§ 205.238 Livestock care and production practices standard. ( a ) *Preventive health care practices.* The producer must establish and maintain preventive health care practices, including: ( 1 ) Selection of species and types of livestock with regard to suitability for site-specific conditions and resistance to prevalent diseases and parasites.
( 2 ) Provision of a feed ration sufficient to meet nutritional requirements of the animal, including vitamins, minerals, proteins and/or amino acids, fatty acids, energy sources, and fiber (ruminants).
( 3 ) Establishment of appropriate housing, pasture conditions, and sanitation practices to minimize the occurrence and spread of diseases and parasites.
( 4 ) Provision of conditions which allow for exercise, freedom of movement, and reduction of stress appropriate to the species.
( 5 ) Physical alterations may be performed for identification purposes or the safety of the animal. Physical alterations must be performed: at a young age for the species, in a manner that minimizes stress and pain, and by a person that is capable of performing the physical alteration in a manner that minimizes stress and pain. ( i ) The following practices may not be routinely used and must be used only with documentation that alternative methods to prevent harm failed: needle teeth clipping (no more than top one-third of the tooth) in pigs and tail docking in pigs.
( ii ) The following practices are prohibited: de-beaking, de-snooding, caponization, dubbing, toe clipping of chickens, toe clipping of turkeys unless with infra-red at hatchery, beak trimming after 10 days of age, tail docking of cattle, wattling of cattle, face branding of cattle, tail docking of sheep shorter than the distal end of the caudal fold, and mulesing of sheep.
( 6 ) Administration of vaccines and other veterinary biologics.
( 7 ) All surgical procedures necessary to treat an illness or injury shall be undertaken in a manner that employs best management practices to promote the animal's wellbeing and to minimize pain, stress, and suffering, with the use of allowed anesthetics, analgesics, and sedatives, as appropriate.
( 8 ) Monitoring of lameness; timely and appropriate treatment of lameness for the species; and mitigation of the causes of lameness.
( b ) *Preventive medicines and parasiticides.* Producers may administer medications that are allowed under § 205.603 of this part to alleviate pain or suffering, and when preventive practices and veterinary biologics are inadequate to prevent sickness. Parasiticides allowed under § 205.603 of this part may be used on: ( 1 ) Breeder stock, when used prior to the last third of gestation but not during lactation for progeny that are to be sold, labeled, or represented as organically produced; and
( 2 ) Dairy animals, as allowed under § 205.603 of this part.
( 3 ) Fiber bearing animals, as allowed under § 205.603 of this part.
( c ) *Prohibited practices.* An organic livestock operation must not: ( 1 ) Sell, label, or represent as organic any animal or product derived from any animal treated with antibiotics, any substance that contains a synthetic substance not allowed under § 205.603 of this part, or any substance that contains a non-synthetic substance prohibited in § 205.604 of this part. Milk from animals undergoing treatment with synthetic substances that are allowed under § 205.603 of this part but have associated withdrawal periods cannot be sold, labeled, or represented as organic during the withdrawal period but may be fed to calves on the same operation. Milk from animals undergoing treatment with prohibited substances cannot be sold, labeled, or represented as organic or fed to organic livestock.
( 2 ) Administer synthetic medications unless: ( i ) In the presence of illness or to alleviate pain and suffering, and
( ii ) That such medications are allowed under § 205.603 of this part.
( 3 ) Administer hormones for growth promotion, production, or reproduction, except as provided in § 205.603 of this part.
( 4 ) Administer synthetic parasiticides on a routine basis.
( 5 ) Administer synthetic parasiticides to slaughter stock.
( 6 ) Administer animal drugs in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act; or
( 7 ) Withhold medical treatment from a sick animal in an effort to preserve its organic status. All appropriate medications must be used to restore an animal to health when methods acceptable to organic production fail. Livestock treated with a prohibited substance must be clearly identified and neither the animal nor its products shall be sold, labeled, or represented as organically produced.
( 8 ) Withhold individual treatment designed to minimize pain and suffering for injured, diseased, or sick animals, which may include forms of euthanasia as recommended by the American Veterinary Medical Association.
( 9 ) Neglect to identify and record treatment of sick and injured animals in animal health records.
( 10 ) Practice induced molting.
( d ) *Parasite control plans.* ( 1 ) Organic livestock operations must have comprehensive plans to minimize internal parasite problems in livestock, including preventive measures such as pasture management, fecal monitoring, and emergency measures in the event of a parasite outbreak.
( 2 ) [Reserved]
( e ) *Euthanasia.* ( 1 ) Organic livestock operations must have written plans for prompt, humane euthanasia for sick or injured livestock suffering from irreversible disease or injury.
( 2 ) The following methods of euthanasia are not permitted: suffocation; manual blow to the head by blunt instrument or manual blunt force trauma; and the use of equipment that crushes the neck, including killing pliers or Burdizzo clamps.
( 3 ) Following a euthanasia procedure, livestock must be carefully examined to ensure that they are dead.
[88 FR 75445, Nov. 2, 2023; 88 FR 86259, Dec. 13, 2023; 88 FR 89539, Dec. 28, 2023]