBT/N/USA/1829  
 
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  This proposed rule is identified by Docket Number AMS -NOP-21-0060. The Docket Fol der 
is available from Regulations.gov at  https://www.regulations.gov/docket/AMS -NOP-21-
0060/document  and provides access to primary documents as well as comments 
receiv ed. Documents are also accessible from  Regulations.gov  by searching the Docket 
Number. WTO Members and their stakeholders are asked to submit comments to the  USA 
TBT Enquiry Point  by or before 4pm Eastern Time on 4 April 2022. Comments received 
by the USA TBT Enquiry Point from WTO Members and their stakeholders will be shared 
with the regulator and will also be su bmitted to the  Docket  on Regulations.gov if received 
within the comment period.   
9. Proposed date of adoption:  To be determined  
Proposed date of entry into force:  To be determined  
10. Final date for comments:  4 April 2022  
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [ ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available , of other body:   
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2022/TBT/USA/22_1297_00_e.pdf