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Agricultural Marketing Service Room 2646-South Building Effective Date: March 20, 2024

National Organic Program Washington, DC 20250 Page 1 of 7

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2024 NOP Program Handbook Update 

Stakeholder Reference Document

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has published an updated version of the National Organic Program 

(NOP) Handbook. This public resource provides USDA-accredited certifiers and certified organic operations with 

guidance, instructions, and other policy documents that can help them comply with the USDA organic 

regulations. Several previous NOP Handbook documents have been archived because they have been replaced by

new regulations, such as the Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE) rule. Other documents have been revised 

with minor edits to keep the content up to date with current regulations. In addition, USDA has relocated some 

general education resources from the Handbook to more relevant locations on NOP’s website and in the Organic 

Integrity Learning Center. 

This document summarizes the changes made to the Handbook in this 2024 update. Its purpose is to communicate 

clearly to stakeholders in the organic community what has changed, and to identify the new locations of relocated 

documents. Please see below for descriptions and the list of documents for each types of updates: Revised 

Documents, Archived Documents, and Relocated Documents. 

Revised Documents

NOP has conducted minor edits and technical corrections to the following documents to ensure they are up to date 

and align with current regulations and policy. These revisions do not create new policy, procedures, or 

interpretations of the USDA organic regulations, nor do they change or expand any existing policy, procedure, or 

interpretation. The table below lists these documents and briefly summarizes the changes. 

Document Title Document 

Number

Summary of Revisions

Table of Contents N/A Updated to reflect the changes made to the Handbook in 

this most recent update; archived and relocated 

documents are no longer listed.

Archived NOP Documents Notice 11-4 Updated to include documents that have been archived 

or relocated as part of this Handbook update (see tables 

below for additional details).

Introduction N/A Updated references, contact information, links, and

language regarding frequency of updates.

Peer Review of National Organic 

Program (NOP) Accreditation

NOP 1031 Updated Accreditation Division title.

General Accreditation Policies and 

Procedures

NOP 2000 Updated to align with SOE: certification offices; 

information submission. 

Information Submission 

Requirements for Certifying Agents

NOP 2024 Updated to align with SOE: information submission in 

the Organic INTEGRITY Database (OID).

Annual Report Checklist NOP 2024-1 Updated to align with SOE: information submission in 

the OID; information sharing among certifiers; risk 

assessment criteria; mediation acceptance criteria.

Internal Program Review 

Requirements

NOP 2025 Updated to align with SOE: internal program review.
United States Department of Agriculture 1400 Independence Avenue SW. NOP 1100-4

Agricultural Marketing Service Room 2646-South Building Effective Date: March 20, 2024

National Organic Program Washington, DC 20250 Page 2 of 7

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Document Title Document 

Number

Summary of Revisions

Personnel Performance Evaluations NOP 2027 Updated to align with SOE: performance evaluations; 

personnel qualifications; witness inspections.

Auditor Criteria NOP 2500 Updated Accreditation Division title.

Evaluating Auditor Performance NOP 2501 Updated Accreditation Division title.

The Organic Certification Process NOP 2601 Updated to align with SOE: personnel qualifications, 

fraud prevention, producer groups, annual updates, onsite inspections. 

Organic Certificates NOP 2603 Updated to align with SOE: generate organic certificates 

from the OID. 

Responsibilities of Certified 

Operations Changing Accredited 

Certifying Agents

NOP 2604 Updated to align with current practice related to the useup of existing supplies of labels.

Reinstating Suspended Organic 

Operations

NOP 2605 Updated to align with SOE: responsibly connected 

persons.

Responding to Noncompliances NOP 2608 Updated Accreditation Division title.

Unannounced Inspections NOP 2609 Updated to align with SOE: unannounced inspections. 

Sampling Procedures for Residue 

Testing

NOP 2610 Updated to align with SOE: testing as part of supply 

chain traceability audits; authority of interagency 

partners to conduct sampling on behalf of NOP.

Responding to Results from Pesticide 

Residue Testing

NOP 2613 Updated to align with SOE: testing as part of supply 

chain traceability audits; information sharing among 

certifiers.

Organic System Plans, Organic 

System Plan Updates, and 

Notification of Changes

NOP 2615 Updated to align with SOE: fraud prevention; annual 

updates.

Material Review – Interim Instruction NOP 3012 Updated links and reference to § 205.501(a)(23).

Enforcement of the USDA Organic 

Regulations: Penalty Matrix

NOP 4002 Updated to align with SOE: mediation and appeals.

Who Needs to be Certified? 

(Instruction)

NOP 4009 Updated to align with SOE: exemptions from 

certification. 

Who Needs to be Certified? (Q&A) N/A Updated to align with SOE: exemptions from 

certification.

Adverse Action Appeal Process NOP 4011 Updated to align with SOE: appeals.

Use of Brand or Company Names 

Containing the Word “Organic”

NOP 4012 Updated to align with SOE: enforcement action 

authority; civil penalty.

Natural Resources and Biodiversity 

Conservation

NOP 5020 Updated links.

Substances Used in Post-Harvest 

Handling of Organic Products

NOP 5023 Updated links and references to new SOE terms defined.

Chlorine Materials in Organic 

Production and Handling

NOP 5026 Updated to align with National List: new annotation for 

chlorine materials at § 205.601 and § 205.605; and 

additions of hypochlorous acid and potassium 

hypochlorite.

Products in the “Made With Organic 

***” Labeling Category

NOP 5032 Updated links.
United States Department of Agriculture 1400 Independence Avenue SW. NOP 1100-4

Agricultural Marketing Service Room 2646-South Building Effective Date: March 20, 2024

National Organic Program Washington, DC 20250 Page 3 of 7

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Document Title Document 

Number

Summary of Revisions

Materials for Organic Crop 

Production

NOP 5034 Updated links and reference to NOP 3012.

Appendix of Prohibited Materials for 

Organic Crop Production

NOP 5034-2 Updated to align with National List: Polyoxin D Zinc 

Salt added to § 205.601; Rotenone added to § 205.602.

Treated Lumber – Draft Guidance NOP 5036 Updated links.

Sulfur Dioxide in Wine "Made With" 

Organic Fruit

PM 10-2 Updated links and contact information.

Use of Natural Flavors PM 11-1 Updated to align with National List: new annotation for 

flavors at § 205.605(a).

Labeling of Alcoholic Beverages PM 11-3 Updated links.

Reporting Health and Safety 

Violations

PM 11-6 Updated reference to § 205.501(a)(23).

Humic Acid Extraction PM 13-2 Updated links.

Synthetic Algicides, Disinfectants, 

and Sanitizers Allowed in Organic 

Crop Production

PM 13-3 Updated links and reference to NOP 3012.

Aquatic Plant Extracts PM 14-1 Updated links.

Chlorine Use in Egg Breaking 

Facilities

PM 14-2 Updated links.

Nanotechnology PM 15-2 Updated links.

Impact of Fumigation and Irradiation 

Requirements on Organic Imports

PM 18-1 Updated to align with SOE: importer requirements. 

Updated references to APHIS.

Impact of Prohibited Grain Seed 

Regulations on Organic Imports

PM 18-2 Updated to align with SOE: exemptions. Updated 

references to APHIS.

Petitions for Inert Ingredients under 

the National Organic Program

Notice 11-6 Updated links and contact information.

Response to Comments Notice 11-7 Updated links.

Sodium Nitrate Use in Organic Crop 

Production

Notice 12-1 Updated links.

Noncompliance and Adverse Actions 

Flow Chart

N/A Updated to align with SOE: adverse actions.

Periodic Residue Testing of Organic 

Products

N/A Updated links.

Archived Documents

NOP has archived the following documents (removed them from the Handbook and stored them for 

recordkeeping purposes). In most cases, the documents have been replaced by final regulations such as SOE or 

the Organic Livestock and Poultry Standards (OLPS). Other documents were archived because they are obsolete 

due to trade arrangement updates, or otherwise are no longer needed for the conduct of day-to-day activities. The 

table below directs stakeholders to the applicable section(s) of the USDA organic regulations or to other 

resources. 
United States Department of Agriculture 1400 Independence Avenue SW. NOP 1100-4

Agricultural Marketing Service Room 2646-South Building Effective Date: March 20, 2024

National Organic Program Washington, DC 20250 Page 4 of 7

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Document Title Document 

Number

Notes

Accreditation Assessment 

Checklist

NOP 2005 Replaced by SOE. Refer to the current USDA organic

regulations and the SOE final rule (88 FR 3548) for 

regulatory requirements related to accreditation.

Witness Audit Checklist NOP 2005-4 Replaced by SOE. Refer to the current USDA organic

regulations and the SOE final rule (88 FR 3548) for 

regulatory requirements related to accreditation.

Review Audit Checklist NOP 2005-6 Replaced by SOE. Refer to the current USDA organic

regulations and the SOE final rule (88 FR 3548) for 

regulatory requirements related to accreditation.

List of Certified Organic 

Operations Template

NOP 2024-2 Replaced by SOE. Refer to NOP 2024 Information 

Submission Requirements for Certifying Agents and related 

resources in the Organic INTEGRITY Database: 

https://organic.ams.usda.gov/integrity/About.

Submitting Annual Lists of 

Certified Operations

NOP 2026 Replaced by SOE. See § 205.501(a)(15), SOE preamble (88 

FR 3548; begins on p. 3577), and related resources in the 

Organic INTEGRITY Database (OID):

https://organic.ams.usda.gov/integrity/About.

Recognition and Monitoring of

Foreign Government Conformity 

Assessment Systems

NOP 2200 Replaced by SOE. See § 205.511 and SOE preamble

discussion on Foreign Conformity Assessment Systems (88 

FR 3548; begins on p. 3585).

Certifying Agent Acronyms for 

TM-11 Export Certificates

NOP 2403 Document is obsolete. Refer to certifier abbreviations in the 

OID and the NOP International Trade Partners webpage: 

https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/organiccertification/international-trade.

Recordkeeping of Certified 

Operations 

NOP 2602 Replaced by SOE. See § 205.103, § 205.201, § 205.406(a)

and OILC Course NOP-140 Recordkeeping.

Disclosure of Information: 

USDA-Accredited Certifying 

Agents and Certified Operations 

to the National Organic Program

NOP 2607 Replaced by SOE. See § 205.501(a)(10), §§ 205.504(b)(4)-

(5), and § 205.662(e)(3). 

Maintaining the Integrity of 

Organic Imports - Interim 

Instruction

NOP 4013 Replaced by SOE. See § 205.273 and SOE preamble

discussion on Imports to the United States (88 FR 3548

begins on p. 3563).

Certification Requirements for 

Handling Unpackaged Organic 

Products / Response to 

Comments

NOP 5031

NOP 5031-1 

Replaced by SOE. See § 205.101 exemptions from 

certification, § 205.2 definition of handling, and SOE 

preamble discussion of applicability and exemptions (88 FR 

3548 begins on p. 3553).

Calculating the Percentage of 

Organic Ingredients in MultiIngredient Products – Draft 

Guidance

NOP 5037 Replaced by SOE. See § 205.302 and SOE preamble (88 

FR 3548 begins on p. 3600) and OILC Course NOP-210 

Keep it Organic When Handling and Processing.

Sample Calculation Worksheet 

(xls) - Calculating % OG 

Ingredients

NOP 5037-1 Replaced by SOE. See § 205.302 and SOE preamble (88 

FR 3548 begins on p. 3600) and OILC Course NOP-210 

Keep it Organic When Handling and Processing.

Access to the Outdoors for 

Livestock

PM 11-5 Replaced by OLPS. Refer to OLPS final rule (88 FR 

75394) for regulatory requirements related to livestock 
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Agricultural Marketing Service Room 2646-South Building Effective Date: March 20, 2024

National Organic Program Washington, DC 20250 Page 5 of 7

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Document Title Document 

Number

Notes

access to the outdoors. See § 205.239 and § 205.241 for 

outdoor space requirements and limitations on temporary 

confinement for organic livestock and poultry.

Calculating the Percentage of 

Organically Produced Ingredients

PM 11-9 Replaced by SOE. See § 205.302 and SOE preamble (88 

FR 3548 begins on p. 3600) and OILC Course NOP-210 

Keep it Organic When Handling and Processing.

Electrolyzed Water PM 15-4 Replaced by National List final rule (83 FR 66559). See §

205.601(a)(2)(iii), § 205.603(a)(10)(iii), 

§ 205.605(b)(12)(iii), and NOP Guidance 5026.

Certification of Operations Based 

in Canada

N/A Document is obsolete. Refer to NOP International Trade 

Partners webpage for Canada:

https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/organiccertification/international-trade/Canada.

Impact of U.S. - EU Organic 

Equivalency Arrangement

N/A Document is obsolete. Refer to NOP International Trade 

Partners webpage for the EU:

https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/organiccertification/international-trade/european-union.

Exporting European Union 

Organic Products to the United 

States

N/A Document is obsolete. Refer to NOP International Trade 

Partners webpage for the EU:

https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/organiccertification/international-trade/european-union.

Exporting USDA Organic 

Products to the European Union

N/A Document is obsolete. Refer to NOP International Trade 

Partners webpage for the EU:

https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/organiccertification/international-trade/european-union.

Use of Brand or Company Names 

Containing the Word “Organic”

(Version Listed in Notices to 

Certifying Agents – 2014)

N/A Document is obsolete. Refer to NOP Instruction 4012: Use 

of Brand or Company Names Containing the Word 

"Organic."

Criteria and Qualifications for 

Organic Inspectors

N/A Replaced by SOE. See §§ 205.501(a)(4)-(6) and SOE 

preamble (88 FR 3548 begins on p. 3578). See also OILC 

course Growing the Organic Workforce for resources for 

developing Inspector community. 

Organic INTEGRITY Database 

Launch (September 2015)

N/A Document is obsolete. Refer to current Organic 

INTEGRITY Database and related resources: 

https://organic.ams.usda.gov/integrity/About. 

Implementation of the Access to 

Pasture Rule (October 2010)

Notice 10-1 Document is obsolete. The Pasture Rule (75 FR 7154) has 

been fully implemented.
United States Department of Agriculture 1400 Independence Avenue SW. NOP 1100-4

Agricultural Marketing Service Room 2646-South Building Effective Date: March 20, 2024

National Organic Program Washington, DC 20250 Page 6 of 7

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Relocated Documents

NOP has removed general education resources from the Handbook and relocated them to more appropriate 

webpages on the AMS website or in the Organic Integrity Learning Center (OILC), which have both expanded 

since the last Handbook update. This relocation will streamline the Handbook and ensure that stakeholders can 

more easily access and use these resources. The table below indicates each document’s new location. In addition, 

most relocated resources can be accessed from https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/organic-certification/organicrecords.

Document Title Document 

Number

New Location

NOP Organization Chart and Stakeholder 

Map

NOP 1001 AMS Webpage: "Contact NOP"

https://www.ams.usda.gov/aboutams/programs-offices/national-organicprogram/contact-us

NOP Import Certificate & Instructions for 

Completing an NOP Import Certificate

NOP 2110-1 AMS Webpage: “Electronic Organic Import 

Certificates” 

https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/organiccertification/international-trade/ElectronicOrganic-Import-Certificates

National List Petition Guidelines NOP 3011 AMS Webpage: “How to File a Petition” 

https://www.ams.usda.gov/rulesregulations/organic/national-list/filing-petition

National List Sunset Dates NOP 5611 NOSB Work Agenda (PDF) downloadable 

from the AMS Webpage: "National Organic 

Standards Board (NOSB)" 

https://www.ams.usda.gov/rulesregulations/organic/nosb

Calculating Dry Matter Intake from 

Pasture

NOP 5017-1

AMS Webpage: “National Organic Program: 

Farms & Operations”

https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/organiccertification/farms-operations

Dry Matter Demand Tables for Classes of 

Dairy Cattle

NOP 5017-2

Dry Matter Demand Tables for Classes of 

Beef Cattle

NOP 5017-3

Dry Matter Intake Calculation Worksheet 

& Example Using National Research 

Council (NRC) Values

NOP 5017-4

Dry Matter Intake Calculation Worksheet 

using Body Weight Values

NOP 5017-5

Pasture Worksheet: Rotational/Stocking 

Grazing Systems

NOP 5017-6

Dry Matter Demand Tables for Classes of 

Dairy Goats

NOP 5017-7

Pasture for Organic Ruminant Livestock: 

Understanding and Implementing the 

Organic Pasture Rule

N/A

Documentation Forms Intro N/A

Crop Documentation Forms N/A

Livestock Documentation Forms N/A
United States Department of Agriculture 1400 Independence Avenue SW. NOP 1100-4

Agricultural Marketing Service Room 2646-South Building Effective Date: March 20, 2024

National Organic Program Washington, DC 20250 Page 7 of 7

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Document Title Document 

Number

New Location

OSP Template – Organic Production N/A

AMS Webpage: “The Organic System Plan” 

https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/organiccertification/organic-system-plan

OSP Templates – Crop Production N/A

OSP Templates – Livestock Production N/A

Resource Inventory Supplements for 

Producers Participating in USDA NRCS 

Conservation Activity Plan 138

NOP 2616

USDA NRCS Conservation Activity Plan 

138 for Organic System Plans and 

Requirements for Certifying Agent 

Technical Service Providers

NOP 2617

CAP 138 Resource Inventory Supplement 

– Crop Production

N/A

CAP 138 Resource Inventory Supplement 

– Livestock Production

N/A

CAP 138 Resource Inventory Supplement 

– Organic Production

N/A