Note: Subcommittee notes may include preliminary discussions regarding substances considered for addition to 

or removal from the National List. They do not represent official National Organic Program (NOP) policy or 

regulations. Please see the NOP website for official NOP policy, regulations, and status of substances used in 

organic production and handling.

National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) 

Executive Subcommittee (ES) Meeting Notes

Friday, January 8, 2016, 1:00 pm ET

Attending: Tracy Favre (TF), NOSB Chair; Tom Chapman (TC), NOSB Vice Chair & PDS Chair; Lisa de Lima (LD), 

NOSB Secretary & Materials/GMO ad hoc Chair; Harold Austin (HA), Handling Chair; Ashley Swaffar (AS), 

Livestock Chair; Zea Sonnabend (ZS), Crops Chair; Carmela Beck (CBe), CACS Chair; Colehour Bondera (CBo) -

sitting in; Jean Richardson (JR) - sitting in; Calvin Walker (CW) - sitting in; Jennifer Taylor (JT) - sitting in.

Absent: Miles McEvoy (MM)

Staff: Michelle Arsenault (MA); Emily Brown Rosen (EBR); Paul Lewis (PL)

Agenda

• Approve notes of December 11, 2015

• Chairs Report - TF

o Sunset review timeline

o Farewell to outgoing members

o New NOSB members

o New template for petitioned materials

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update – MA

o New member orientation/training 

o Public comment webinars April 2016 – dates?

o Fall 2016 meeting locations update

• NOP news and update - PL

• Subcommittee Reports (5 minutes each)

o Handling (HS) - HA.

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - LD.

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - CBe.

o Crops (CS) - ZS.

o Livestock (LS) - AS.

o Policy Development (PDS) - TC. 

• Additional Items 

• Adjourn

Discussion

• Notes of December 11 approved with no changes

• Chairs Report – TF

o Sunset review timeline. The group briefly discussed the proposal to adjust the timeline for 

sunset reviews, which would redistribute the reviews more evenly over 5 years. The Executive 

team officially requested that the project be added to the work agenda and anticipates a 

response from the NOP soon. There is broad support for this as it will better distribute the 

workload and resources, and make analyses more robust. A member noted that there will still 

be a 2-phase review process for sunset materials. 
o Farewell to outgoing members. The NOSB Chair thanked the outgoing members, whose terms 

end January 23. One of the outgoing members asked that the NOSB keep vigilant about organic 

research priorities, specifically NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI). The Board 

Chair requested that the member pass along any helpful information to the new Material’s 

Chair. 

o New NOSB members. The NOSB Chair spoke with all new members last week, and relayed their

excitement and enthusiasm for being chosen to serve on the NOSB. The NOP will send the new 

Subcommittee rosters today, and the new members will sit in on calls next week if they are 

available. The NOSB Chair asked for feedback from the Subcommittee Chairs about the new 

assignments.

o New template for petitioned materials. Two NOSB members developed a template for 

materials’ review that converts the current checklist format into narrative form based on OFPA 

criteria and the regulations. The template is considered an internal NOSB tool. The NOP will 

provide feedback on the template, then new templates will be disseminated ASAP. Templates 

will be used to guide analysis and will provide more robust justification for rulemaking. The 

NOSB Chair noted that standardization across all Subcommittees is also key. 

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o New member orientation/training. The NOP is searching for a date for which all new members 

and NOSB officers can attend a training in DC.

o Public comment webinars - April 2016. The group discussed potential dates for a public 

comment webinar(s) prior to the spring meeting. Members asked that the webinar be held the 

week prior to the meeting. 

o Fall 2016 meeting locations update. The fall 2016 meeting will be held in either St. Louis or

Indianapolis in November 2016, after the 2016 Presidential election. Members emphasized their 

opposition to holding the meeting any later, as was originally proposed.

• NOP news and update - PL

o The NOP is working on several Federal Register notices including one for the five NOSB 

nominations (for terms beginning in 2017) and renewal of the NOSB Charter. The notice will also 

announce an open call for nominations so the Secretary has a pool of applicants for any 

unexpected vacancies. 

o There are several other projects and documents underway that are at various stages of 

completion: Guidance on Post Harvest Handling, Sound & Sensible resources, the 2016 NOSB 

training, and Classification of Materials guidelines. 

o The NOP will participate in a seminar next week on emerging technologies with a senior scientist 

from APHIS and the NOSB will likely have a panel on GMO technology at the April NOSB 

meeting. 

o A member asked about the status of the aquaculture rule, and if it would be published before 

the spring NOSB meeting. The document is in final clearance but the NOP is unsure when it will 

be completed and returned. 

o Either the NOP or EPA will present a report on Inerts at the spring NOSB meeting. The Inerts 

Working Group will hold a couple of calls before the spring meeting and will discuss this.

o Animal welfare. This is a top priority and the NOP is working diligently to get it completed. 

Currently it is at the departmental level and not yet in clearance. 

o An outgoing member asked about adding a potential work agenda item looking at ways to 

address farm worker welfare and health. The CACS will discuss this on the next call and 

determine whether to submit a request to add it to the work agenda. 

• Subcommittee Reports (5 minutes each)
o Handling (HS) - HA. The HS has 3 scheduled calls before the proposal deadline and is working on 

several documents for the spring 2016 NOSB meeting. This includes its review of the 2018 

sunset materials for which it is anticipating the draft guidance on materials’ classification. The 

HS Chair indicated that some of these materials may be impacted by this, but the Subcommittee 

does not want to change anything until the rule has been finalized. The NOP indicated that the 

guidance should be completed soon. The Subcommittee is waiting for several TR’s that are in 

development, and is also preparing to transition several materials to new members. The 

discussion on Packaging Materials will be deferred to the fall meeting because the TR is still in 

development. The group discussed a possible panel on carrageenan for the spring 2016 meeting, 

but would prefer to wait until the TR is available before deciding. The HS is waiting for a 

response for NOP regarding several other potential work agenda items, including marine plant 

extracts, nutrient vitamins and minerals, reclassification of magnesium chloride, and the 

cumulative health effects of phosphate food additives. A member noted the controversial 

nature of carrageenan, which may elicit media attention given that the meeting is being held in 

DC. 

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - LD. The MS has not met since the last Executive call. The 

group is working on the next draft of excluded methods terminology document. 

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - CBe. The CACS will meet next week and will 

discuss an update from the NOP regarding the Soil Assessment document. The Subcommittee 

has no other work agenda items at this time and asked for suggestions. 

o Crops (CS) - ZS. Crops is working on several new petitioned items, and is waiting for TRs for 

some. The Chair noted the receipt of a petition to amend calcium chloride at §205.602, which 

appears to be similar, if not identical, to the petition submitted in 2010. CS will discuss how to 

proceed. The Subcommittee had a brief discussion about the project on Contamination in Farm 

Inputs, and how to transition this to a new NOSB member. The project will be on hold until a 

new lead is identified and therefore it won’t be on spring 2016 agenda. The CS Chair submitted a

formal request to add a project for an annotation change for newspaper. The previous TAP was 

from 1995, so the CS is requesting a new TR to glean information on the composition of inks and 

paper. 

o Livestock (LS) - AS. The LS is working on a number of projects including several petitioned 

materials for litter amendments for which they are waiting on a TR, as well as a petition for 

hypochlorous acid. All materials will be presented at the April 2016 meeting. The Subcommittee 

also has several annotation changes on the work agenda. The Crops Subcommittee will review 

hypochlorous acid after the LS completes its review and feels they will have adequate time to do 

so. 

o Policy Development (PDS) - TC. The PDS has not met since last ES call but is meeting next week 

to discuss the PPM and public comments it received at the last NOSB meeting. The Sunset 

Material Review Timeline project will be added to the work agenda, as well as a revision of the 

member guide. 

• Additional Items. The NOSB Chair asked that the Subcommittee Chairs send her comments or 

suggestions for mentors for the new members so she can make assignments before the training at the 

end of February. ZS & HA volunteered to be mentors.

• The meeting was adjourned

Previous ES Notes

Future call schedule:

December 11, 2015 1:00 ET

January 8, 2016 1:00 ET
February 12, 2016 1:00 ET

March 11, 2016 1:00 ET

April 8, 2016 1:00 ET

May 13, 2016 1:00 ET

June 10, 2016 1:00 ET

July 8, 2016 1:00 ET

August 12, 2016 1:00 ET

September 9, 2016 1:00 ET

October 14, 2016 1:00 ET

November 11, 2016 1:00 ET

December 9, 2016 1:00 ET

Spring 2016 Milestones Target date

New NOSB member orientation Feb 29, 2016

NOP - Complete Spring 2016 NOSB meeting tentative agenda Feb 10, 2016

NOSB - Spring 2016 proposals due to NOP Feb 26, 2016

NOP - Post proposals, Publish FRN, Open public comment Mar 8, 2016

Discuss work agendas on ES call Mar 11, 2016

Public comment webinars Apr 18, 2016

Public comment closes Apr 6, 2016

Work agendas finalized on ES call (last call before fall meeting) Apr 8, 2016

NOP - Send compiled public comments to NOSB Apr 11, 2016

Spring 2016 NOSB meeting – Washington, DC Apr 25 - 27, 2016
Note: Subcommittee notes may include preliminary discussions regarding substances considered for addition to 

or removal from the National List. They do not represent official National Organic Program (NOP) policy or 

regulations. Please see the NOP website for official NOP policy, regulations, and status of substances used in 

organic production and handling.

National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) 

Executive Subcommittee (ES) Meeting Notes

Friday, February 12, 2016, 1:00 pm ET

Attending: Tracy Favre (TF), NOSB Chair; Tom Chapman (TC), NOSB Vice Chair & PDS Chair; Harold Austin (HA), 

Handling Chair; Ashley Swaffar (AS), Livestock Chair; Zea Sonnabend (ZS), Crops Chair; Carmela Beck (CBe), CACS 

Chair; Jean Richardson (JR) - sitting in; Scott Rice (SR) - sitting in

Absent: Lisa de Lima (LD), NOSB Secretary & Materials/GMO ad hoc Chair; Miles McEvoy (MM)

Staff: Michelle Arsenault (MA); Emily Brown Rosen (EBR); Paul Lewis (PL)

Agenda

• Approve notes of January 8, 2016

• Chairs Report - TF

o Draft meeting agenda for spring 2016

o New template for petitioned materials

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o New member orientation/training - February 29

o Ethics Training

o Comment webinar run-through and public comment webinar

o Fall 2016 meeting locations update

o Charter renewal/2017 nominations

o Spring meeting announcement and comment period

• NOP news and update - PL

• Subcommittee Reports (5 minutes each)

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - ZS.

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - CBe.

o Crops (CS) - ZS.

o Livestock (LS) - AS.

o Policy Development (PDS) - TC. 

o Handling (HS) - HA.

• Additional Items 

• Adjourn

Discussion

• Notes of January 8, 2016 were approved with no changes

• Chairs Report - TF

o Draft meeting agenda for spring 2016. Members discussed the Hydroponics Task Force. The 

sense from the Board is that at this stage in the process, the Task Force likely will not need 45 

minutes to present an update at the April 2016 meeting, and perhaps the schedule should be 

reduced from 45 minutes to 30. PL will speak with the Deputy Administrator about this idea. 

Alternatively, the members suggested that rather than invite task force members to present 

preliminary information, perhaps the Crops Subcommittee task force liaisons could provide an 

update, or instead the update could be provided via webinar. Members also discussed the 
emerging technologies panel and asked for some adjustments to the time and location on the 

agenda. The revised draft agenda will be recirculated prior to the scheduled posting date of 

March 8. 

o New template for petitioned materials. The group discussed the draft template which is a 

narrative version of the questions formerly included in the petitioned materials checklist. The 

NOSB felt that the checklist was not adequate for presenting a complicated review, and at times 

the limitations of a checklist did not allow for proper justification. Members will review the 

document and provide feedback for the next iteration. The NOP will then prepare the document 

so it can be distributed to the members as well as presented to the new members during 

training. The current proposals for the April 2016 NOSB meeting will remain on the old checklist 

form as the new one will not be ready for this meeting. 

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o New member orientation/training is scheduled for February 29. 

o Ethics training for the entire NOSB will be provided via webinar in early March. The date has yet 

to be scheduled. 

o The public comment webinar run-through is scheduled for April 14, and the public comment 

webinar is scheduled for April 19.

o Fall 2016 meeting locations update. The fall meeting is scheduled for November 16-18, 2016 in

St Louis at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel. 

o Charter renewal. The NOSB Charter is in the process of being revised. The expiry date is May 8, 

2016 and the NOP anticipates it will be renewed on or before that date. The next round of call 

for nominations will be published this spring. Five positions will become vacant in January 2017.

o Spring meeting announcement. The April 2016 NOSB meeting is due to be announced on or 

about March 8 in the Federal Register and on the NOSB website.

• NOP news and update - PL

o Ethics training. The NOP will hold a virtual training for the annual ethics update, which will be 

provided by the USDA deputy ethics officer 

o TR reports. The NOP is looking at how these reports can be enhanced to address Board’s needs 

in reviewing materials.

o The NOP has a number of activities and reports in progress with the goal of finalizing them 

before the change in administration. 

o April 2016 panel on emerging technologies. Lisa Brines will be facilitating the choice of panelists. 

The NOP and Materials Subcommittees wish to include a range of expertise for the panel, 

including plant breeding, domestic and international perspectives, and expertise in detection 

methods. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has also provided some 

references. 

• Subcommittee Reports (5 minutes each)

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - ZS. The MS will have two documents for the April meeting, 

although the excluded methods document will have two parts: one proposal and one discussion 

document. The proposal will include definitions, criteria and principles, and terminology about 

emerging technologies. The discussion document will contain supplementary issues such as

detection, enforcement, and additional proposed definitions. The second MS document is a 

discussion document on seed purity next steps. This document includes a summary of the public 

comment from the last two years and suggestions on how to move forward. The MS chose a 

new lead for the Research Priorities. 

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - CBe. The CACS discussed the soil assessment 

document during the last Subcommittee call, and will put forth suggestions to the NOP 

emphasizing education and training for certifiers, inspectors and producers. The Subcommittee 
will provide a verbal update on this at the spring NOSB meeting. The group also discussed 

revisiting past recommendations such as the eligibility of products treated with sanitizers for the 

100% organic label. The CACS chair has solicited ideas from members about other topics to add 

to the work agenda. 

o Crops (CS) - ZS. The Subcommittee has been working through the topics on the work agenda and 

has one call left before proposal submission deadline. The five 2018 sunset materials have been 

reviewed and the CS is working on several petitions. The Chair will follow up with the NOP about 

biodegradable biobased mulch, as the Subcommittee is unsure how to move forward 

procedurally. 

o Livestock (LS) - AS. The LS has one proposal to complete before spring, and will have three 

proposals for the April meeting. The group has several other work agenda items including 

continuing discussions about forming an organic poultry working group. The LS Chair noted that 

she received an email from a stakeholder regarding kelp, and the members discussed the 

process for responding to direct communications. The NOP suggested that members ask that all 

communication regarding materials be uploaded to the public comment site, so it is part of the 

public record and everyone has access to it. 

o Policy Development (PDS) - TC. The PDS will have two documents for the April 2016 NOSB 

meeting: Updates to the policy & procedures manual, and a discussion document about the 

reorganization of the sunset review. Additionally, the Subcommittee hopes to have a revised 

member guide for fall. 

o Handling (HS) - HA. The Handling Subcommittee has a number of items for the April NOSB 

meeting: ten sunset 2018 materials, six proposals, and one discussion document. The HS is 

currently awaiting several TRs for some of these reviews. The Subcommittee recently received 

the TR for carrageenan, as well as several others, and have added an additional conference call 

to discuss these. There are several other petitioned materials under review, which the HS will 

conduct once the spring meeting documents are submitted. The lead reviewer for Carrageenan 

urged the other members to read the TR prior to the spring meeting. 

• Additional Items. The Crops Chair reminded the members that the work agendas would be discussed on 

the March 11 Executive call, and suggested that the Subcommittee Chairs bring the topic to their 

respective Subcommittees. 

• The meeting was adjourned

Previous ES Notes

Future call schedule:

February 12, 2016 1:00 ET

March 11, 2016 1:00 ET

April 8, 2016 1:00 ET

May 13, 2016 1:00 ET

June 10, 2016 1:00 ET

July 8, 2016 1:00 ET

August 12, 2016 1:00 ET

September 9, 2016 1:00 ET

October 14, 2016 1:00 ET

November 11, 2016 1:00 ET

December 9, 2016 1:00 ET
Spring 2016 Milestones Target date

New NOSB member orientation Feb 29, 2016

NOP - Complete Spring 2016 NOSB meeting tentative agenda Feb 10, 2016

NOSB - Spring 2016 proposals due to NOP Feb 26, 2016

NOP - Post proposals, Publish FRN, Open public comment Mar 8, 2016

Discuss work agendas on ES call Mar 11, 2016

Public comment closes Apr 5, 2016

Work agendas finalized on ES call (last call before fall meeting) Apr 8, 2016

NOP - Send compiled public comments to NOSB Apr 11, 2016

Public comment webinars Apr 18, 2016

Spring 2016 NOSB meeting – Washington, DC Apr 25 - 27, 2016
Note: Subcommittee notes may include preliminary discussions regarding substances considered for addition to 

or removal from the National List. They do not represent official National Organic Program (NOP) policy or 

regulations. Please see the NOP website for official NOP policy, regulations, and status of substances used in 

organic production and handling.

National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) 

Executive Subcommittee (ES) Meeting Notes

Friday, March 11, 2016, 1:00 pm ET

Attending: Tracy Favre (TF), NOSB Chair; Harold Austin (HA), Handling Chair; Ashley Swaffar (AS), Livestock 

Chair; Zea Sonnabend (ZS), Crops Chair; Carmela Beck (CBe), CACS Chair; Jean Richardson (JR) - sitting in; Scott 

Rice (SR) - sitting in

Absent: Lisa de Lima (LD), NOSB Secretary & Materials/GMO ad hoc Chair; Tom Chapman (TC), NOSB Vice Chair

& PDS Chair

Staff: Michelle Arsenault (MA); Emily Brown Rosen (EBR); Paul Lewis (PL)

Agenda

• Approve notes of February 12, 2016 (attached)

• Chairs Report - TF

o Training recap

o Work agendas for fall 2016 (3 attachments)

o List of previous NOSB recommendations and the current status. 

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o Ethics Training

o Comment webinar run-through and public comment webinar

o Spring meeting announcement and comment period. 

• NOP news and update - PL

• Subcommittee Reports (5 minutes each)

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - CBe.

o Crops (CS) - ZS.

o Livestock (LS) - AS.

o Policy Development (PDS) - TC. 

o Handling (HS) - HA.

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - ZS.

• Additional Items 

• Adjourn

Discussion

• Notes of February 12, 2016 were approved with no changes

• Chairs Report - TF

o Training recap. The NOSB Chair felt the new member training went well and relayed that the 

new members are engaged and eager. While the training was condensed to one day from two, 

the new members completed some reading ahead of time, which allowed for more hands-on 

activities during the face to face training. Members appreciated the exercises on how to review 

petitions and TRs, and develop proposals. 

o Work agendas for fall 2016. Members discussed the draft work agenda for the fall semester. The 

Chair asked that members review it and provide any feedback for the next Executive call. A

member asked about the addition of marine materials to the Livestock Subcommittee work
agenda. Both Crops and Handling are working on a project on marine materials, and while the LS 

will not conduct a separate review, they will consult with the other Subcommittees and provide 

feedback. The item will be added to the LS work agenda table as a placeholder.

o List of previous NOSB recommendations and the current status. The Chair requested a list of 

outstanding NOSB recommendations and their status. Since Board members often get questions 

from stakeholders about the status of previous recommendations, and due to the timelines 

involved, both the members and the NOP feel it’s important that the current members be kept 

informed as to the progress of their work. 

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o Ethics Training. Scheduled for March 28. Slides and presentation materials will be provided to 

members who cannot attend the webinar. 

o Comment webinar run-through and public comment webinar. Scheduled for April 14 and April 

19 respectively.

o Spring meeting announcement and comment period. The meeting announcement was delayed 

and will not post in the Federal Register until March 16. The 30-day comment period will be 

open from March 16 through April 14.

• NOP news and update - PL

o NOSB recommendations and status. The NOP will provide a list of previous NOSB

recommendations and the status of those recommendations. The NOP supports the idea of 

maintaining such a list as it will serve to better gauge the interests of stakeholders in organic 

agriculture. 

o Organic livestock and poultry practices (animal welfare) is currently at OMB for review. 

o There is a Sound & Sensible webinar on March 16.

o The Federal Register notice announcing the NOSB charter renewal and the call for nominations 

should be published in the next two weeks. The NOP is intent on announcing the new members 

before or by the fall 2016 meeting. The NOSB members are supportive of early announcement 

and encouraged the program to do so because it is beneficial for the new members to have time 

to get oriented before the outgoing members rotate off the Board. 

• Subcommittee Reports (5 minutes each)

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - CBe. The CACS will have an oral update on 

the soil assessment document at the spring meeting that includes the history and path forward.

The CACS requested the addition of a work agenda item regarding the requirement for annual 

on-site evaluations of inspectors as per the NOP Instruction 2027. -The NOSB feels that the 

requirement of having annual assessments is burdensome to both time and resources. The 

previous NOSB recommendation included a request for a 3-year/or 300 inspections (whichever 

is less) review cycle. A member added that annual in-field reviews have implications for 

certifiers, who may reduce the number of inspectors to compensate for the added costs, and it 

may also have a negative impact on the organic industry as a whole. The NOP forwarded the 

request to the Accreditation and International Activities Division (AIA) as they are currently 

revising this instruction, and will review the request further.

o Crops (CS) - ZS. The CS is beginning work on the fall 2016 proposals and discussion documents. 

There are a couple of projects that are on hold until the Subcommittee determines a path 

forward, for example, contamination in farm inputs. The CS Chair informed the ES that the 

petition for calcium chloride was denied, because the Subcommittee determined it did not 

contain any new information from the previous submission. The NOP will include this in the

materials update at the spring NOSB meeting. The CS has a new request for a work agenda item:

Strengthening the organic seed guidance. Members were unanimously in support of this agenda 
item, which will likely be a discussion document for fall 2016. The ES Committee approved the 

addition of this to the CS agenda. NOP will review the request and respond further. 

o Livestock (LS) - AS. The Livestock Subcommittee has several petitions and projects underway for 

the fall meeting. The group has had several discussions about the formation of an organic 

poultry working group. .

o Policy Development (PDS) - TC. The PDS has two items for the spring 2016 NOSB meeting 

agenda: An update to the Policy and Procedures Manual (PPM), which governs internal Board 

policy and procedure, and a discussion document proposing a redistribution of sunset reviews. 

The PDS Chair encouraged all members to read the PPM proposal and provide feedback. The 

discussion document for the sunset review timeline includes several options for distributing 

materials more evenly over the 5-year review cycle, and addresses concerns from the public and 

other Board members. The document also includes questions for stakeholders. The group also 

discussed the policy of calling on experts during the meeting for added clarification or response. 

The PPM does not contain any guidance about this. There doesn’t seem to be an issue if the 

Board would like to recall a commenter for clarification, but calling on an expert from the 

audience if that person did not provide oral comments could be viewed as unfair, unless 

everyone is afforded that opportunity. The NOP will discuss this issue for the next ES call. The 

PDS will develop a procedure for this and add it to the next PPM update. 

o Handling (HS) - HA. The HS held an extra call to finish its work for the semester. The 

Subcommittee currently has several materials in progress for the fall meeting, including 10 

sunset 2018 materials and several petitions. There are several TRs in development for these 

materials. The HS received a TR for peracetic acid which both Crops and Livestock are reviewing. 

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - ZS. The MS has three items for the spring meeting: A 

proposal on excluded methods terminology and a discussion document on the same, as well as a 

discussion document on seed purity. The Materials Subcommittee/NOP will also convene a 

panel of experts to discuss emerging technologies to help inform the complex issues in the

excluded methods documents. The seed purity document and research priorities (RP) document

will be on the fall meeting agenda. A new NOSB member, Emily Oakley, will be the 

Subcommittee liaison for research priorities and will facilitate communication between 

Subcommittees. 

o Expert panel on emerging technologies. The Materials Subcommittee and NOP have identified 

four panelists with a range of expertise including biotechnology, synthetic biology, plant 

breeding and international perspectives. The MS requested a new work agenda item: a followup letter and 5-year progress report for the Secretary regarding GMOs. The MS undertook these 

topics approximately 5 years ago, and sent a letter to the Secretary that included goals for the 

NOSB. The new letter will include a status report on the science and progress made over the last 

5 years. 

o The NOSB Chair asked that the MS Chair circulate the spring 2016 documents to the members

for discussion. 

• The meeting was adjourned

Previous ES Notes

Future call schedule:

March 11, 2016 1:00 ET

April 8, 2016 1:00 ET

May 13, 2016 1:00 ET

June 10, 2016 1:00 ET
July 8, 2016 1:00 ET

August 12, 2016 1:00 ET

September 9, 2016 1:00 ET

October 14, 2016 1:00 ET

November 11, 2016 1:00 ET

December 9, 2016 1:00 ET

Spring 2016 Milestones Target date

New NOSB member orientation Feb 29, 2016

NOP - Complete Spring 2016 NOSB meeting tentative agenda Feb 10, 2016

NOSB - Spring 2016 proposals due to NOP Feb 26, 2016

NOP - Post proposals, Publish FRN, Open public comment Mar 16, 2016

Discuss work agendas on ES call Mar 11, 2016

Public comment closes Apr 14, 2016

Work agendas finalized on ES call (last call before fall meeting) Apr 8, 2016

NOP - Send compiled public comments to NOSB Apr 11, 2016

Public comment webinar Apr 19, 2016

Spring 2016 NOSB meeting – Washington, DC Apr 25 - 27, 2016
Note: Subcommittee notes may include preliminary discussions regarding substances considered for addition to 

or removal from the National List. They do not represent official National Organic Program (NOP) policy or 

regulations. Please see the NOP website for official NOP policy, regulations, and status of substances used in 

organic production and handling.

National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) 

Executive Subcommittee (ES) Meeting Notes

Friday, April 8, 2016, 1:00 pm ET

Attending: Tracy Favre (TF), NOSB Chair; Tom Chapman (TC), NOSB Vice Chair & PDS Chair; Harold Austin (HA), 

Handling Chair; Ashley Swaffar (AS), Livestock Chair; Zea Sonnabend (ZS), Crops Chair; Carmela Beck (CBe), CACS 

Chair; Jean Richardson (JR) - sitting in; Scott Rice (SR) - sitting in, Jesse Buie (JB) – sitting in, Harriet Behar (HB) -

sitting in

Absent: Lisa de Lima (LD), NOSB Secretary & Materials/GMO ad hoc Chair

Staff: Michelle Arsenault (MA); Emily Brown Rosen (EBR); Miles McEvoy (MM); Paul Lewis (PL)

Agenda

• Approve notes of March 11, 2016

• Chairs Report - TF

o Work agendas for fall 2016

o Communicating with stakeholders

o Coordination for the board meeting

o Pre-meeting admin meeting

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o April meeting miscellany

o Comment webinar run-through and public comment webinar

o Pre-meeting admin meeting

• NOP news and update - PL

• Subcommittee Reports (5 minutes each)

o Crops (CS) - ZS.

o Livestock (LS) - AS.

o Policy Development (PDS) - TC. 

o Handling (HS) - HA.

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - ZS.

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - CBe.

• Additional Items 

• Adjourn

Discussion

• Notes of March 11, 2016 were approved with no changes

• Chairs Report - TF

o The Chair congratulated the NOP for the recently released proposed rule on Animal Welfare

(Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices)

o Work agendas for fall 2016. Members discussed various items on the work agenda that will be 

reviewed at the spring meeting. There are several requests under review by NOP for additional 

work agenda items that could potentially be added as we approach the fall NOSB meeting. CACS 

has requested to add a project on inspector evaluations. The NOP’s position is that the current
requirement for annual on-site evaluation of inspectors is very important for program quality. , 

but will respond to the CACS’s request with an email. 

o Communicating with stakeholders. The NOPs Office of General Council (OGC) provided 

feedback to the NOSB members about responding to emails that are sent to their personal email 

addresses. Members discussed the various approaches and opinions, and may develop some 

guidance for the member guide.

o Coordination for the board meeting. The NOSB Chair discussed uniformity for introductions and 

presentations at the NOSB meeting. The Board will employ a roll call vote instead of the hand 

voting that was used for the fall 2016 meeting, which was chosen for time and efficiency. The 

group also discussed introductory remarks or perhaps a video to help set the tone for the 

meeting. The National Organic Coalition (NOC) meeting is Sunday April 24, and the NOSB Chair 

suggested people attend if they can. An NOSB member, Emily Oakley, is scheduled to speak 

about organic certifications 

o Pre-meeting admin meeting. The members will meet briefly before the NOSB meeting to 

introduce themselves to the new members, receive their meeting materials, and run through 

the logistics of the agenda. 

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o April meeting miscellany. The NOP updated the group about logistics for the meeting including 

travel and hotel info.

o Comment webinar run-through is April 14 and the public comment webinar is April 19. To date 

there are about 17 people signed up for the webinar and about 70 signed up for the face-to-face 

meeting.

o Panel logistics. The NOP discussed the time and format for the panel on Excluded methods. 

• NOP news and update – MM

o OLPP (Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices [Animal welfare rule]). The proposed rule 

amending the organic livestock and poultry production requirements was posted and the 

comment period officially opens next week. The AMS deputy Administrator reminded members 

that they can provide personal comments, but cannot submit comments as a Board. 

o Mexico organic regulations. NOP is in consultation with Mexico about a possible equivalency

agreement. 

o List of NOSB recommendations and the status. NOP is compiling a list and will share it with the 

Board as soon as it is completed. 

o Origin of Livestock. The NOP is currently drafting the final rule. 

o Classification guidance for materials. Currently under review and will undergo legal review 

soon. The NOP anticipates that the Classification Guidance will be published by the end of the 

year. 

• Subcommittee Reports (5 minutes each)

o Crops (CS) - ZS. Crops has several new petitions. The Subcommittee will not request a TR on 1-

MCP. The group is also working on, or will be working on, hydroponics, biodegradable biobased 

mulch, marine materials, and next steps for contaminations issues in farm input. The CS also 

discussed the possibility of proposing a work agenda item regarding water: more specifically oil 

field water and flood waters that infiltrate organic fields. The CS Chair will outline the scope of 

problem before requesting this for the work agenda. 

o Livestock (LS) - AS. The LS Subcommittee is moving forward with its research priorities and 

continues to discuss the formation of a poultry working group. The LS is also reviewing a petition 

for sulfur, as well as three poultry litter amendments, for which they recently received a 

technical report (TR).
o Policy Development (PDS) - TC. The PDS has not met since the last Exec call. The PDS will 

proceed with implementation of the Sunset reorganization document the spring meeting.

o Handling (HS) - HA. The HS is currently reviewing public comments. It has received a number of 

comments regarding carrageenan. There are several petitions under review. One of the 

petitions, for chlorine dioxide (dry gas), is going to be returned to the petitioner for revision. The 

HS determined that the petitioned substance needs to be more correctly identified, and is 

asking the petitioner for revision. The Subcommittee is awaiting several TRs that are in

development, and is also working on research priorities. 

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - ZS. The MS is meeting April 12 to discuss the panel on

emerging techniques in agricultural biotechnology. The Subcommittee will continue to work on 

excluded methods, and seed purity, and will be discussing research priorities. The NOSB Chair 

has had several conversations with the USDAs Organic Policy Advisor and the Organic Working 

Group about structure and format for the research priorities. The MS requested a new work 

agenda item to begin work on a letter to secretary, as a 5-year report on GMOs. 

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - CBe. The CACS will meet next week and will 

discuss a potential work agenda item on inspector evaluations. 

• Additional Items. A member suggested some changes to the language in the current NOSB nominations 

materials, specifically, the entry for the “individual who represents a public interest or consumer 

interest group”. In the press release and Insider notice it said “a representative of a public or consumer 

interest group. The member indicated that this is not the exact language as found in OFPA and may be 

confusing. 

• The meeting was adjourned

Previous ES Notes

Future call schedule:

March 11, 2016 1:00 ET

April 8, 2016 1:00 ET

May 13, 2016 1:00 ET

June 10, 2016 1:00 ET

July 8, 2016 1:00 ET

August 12, 2016 1:00 ET

September 9, 2016 1:00 ET

October 14, 2016 1:00 ET

November 11, 2016 1:00 ET

December 9, 2016 1:00 ET

Spring 2016 Milestones Target date

New NOSB member orientation Feb 29, 2016

NOP - Complete Spring 2016 NOSB meeting tentative agenda Feb 10, 2016

NOSB - Spring 2016 proposals due to NOP Feb 26, 2016

NOP - Post proposals, Publish FRN, Open public comment Mar 16, 2016

Discuss work agendas on ES call Mar 11, 2016
Public comment closes Apr 14, 2016

Work agendas finalized on ES call (last call before fall meeting) Apr 8, 2016

NOP - Send compiled public comments to NOSB Apr 11, 2016

Public comment webinar Apr 19, 2016

Spring 2016 NOSB meeting – Washington, DC Apr 25 - 27, 2016
Note: Subcommittee notes may include preliminary discussions regarding substances considered for addition to 

or removal from the National List. They do not represent official National Organic Program (NOP) policy or 

regulations. Please see the NOP website for official NOP policy, regulations, and status of substances used in 

organic production and handling.

National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) 

Executive Subcommittee (ES) Meeting Notes

Friday, May 13, 2016, 1:00 pm ET

Attending: Tracy Favre (TF), NOSB Chair; Tom Chapman (TC), NOSB Vice Chair & PDS Chair; Lisa de Lima (LD), 

NOSB Secretary & Materials/GMO ad hoc Chair; Harold Austin (HA), Handling Chair; Zea Sonnabend (ZS), Crops 

Chair; Jean Richardson (JR); Jesse Buie (JB) - observer; Harriet Behar (HB) - observer

Absent: Miles McEvoy (MM); Carmela Beck (CBe), CACS Chair; Ashley Swaffar (AS), Livestock Chair

Staff: Michelle Arsenault (MA); Emily Brown Rosen (EBR); Paul Lewis (PL)

Agenda

• Approve notes of April 8, 2016 (attached)

• Chairs Report - TF

o Debrief of April 2016 NOSB meeting

o Federal register notice comment period for fall 2016 meeting

o Submission of final recommendations

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o Update on nominations - deadline June 3

o Charter renewal

o Fall milestone table (see below)

• NOP news and update - PL

• Subcommittee Reports (5 minutes each)

o Livestock (LS) - AS.

o Policy Development (PDS) - TC. Sunset reorganization timeline (attached)

o Handling (HS) - HA.

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - LD.

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - CBe.

o Crops (CS) - ZS. 

• Additional Items 

• Adjourn

Discussion

• Notes of April 8, 2016 were approved with no changes

• Chairs Report - TF

o Debrief of April 2016 NOSB meeting. Members felt the meeting went smoothly and flowed well. 

The NOSB officers discussed the use of roll call votes versus hand votes for time management, 

and noted a preference for roll call votes for consistency, if time allows. The group will discuss 

room layout and logistics for the fall meeting. 

o Federal Register (FR) notice for fall 2016 meeting. The NOP intends on publishing the FR notice 

announcing the fall 2016 meeting early, which will extend the comment period. The deadline to 

submit proposals to the NOP is September 14, although the Board will submit proposals as they 

are completed, many of them will not be posted until later in the summer. The NOP anticipates

that this will allow the public to upload comments early in the process. 
o Submission of final recommendations. The majority of recommendations have been submitted 

to the NOP for posting.

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o Update on nominations - deadline June 3

o Charter renewal. The Charter was renewed May 8, 2016 and will expire again in two years.

o Fall milestone table (see below). The group discussed the date for the webinar and capacity for 

commenters. The webinar will be scheduled for November 3, and in an effort to schedule as 

many commenters as possible, comments will be limited to 3-minutes. 

• NOP news and update - PL

o Submission of refereed journal articles. When commenters submit links to journal articles, NOP 

can likely access them via the USDA library and make them available to Board members. 

o Comment period for OLPP. Open through June 13. NOP has received less than 100 comments so 

far. 

o The NOP has a number of rules in development.

o The program is completing the NOSB recommendation table, which includes the responses and 

status of all NOSB work to date. The document will be posted on the NOP website. 

o Hydroponics Task Force. The task force report is due to the Crops Subcommittee in June, and 

the group discussed the process for submission of the report 

• Subcommittee Reports (5 minutes each)

o Livestock (LS) - AS. Topics for the next LS call include research priorities and the organic poultry 

working group. The LS will submit a paper to the NOP regarding the formation of a poultry 

working group. The charge for the working group would include evaluating systems-based issues 

in poultry, and would take into consideration the current proposed rule on organic livestock and 

poultry practices (OLPP). The group also discussed the process by which an NOSB member could

remove a substance from the National List. A member developed a proposal regarding 

paraciticides and the removal of ivermectin, and the NOP suggested the member submit the

petition as a private citizen, as opposed to having the LS request it as a work agenda item. 

Currently the process by which a Board member could propose removal of a substance is not in 

the PPM. Several members supported adding it to the work agenda rather than submitting a 

formal petition. The member will go through the formal process and asked that the NOP be 

expeditious in its review. She also asked about recusing herself from voting, which the NOP 

concluded was not necessary as there is no conflict of interest (COI). 

o Policy Development (PDS) - TC. The draft sunset reorganization timeline was circulated to the 

full Board so members can review it and send feedback before the next NOSB meeting. The PDS 

Chair asked that the Subcommittees review their respective 2019 proposed materials for TR 

needs. To begin this process, he will send the lists to the Subcommittee Chairs so they can add 

them to the work agendas. TR requests should be submitted to the NOP by mid-July. 

o Handling (HS) - HA. The HS Chair noted that there are eight Subcommittee calls between now 

and the proposal deadline. The HS is scheduled to discuss several substances including: SDBS, 

which was referred back to Subcommittee at the last NOSB meeting; a revised petition for 

sodium chlorite, which was originally petitioned as dry gas; as well as a discussion document on 

phosphates. The group is also waiting for two TRs for other projects. A member asked about 

ancillary substances and confirmed that they will be reviewed from this point forward, and 

previous proposals will not be re-evaluated. 

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - LD. The MS had two updates. The Research Priorities review 

document has been circulated and the MS expects the Subcommittee’s updated priorities back 

by July 8. A member is moving forward with an ad hoc group to look at excluded methods and 

seed purity. This idea garnered a lot of support from stakeholders and Board members. 
o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - CBe. Cheri Courtney, Director of the 

Accreditation and International Activities (AIA) Division participated on the last call to talk about 

the NOP 2027 instruction regarding in-field inspector evaluations. The group felt the 

conversation was informative and useful. The Subcommittee will be working on a discussion 

document or memo regarding this issue and will reach out to various Accredited Certifying 

Agents for more data. 

o Crops (CS) - ZS. The CS has many projects underway, including five 2018 sunset materials, the 

petition for soy wax that was referred back to Subcommittee at the last NOSB meeting, the new 

anaerobic digestate petition that will be reviewed concurrently with the memo on the same, as 

well as the hydroponics document. The hydroponics task force is expected to deliver its report 

to the Crops Subcommittee in June. 

• Additional Items - none

• The meeting was adjourned

Previous ES Notes

Future call schedule:

May 13, 2016 1:00 ET

June 10, 2016 1:00 ET

July 8, 2016 1:00 ET

August 12, 2016 1:00 ET

September 9, 2016 1:00 ET

October 14, 2016 1:00 ET

November 4, 2016 1:00 ET

December 9, 2016 1:00 ET

Fall 2016 Milestones Target dates (tentative)

NOP - Publish FRN, Open public comment June/TBD

NOP - Complete fall 2016 NOSB meeting tentative agenda Sept 8, 2016

NOSB - Fall 2016 proposals due to NOP Sept 14, 2016

NOP - Post proposals On or before Sept 27, 2016

Discuss work agendas on ES call Oct 14, 2016

Public comment closes Oct 26, 2016

NOP - Send compiled public comments to NOSB Nov 2, 2016

Public comment webinars Nov 3, 2016

Work agendas finalized on ES call (last call before fall meeting) Nov 4, 2016 

Fall 2016 NOSB meeting - St Louis, MO Nov 16-18, 2016
Note: Subcommittee notes may include preliminary discussions regarding substances considered for addition to 

or removal from the National List. They do not represent official National Organic Program (NOP) policy or 

regulations. Please see the NOP website for official NOP policy, regulations, and status of substances used in 

organic production and handling.

National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) 

Executive Subcommittee (ES) Meeting Notes

Friday, June 10, 2016, 1:00 pm ET

Attending: Tracy Favre (TF), NOSB Chair; Tom Chapman (TC), NOSB Vice Chair & PDS Chair; Lisa de Lima (LD), 

NOSB Secretary & Materials/GMO ad hoc Chair; Harold Austin (HA), Handling Chair; Zea Sonnabend (ZS), Crops 

Chair; Carmela Beck (CBe), CACS Chair; Ashley Swaffar (AS), Livestock Chair; Harriet Behar (HB) - observer

Absent:

Staff: Michelle Arsenault (MA); Paul Lewis (PL); Jessica Walden (JW); Devon Pattillo (DP)

Agenda

• Approve notes of May 13, 2016

• Chairs Report - TF

o Fall 2016 Panel on marine materials

o Sunset Reorganization

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o Update on nominations

o Fall milestone table (see below)

• NOP news and update - PL

• Subcommittee Reports (5 minutes each)

o Policy Development (PDS) - TC. 

o Handling (HS) - HA.

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - LD.

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - CBe.

o Crops (CS) - ZS.

o Livestock (LS) - AS.

• Additional Items 

• Adjourn

Discussion

• Notes of May 13, 2016 approved with no changes

• Chairs Report - TF

o Fall 2016 panel on marine materials. The Chair led a discussion about the proposed panel on 

marine materials that was suggested for the fall 2016 meeting. A member indicated that fall 

2016 might be premature, as the relevant Subcommittees are waiting for the Technical Report 

(TR) and have not yet developed a proposal(s). The Executive Committee supports delaying the 

decision to host a panel until the TR is received, which is expected in July 2016. 

o Sunset Reorganization. The Executive Committee discussed feedback regarding the 

reorganization of the sunset materials. A member felt that some of the materials should be 

delayed for a later review since the current recommendations are still pending. This would allow 

the NOP to complete rulemaking before the Board reviewed the materials again. Another 

member agreed that it could complicate the process if materials have not made it through the 
rulemaking process yet, but at this time the Subcommittees are only determining the need for 

TRs for the 2019 materials. 

o The group discussed photos and video taken at NOSB l meetings in light of the recent FOIA 

request. The NOP drafted language, based on guidance from the Office of General Council, the 

NOP drafted language for the Federal Register notice announcing the fall 2016 meeting 

regarding the allowance of photos and video as long as it is not disruptive to the meeting. In 

addition to the FR notice, the NOSB Chair will announce this at the meeting, and the Chair will 

have the discretion and authority to limit this activity if it is disruptive. 

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o NOSB nominations. The NOP received 60 applications, and hopes to have the Secretary’s 

decision for the 5 new nominees by October.

o Fall milestone table (see below). A member asked about the timeline for receiving comments, 

and asked if the deadline could be set earlier for future meetings so the Board has extra time to 

read them. 

• NOP news and update - PL

o The NOP added to the previous discussion regarding photos at the NOSB meetings, indicating its 

support of this process. 

o The NOSB recommendation indices was published this week and sent to the Board. The table 

lists all recommendations the NOSB has put forth and the current status of those 

recommendations. The intent is to update these documents after each NOSB meeting. 

o Origin of Livestock and Poultry Practices (OLPP) comment period was extended to July 13 based 

on feedback from the public. 

o FOIA requests for photos from personal cell phones. The group discussed the current FOIA 

request and questioned whether their personal email and photos are subject to FOIA. The NOP 

will look further at the FOIA requirements and the Office of General Council (OGC) guidance and 

provide feedback to the NOSB. 

o The aquaculture rule is under review at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

o Materials classification guidance is in departmental clearance. . 

• Subcommittee Reports (5 minutes each)

o Policy Development (PDS) - TC. The PDS hasn’t met since the last ES call. Currently the 

Subcommittee is working on the sunset reorganization and updates to the PPM, but may not 

produce a proposal for the fall 2016 NOSB meeting. 

o Handling (HS) - HA. The Handling Subcommittee has a large workload for the fall meeting. 

Currently they are working on the TR determinations for the sixteen (16) 2019 sunset materials, 

reviews for ten (10) 2018 sunset materials, and several petitioned materials. Other projects 

include reclassification of xanthan gum, which the HS determined did not warrant 

reclassification at this time. The HS is seeking feedback from the NOP about how to finalize this 

project without a proposal. Ancillary substances that are allowed will be written into the 

proposal, and those ancillaries that are not allowed will be brought forth as separate proposals. 

The HS plans to formally request that the TR author check ancillaries against International 

Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the National Toxicology Program (NTP) lists per the 

ancillary review criteria. Several other projects are in development and are either waiting for 

TRs or the materials classification guidance to be finalized.

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - LD. The MS has not met since the last Executive call. A 

member is working with an ad hoc group of ~8-10 people on the topic of excluded methods, and 

specifically definitions and criteria.

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - CBe. The CACS has not met since the last 

Executive call. The Subcommittee currently has three (3) topics under discussion: An update to 
the in-field, annual evaluations of inspectors (NOP 2027) for which they have received feedback 

from accredited certifying agents; eliminating the incentive to convert native ecosystems into 

organic crop production; and notification of operators via their certifier of sunset materials that 

were not renewed at sunset. The CACS also received feedback from the ACAs regarding this 

topic and will discuss this on the next call. 

o Crops (CS) - ZS. The Crops Subcommittee has a very full and complex workload this semester. 

The Hydroponics Task Force report will be delayed until early July. The Subcommittee has 

discussed how to structure the proposal while they are waiting for the details. The CS has 

several other large projects underway including: anaerobic digestate; biobased biodegradable 

mulch, which is up for sunset review; research priorities; marine materials, and an annotation 

change for newspaper. TRs are in development for some of these projects. The CS is putting the 

‘prohibition of NPEs in inerts annotation change’ work item on hold until the proposed rule on 

inerts is published. The CS Chair requested that the NOP invite a speaker from the Organic Seed 

Alliance to the fall 2016 meeting to discuss the work agenda item on strengthening and 

clarifying the requirements for use of organic seed (NOP 5029). 

o Livestock (LS) - AS. The LS Chair submitted a request to the NOP to form a working group on 

Organic Poultry (OPWG), and the LS is waiting for feedback. A primary goal for the working 

group would be to evaluate alternatives to methionine. Discussion during the meeting included 

delaying the formation of an OPWG until the origin of livestock project is completed so they can 

insure that the working group will be aligned with what is in the final rule. The LS Chair 

commented that the charge for the working group and the origin of livestock rule do not overlap 

in that the working group would be looking at methionine issues and not animal welfare issues 

per se. In addition to research priorities, the LS members are discussing several projects they 

would like to add to the work agenda; a project to define the phrase “emergency treatment” in 

paraciticides; and antibiotic use in day-old chicks. Currently the LS is awaiting guidance from 

NOP about adding this project to its work agenda. 

• Additional Items - none

• The meeting was adjourned

Previous ES Notes

Future call schedule:

May 13, 2016 1:00 ET

June 10, 2016 1:00 ET

July 8, 2016 1:00 ET

August 12, 2016 1:00 ET

September 9, 2016 1:00 ET

October 14, 2016 1:00 ET

November 4, 2016 1:00 ET

December 9, 2016 1:00 ET

Fall 2016 Milestones Target dates (tentative)

NOP - Publish FRN, Open public comment June/TBD

NOP - Complete fall 2016 NOSB meeting tentative agenda Sept 8, 2016
NOSB - Fall 2016 proposals due to NOP Sept 14, 2016

NOP - Post proposals On or before Sept 27, 2016

Discuss work agendas on ES call Oct 14, 2016

Public comment closes Oct 26, 2016

NOP - Send compiled public comments to NOSB Nov 2, 2016

Public comment webinar Nov 3, 2016

Work agendas finalized on ES call (last call before fall meeting) Nov 4, 2016 

Fall 2016 NOSB meeting - St Louis, MO Nov 16-18, 2016
Note: Subcommittee notes may include preliminary discussions regarding substances considered for addition to 

or removal from the National List. They do not represent official National Organic Program (NOP) policy or 

regulations. Please see the NOP website for official NOP policy, regulations, and status of substances used in 

organic production and handling.

National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) 

Executive Subcommittee (ES) Meeting Notes

Friday, July 8, 2016, 1:00 pm ET

Attending: Tracy Favre (TF), NOSB Chair; Tom Chapman (TC), NOSB Vice Chair & PDS Chair; Lisa de Lima (LD), 

NOSB Secretary & Materials/GMO ad hoc Chair; Harold Austin (HA), Handling Chair; Zea Sonnabend (ZS), Crops 

Chair; Carmela Beck (CBe), CACS Chair; Ashley Swaffar (AS), Livestock Chair; Harriet Behar (HB) – observer; Jean 

Richardson (JR)

Absent:

Staff: Miles McEvoy (MM); Paul Lewis (PL); Michelle Arsenault (MA); Jessica Walden (JW)

Agenda

• Approve notes of June 10, 2016

• Chairs Report - TF

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o FOIA/FACA requests

o Proposals - web posting

o Ongoing submissions of Fall 2016 proposals

• NOP news and update - PL

o FOIA/FACA requests

o Update on the impact of the compost ruling

• Subcommittee Reports (5 minutes each)

o Handling (HS) - HA.

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - LD.

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - CBe.

o Crops (CS) - ZS.

o Livestock (LS) - AS.

o Policy Development (PDS) - TC.

• Additional Items 

• Adjourn

Discussion

• Notes of June 10, 2016 were approved with no changes

• Chairs Report - TF

o The Chair noted that the agenda includes discussions about the compost ruling and FOIA/FACA. 

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o NOSB Proposals - web posting. The NOP is currently populating the Subcommittee proposal 

webpages with the previous NOSB proposals. The section of the website that housed the 

proposals was not migrated to the new website, but after receiving comments from various 

stakeholders and Board members, the pages were recovered.

o Ongoing submissions of Fall 2016 proposals. The Subcommittee Chairs are encouraged to 

submit proposals and discussion documents as they are finalized. The Federal Register Notice 

opening the comment period is due to post in the next couple of weeks and the final proposal 
deadline is September 14. The NOP aims to open the meeting docket early from this point 

forward, in an effort to respond to the NOSB’s recommendation, and requests from 

stakeholderes, for a longer comment period. 

• NOP news and update - MM

o FOIA/FACA requests. AMS receives a considerable number of FOIA requests, of which, about

half are for NOP. Currently the NOP is responding to twenty (20) FOIA requests, 6 FOIA appeals, 

and 8 FOIA lawsuits. Four (4) NOP staff are working full-time on responding to FOIA requests, 

appeals and lawsuits. The process includes: finding responsive records; redacting any personaIIy 

identifiable information (PII) or confidential business information; and posting released records 

in the FOIA reading room. In response to a Board member’s inquiry, the NOP noted that two of 

the twenty FOIA requests pertain to the NOSB: one requesting photographs taken at the April 

2016 Board meeting, and one requesting the 2017 nominations applications. 

o FACA records. The group discussed Section 10(b) of FACA, which governs access to committee 

records, as well as the General Records Schedule 6-2, which governs record retention. Both 

documents prescribe which Advisory Committee records need to be retained and made 

available upon request. 

o Green Waste/Compost. The NOP provided some background and an update on the recent 

judicial ruling on NOP 5016 - green waste (compost). On June 20, 2016, a judicial decision from 

the United States District Court, Northern District of California, ruled that the guidance was a 

legislative rule subject to notice-and-comment rulemaking under the Administrative Procedures 

Act. The judge vacated the NOP 5016, effective August 22, 2016, and grandfathered compost 

purchased or used prior to that date. NOP is assessing the court’s ruling and considering next 

steps. 

o Senate bill on GMOs. The NOP noted that the Senate bill would give rulemaking authority to 

AMS to implement the legislation. 

o Hydroponics Task Force (HTF). The Task Force report is being finalized, and will be submitted to 

the NOP in the next week and provided to the NOSB in the next few weeks. The report will be 

forwarded to the NOSB for review, and posted on the AMS website. Members discussed the 

implications for the timing of the report. Some members felt that it will not be submitted in time 

to become a discussion document for the fall meeting, and might have to be delayed until spring 

2017, at which time there will be five new Board members. Another member expressed concern 

about the compressed timeframe to prepare a discussion document for the fall meeting, and 

based on the technical nature and quantity of information, that perhaps it would be best to not 

press for a fall review. The group also discussed the possibility of having a presentation from 

task force members at the fall 2016 meeting. A member requested that when the document is 

posted, the NOP also note that the comment period is open, as public comment is crucial.

o NOP operating plan for 2017. The NOP is developing its operating plan for 2017, and has a 

number of priorities, including the Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices final rule, the Origin 

of Livestock final rule, follow up on the Green Waste ruling, and the proposed rule on Import 

Certificates. There are also several organic integrity topics and sunset responsibilities. The NOP 

requested feedback and suggestions for additional priorities from the Board, which they will 

discuss on the August Executive call. Prior to the call, the Subcommittees will discuss preliminary 

ideas. In addition to the NOSB Indices of recommendations, which is already available on the 

AMS website, the NOP plans to provide a list of projects to the Board. This will be added to the 

Subcommittee’s work agendas. 
• Subcommittee Reports (5 minutes each)

o Handling (HS) - HA. Each of the Subcommittees has four calls left before the proposal deadline. 

The HS has finalized its TR requests for the 2019 sunset materials. The group has a couple of TRs

in development, including marine materials and BPA. Some TRs are not expected back in time 

for a fall review. 

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - LD. The MS is continuing to work on discussion documents 

on excluded methods and seed purity, and is anticipating the submission of the research 

priorities from each of the Subcommittees. The deadline for submission is today. 

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - CBe. The next CACS meeting is July 12, and 

the group will continue to discuss several topics including: The project on the NOP Instruction 

2027 – Inspector evaluations, for which members have sought information from ACAs regarding 

evaluations and witness audits; and calculating the percentage of organic in multi-ingredient

products, which the NOP requested the CACS work on. The proposed project on notification 

from certifiers of changes to the National List will not be pursued, as there was lack of support 

from the Subcommittee based on feedback from stakeholders. The CACS is seeking NOP 

approval for a project on eliminating the incentive to convert native ecosystems into organic 

crop production.

o Crops (CS) - ZS. The Crops Subcommittee has a very ambitious work agenda. The 2018 sunset

reviews are complete, and there are several petitions under review. There are TRs in all stages 

of development, including a TR on anaerobic digestate. The research priorities are nearly 

complete and the CS will send those forth to the Materials Subcommittee soon. The CS 

requested only one TR for the 2019 sunset materials - biodegradable biobased mulch. The 

contamination in farm inputs project likely won’t be ready for fall as it was transitioned from a 

Board member whose term ended this past January. In support of the document on 

strengthening the organic seed guidance, the Crops Subcommittee has requested to invite a 

member of the Organic Seed Alliance to give a presentation at the fall NOSB meeting about the

state of seed alliance report. 

o Livestock (LS) - AS. The Livestock research priorities will be finalized very soon. The 

Subcommittee completed its initial review of the 2019 sunset substances, and did not request 

any new TRs. The LS is waiting for feedback from NOP about the definition of “emergency 

treatment”, and is currently reviewing a new petition for the removal of ivermectin. 

o Policy Development (PDS) - TC. The PDS is working on the sunset reorganization proposal. The 

current draft, which included minor revisions based on public comments, was circulated to the 

NOP for feedback. The project on ancillary substances is in progress and the Subcommittee 

discussed whether to delay the PPM revisions until the NOP provides feedback regarding the 

review of ancillaries. The NOP indicated that the NOSB procedures are separate from the 

Certifier procedures, which is what NOP is reviewing, so the language could be incorporated into 

the PPM without delay. The PDS Chair noted that they will be adding some new members to the 

PDS soon. 

• Additional Items. The NOSB Chair expressed appreciation for the NOP’s input on the call. 

• The meeting was adjourned

Previous ES Notes

Future call schedule:

June 10, 2016 1:00 ET

July 8, 2016 1:00 ET

August 12, 2016 1:00 ET
September 9, 2016 1:00 ET

October 14, 2016 1:00 ET

November 4, 2016 1:00 ET

December 9, 2016 1:00 ET

Fall 2016 Milestones Target dates (tentative)

NOP - Publish FRN, Open public comment July TBD

NOP - Complete fall 2016 NOSB meeting tentative agenda Sept 8, 2016

NOSB - Fall 2016 proposals due to NOP Sept 14, 2016

NOP - Post proposals On or before Sept 27, 2016

Discuss work agendas on ES call Oct 14, 2016

Public comment closes Oct 26, 2016

NOP - Send compiled public comments to NOSB Nov 2, 2016

Public comment webinar Nov 3, 2016

Work agendas finalized on ES call (last call before fall meeting) Nov 4, 2016 

Fall 2016 NOSB meeting - St Louis, MO Nov 16-18, 2016
Note: Subcommittee notes may include preliminary discussions regarding substances considered for addition to or removal 

from the National List. They do not represent official National Organic Program (NOP) policy or regulations. Please see the 

NOP website for official NOP policy, regulations, and status of substances used in organic production and handling.

National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) 

Executive Subcommittee (ES) Meeting Notes

Friday, August 12, 2016, 1:00 pm ET

Attending: Tracy Favre (TF), NOSB Chair; Tom Chapman (TC), NOSB Vice Chair & PDS Chair; Lisa de Lima (LD), 

NOSB Secretary & Materials/GMO ad hoc Chair; Zea Sonnabend (ZS), Crops Chair; Scott Rice (SR); Jean 

Richardson (JR) - observer; Jesse Buie (JB) - observer

Absent: Carmela Beck (CBe), CACS Chair; Ashley Swaffar (AS), Livestock Chair; Harold Austin (HA), Handling Chair

Staff: Miles McEvoy (MM); Paul Lewis (PL); Michelle Arsenault (MA); Jessica Walden (JW)

Agenda

• Approve notes of July 8, 2016 (attached)

• Chairs Report - TF

o NOP Operating Plan - feedback

o Hydroponics TF Report follow up. 

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o Fall Meeting update - proposal deadline and status, comments to date

o Vacation schedule

• NOP news and update - PL

• Subcommittee Reports (5 minutes each)

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - LD.

o Policy Development (PDS) - TC.

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - CBe.

o Crops (CS) - ZS.

o Livestock (LS) - TF.

o Handling (HS) - SR.

• Additional Items 

• Adjourn

Discussion

• Notes of July 8, 2016 were approved with no changes.

• Chairs Report - TF

o NOP Operating plan feedback. The NOP requested that the NOSB submit suggestions for 

prioritization of the projects currently on the operating plan. Going forward, and on an ongoing 

basis, the NOSB will provide feedback about the prioritization of outstanding projects. The 

Subcommittees will discuss this on upcoming calls, and have feedback for the NOP for the fall

meeting. 

o Hydroponics TF report follow up. The members discussed the report and how to move forward 

for the fall meeting and beyond, given the complexity and controversial nature of this topic. The 

NOSB Chair asked that the NOSB members familiarize themselves with the report in preparation 

for the fall meeting, and noted that the CS Chair invites any and all NOSB members to sit in on 

the next Crops call so they can hear the conversation. The CS Chair discussed some ideas for 

how to proceed, including writing a proposal, and/or discussion documents to address different 

components of the issue. The Crop Subcommittee will determine what form the document will 

take when it comes out of Subcommittee for the fall meeting. 
The NOSB mentioned the idea of having task force member present at the fall meeting to 

answer questions. Members felt that if they are developing a discussion document instead of a 

proposal, it would not be useful, and instead it may be more helpful at the Spring 2017 meeting 

if it is more likely the Board will be voting on a proposal then. 

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o Fall Meeting update - proposal deadline and status, comments to date (17 written, 11 oral). 

Proposals are due September 14. Comment period closes October 26

o Vacation schedule - MA will be out of the office Aug 23- Sept 7.

o Field Trip. The group discussed a potential field trip to an organic farm school the day before the 

Fall 2016 meeting. A member noted that the organic community in the St. Louis area is very 

small, and it would be beneficial to show support. Since the meeting is W-F, the field trip could 

be scheduled for Tuesday morning so members would still have time to prep and attend the 

pre-meeting administrative meeting. 

• NOP news and update - MM/PL

o Request from the Materials Subcommittee for a Seed Task Force. With the impending changes 

in administration, the desire to complete several large projects this fiscal year, and the 

availability of resources, it is not likely this request can be addressed in the very near future. 

o Work projects: The NOP continues to work on a number of projects, some of which are in the 

final stages, such as calculating percentage of ingredients in multi-ingredient products, materials 

classification guidance, draft guidance on treated lumber, and the interim material review

instruction. There are several other large projects the NOP is working on including follow up to 

the court ruling on compost (Green Waste) and rulemaking for Organic Livestock and Poultry 

Practices (OLPP). 

o Nominations. Currently under review by AMS/NOP

o NOP Operating Plan. The NOSB was asked to submit suggestions for prioritizing outstanding 

NOSB recommendations as listed in the NOSB recommendation 

indices https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/NOSBCoverPage.pdf to help 

inform the development of the NOP Operating Plan. NOP requests that the NOSB present their 

suggestions at the fall meeting. 

• Subcommittee Reports (5 minutes each)

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - LD. The Subcommittee completed the fall 2016 Research 

Priorities and will have three other projects for the fall meeting: A discussion document on Seed 

Purity from GMOs; Excluded methods terminology (two parts - one discussion document and 

one proposal); and a letter to the Secretary with a 5-year report on GMO issues in organic 

agriculture.

o Policy Development (PDS) - TC. The PDS is working on updates to the policy and procedures 

manual (PPM), has completed the proposal on the sunset reorganization, and will begin review 

on revisions to the Member Guide. 

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - SR. The CACS has two projects going forth for 

the Fall 2016 meeting: A verbal update on in-field, annual evaluations of inspectors (NOP 2027), 

as they are not ready to move forward with a discussion document yet; and a discussion 

document on eliminating the incentive to convert native ecosystems into organic crop 

production. 

o Crops (CS) - ZS. Most of the Crops Fall projects (2018 sunset substances, 1-MCP, Soy Wax, 

aluminum sulfate) are completed, and the CS has received several new petitions. Currently 

there are eight (8) other petitions in progress, some of which may be ready for fall. The TR for 

marine materials was just received so it likely won’t be ready for the fall meeting. The 

hydroponics document is in progress, as well as a discussion document for strengthening 
organic seed guidance. The CS invited a guest speaker to the fall meeting to speak about the 

state of organic seed. A TR for biobased mulch is in development. 

o Livestock (LS) - TF. On the last LS call, the group discussed defining “emergency treatment” and 

is continuing to work on the draft document. All proposals for the Fall 2016 meeting were 

submitted and posted. Received new petition for hypochlorous acid for use as a topical

treatment.

o Handling (HS) - SR. The Sunset 2018 reviews are almost completed. Seven of the ten substances 

have already been submitted to the NOP for posting for the fall meeting, two others have been 

voted on and need to be finalized and submitted, and one is slated for discussion and voting 

next week. There are several other projects under discussion: Carrageenan should be completed 

next week; a petition for sodium chlorite; a discussion document on phosphates; tocopherols 

reclassification; and marine materials for which the HS just received the TR. The TR for BPA is 

overdue, so it may not be ready until the spring 2017 meeting. The National List manager 

relayed the information that the BPA TR was received and should be sent to the HS by the end 

of the month. The HS may add an extra call on August 30 if needed.

• Additional Items - none

• The meeting was adjourned

Previous ES Notes

Future call schedule:

July 8, 2016 1:00 ET

August 12, 2016 1:00 ET

September 9, 2016 1:00 ET

October 14, 2016 1:00 ET

November 4, 2016 1:00 ET

December 9, 2016 1:00 ET

Fall 2016 Milestones Target dates (tentative)

NOP - Publish FRN, Open public comment Aug 1, 2016

NOP - Complete fall 2016 NOSB meeting tentative agenda Sep 8, 2016

NOSB - Fall 2016 proposals due to NOP Sep 14, 2016

NOP - Post proposals On or before Sep 27, 2016

Discuss work agendas on ES call Oct 14, 2016

Public comment closes Oct 26, 2016

NOP - Send compiled public comments to NOSB Nov 2, 2016

Public comment webinar Nov 3, 2016

Work agendas finalized on ES call (last call before fall meeting) Nov 4, 2016 

Fall 2016 NOSB meeting - St Louis, MO Nov 16-18, 2016
Note: Subcommittee notes may include preliminary discussions regarding substances considered for addition to or removal 

from the National List. They do not represent official National Organic Program (NOP) policy or regulations. Please see the 

NOP website for official NOP policy, regulations, and status of substances used in organic production and handling.

National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) 

Executive Subcommittee (ES) Meeting Notes

Friday, September 9, 2016, 1:00 pm ET

Attending: Tracy Favre (TF), NOSB Chair; Tom Chapman (TC), NOSB Vice Chair & PDS Chair; Lisa de Lima (LD), 

NOSB Secretary & Materials/GMO ad hoc Chair; Scott Rice (SR); Ashley Swaffar (AS), Livestock Chair; Harold 

Austin (HA), Handling Chair; Jean Richardson (JR) - observer; Jesse Buie (JB) - observer; Harriet Behar (HB)

Absent: Zea Sonnabend (ZS), Crops Chair; Carmela Beck (CBe), CACS Chair

Staff: Miles McEvoy (MM); Paul Lewis (PL); Michelle Arsenault (MA); Jessica Walden (JW)

Agenda

• Approve notes of August 12, 2016

• Chairs Report - TF

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

• NOP news and update - PL

• Subcommittee Reports (5 minutes each)

o Policy Development (PDS) - TC.

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - HB.

o Crops (CS) - TF.

o Livestock (LS) - TF.

o Handling (HS) - SR.

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - LD. 

• Additional Items 

• Adjourn

Discussion

• Notes of August 12, 2016 were approved with no changes

• Chairs Report - TF

o Contributing to NOP operating plan. The Chair asked that the Subcommittees discuss agenda 

items for the NOP Operating plan on upcoming calls prior to the fall meeting, so the NOSB can 

provide feedback to the NOP before the meeting. The potential topics are already on the work 

agenda, and the NOP is asking the NOSB to prioritize projects. 

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o The deadline to submit proposals is September 14. MA thanked the members for submitting 

many of them early. The posting deadline is September 27, but as documents are finalized, they 

may be posted to the website. 

o Travel planning is underway and members should be able to make travel arrangements for the 

fall meeting soon. 

• NOP news and update - MM/PL

o There are a number of rulemaking actions in progress including the organic livestock and poultry 

practices (OLPP) final rule, which is a top priority. Currently the NOP is reviewing comments and 

drafting the rule. The NOP is also working on a notice about the green waste (compost) 

proposed rule, the draft guidance on lumber and the interim instruction for materials review 

were published at the end of august and are open for comment. The NOSB nominations are still 

under review, and the NOP hopes to receive the Secretary’s decision in time to announce them
prior to the fall meeting. Both the NOSB and the NOP are eager to get new nominees seated as 

soon as possible, given that the next sunset material review will be in progress when there is a 

significant transition in NOSB membership. 

• Subcommittee Reports (5 minutes each)

o Policy Development (PDS) - TC. The Subcommittee voted on its sunset reorganization proposal, 

and the policy and procedure manual update is underway. 

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - HB. The Subcommittee will discuss the 

discussion document on conversion of land to organic during the next call, next week. The CACS 

intends on bringing this document to the fall meeting. 

o Crops (CS) - TF. The NOSB Chair noted that the Crops Subcommittee had a robust conversation 

about both the hydroponics proposals and the container and greenhouse production documents 

during the last call. Both documents will be posted for comment for discussion at the fall 

meeting. She also noted that there are some details yet to be worked on. The CS will also 

complete the discussion document on strengthening seed guidance, and invited Kiki Hubbard of 

the organic Seed Alliance to give a presentation at the fall meeting. The marine algae project will 

be deferred to spring 2017 meeting. 

o Livestock (LS) - AS. The Livestock Subcommittee completed review of three (3) petitions for litter

amendments, and one petition for the removal of Ivermectin, for presentation at the Fall 2016 

meeting. The LS will continue to work on the project concerning the definition of “emergency 

treatment” for parasiticides with the intention of presenting it at the spring 2017 meeting. 

Additionally the LS also has two other petitions for spring 2017, as well as 10 sunset materials.

o Handling (HS) - HA. The HS Chair noted that all work is completed, or nearly complete, and after 

finalizing the documents, they will be sent to the NOP for posting to the comment docket. Work 

continues on tocopherols. The carageenan review is completed for the fall meeting, and the 

Chair noted that the vote in Subcommittee was not unanimous. Looking forward, the HS has 16 

sunset materials for 2019, a couple petitioned materials, and is waiting for the TR for BPA, which 

is still under development. The Chair expressed his concern that after the fall meeting there are 

only 4 calls left before the Board transition. After that, 5 new members will join the NOSB and

will only have 2 calls before the proposal deadline. The group discussed the shorter timeline 

between the Fall 2016 and Spring 2017 meetings, and emphasized the need to keep the 

schedule as consistent as possible, because it can have adverse effects. The fall meeting is two 

weeks later than normal because of the presidential election. Current Board members support

the idea that the incoming members be announced, oriented and trained as early as possible so 

the transition is smooth. The NOP noted that the selection of the nominees is a priority. 

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - LD. The materials Subcommittee has three documents for 

the fall 2016 meeting which will be finalized next week. Two documents on excluded methods 

terminology - a proposal and a discussion document, and the 5-year report to the Secretary on 

GMOs. 

• Additional Items - none

• The meeting was adjourned

Previous ES Notes

Future call schedule:

August 12, 2016 1:00 ET

September 9, 2016 1:00 ET

October 14, 2016 1:00 ET

November 4, 2016 1:00 ET
December 9, 2016 1:00 ET

Fall 2016 Milestones Target dates (tentative)

NOP - Publish FRN, Open public comment Aug 1, 2016

NOP - Complete fall 2016 NOSB meeting tentative agenda Sep 8, 2016

NOSB - Fall 2016 proposals due to NOP Sep 14, 2016

NOP - Post proposals On or before Sep 27, 2016

Discuss work agendas on ES call Oct 14, 2016

Public comment closes Oct 26, 2016

NOP - Send compiled public comments to NOSB Nov 2, 2016

Public comment webinar Nov 3, 2016

Work agendas finalized on ES call (last call before fall meeting) Nov 4, 2016 

Fall 2016 NOSB meeting - St Louis, MO Nov 16-18, 2016
Note: Subcommittee notes may include preliminary discussions regarding substances considered for addition to or removal 

from the National List. They do not represent official National Organic Program (NOP) policy or regulations. Please see the 

NOP website for official NOP policy, regulations, and status of substances used in organic production and handling.

National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) 

Executive Subcommittee (ES) Meeting Notes

Friday, October 14, 2016, 1:00 pm ET

Attending: Tracy Favre (TF), NOSB Chair; Tom Chapman (TC), NOSB Vice Chair & PDS Chair; Lisa de Lima (LD), 

NOSB Secretary & Materials/GMO ad hoc Chair; Scott Rice (SR) - sitting; Harold Austin (HA), Handling Chair;

Carmela Beck (CBe), CACS Chair; Jesse Buie (JB) - observer;

Harriet Behar (HB)

Absent: Ashley Swaffar (AS), Livestock Chair; Zea Sonnabend (ZS), Crops Chair

Staff: Paul Lewis (PL); Michelle Arsenault (MA); Jessica Walden (JW)

Agenda

• Approve notes of September 9, 2016

• Chairs Report - TF

o NOSB list of priority projects for NOP operating plan

o ANSI report

o Fall NOSB meeting agenda

o Subcommittee draft work agendas for post 2016 meeting.

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o Travel update

o Fall meeting logistics

o DOIs/COIs due Monday Oct 17

o 2019 sunset templates sent yesterday

o Spring 2017 meeting timeline

• NOP news and update - PL

• Subcommittee Reports (5 minutes each)

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - CBe. 

o Crops (CS) - HA for ZS. 

o Livestock (LS) - AS.

o Handling (HS) - HA. 

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - LD. 

o Policy Development (PDS) - TC. 

• Additional Items 

• Adjourn

Discussion

• Notes of September 9, 2016 were approved as written

• Chairs Report - TF

o NOSB suggested list of priority projects for NOP FY 2017 operating plan. The Subcommittees will 

continue to discuss their respective lists, which are based on previous NOSB recommendations. 

The NOSB was asked by the NOP to rank the outstanding recommendations by priority. The

Subcommittee Chairs will send them to the NOSB Chair for finalization on the November 4 

Executive call. The NOSB will discuss their priorities at the Fall 2016 NOSB meeting, and the list 

will be then be submitted to the NOP. 
o ANSI report. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) completed a peer review of the 

NOP, as per a recommendation from the NOSB. The report was submitted to the NOP and the 

NOSB asked that the report be published prior to the Board meeting, so stakeholders can review 

it. Two members of the review panel are scheduled to present at the fall meeting. 

o Fall NOSB meeting agenda. Aside from the addition of time to discuss the priority list for the 

NOP FY 2017 operating plan, the group had no additional suggested changes for the tentative 

fall meeting agenda. The agenda will be finalized after the public comment period closes, and 

will be reposted on the NOSB webpage. 

o Subcommittee draft work agendas for post-2016 meeting. The group reviewed the draft work 

agenda and found it to be comprehensive. OLPP is a top priority for the Sec. 

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o Travel update - Board members are free to make travel arrangements. 

o Fall meeting logistics. The NOP will update the fall meeting agenda after comment period closes.

MA will send additional information about dinner and the field trip to EarthDance Farm School. 

o Comments to date: 1083 written comments and 67 oral commenters signed up (11 for the 

webinar). 

o DOIs/COIs are due Monday Oct 17.

o Nominations. NOP is awaiting the Secretary’s decision, and hopes to be able to announce the 

new appointees before the fall meeting.

o The 2019 sunset templates were sent to the Chairs of Livestock, Handling, and Crops yesterday.

o Spring 2017 meeting timeline. The members suggested some changes to the proposed timeline. 

The NOSB new member training will be moved to earlier in January, and the Mar 10 Exec call 

will be moved to March 17 as it coincides with the Expo West meeting. 

• NOP news and update - PL

o Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices (OLPP) rule continues to be a top priority for the 

Secretary.

o The comment period on the guidance on treated lumber is currently open. 

o The NOP is currently working on several rulemaking and guidance documents, which are in 

various stages of completion. 

o The NOP is adding a disclaimer to the NOSB webpage noting that the NOSB views, proposals and

recommendations are not necessarily those of the NOP. 

o The Spring 2017 meeting notice is in clearance, and once published will mark the opening of the 

comment period. Aside from a short period of time immediately before the NOSB meeting, this 

will provide a nearly continuous open comment docket

• Subcommittee Reports (5 minutes each)

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - CBe. No update at this time. The CACS as one 

more call before the fall meeting. 

o Crops (CS) - HA for ZS. The Crops Subcommittee discussed the NOP operating plan priorities on 

the last call. The Crops Chair will send the list to the NOSB Chair. Crops is currently working on 

several projects and petitions, and waiting for TRs to be able to complete its reviews. 

o Livestock (LS) - TF for AS. The Livestock Subcommittee discussed the petition for hypochlorous 

acid, as well as public comments on the last call. The LS members also discussed the priorities 

for the NOP operating plan. The October 18 LS call was cancelled.

o Handling (HS) - HA. Waiting for TRs on two 2019 sunset substances, sodium dodecylbenzene 

sulfonate (SDBS) and BPA (TR is currently under review by the NOP for completeness and should 

be sent to the HS soon). The BPA project is a high priority for the HS as the current lead author 

will be rotating off the NOSB in January. The HS has received public comment on carrageenan: 

both for and against the continued listing. Handling has two more calls before the fall meeting

and will discuss comments.
o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - LD. The list for the NOP operating plan was discussed during 

the last call. The MS has identified one priority for consideration by the ES and NOSB. 

o Policy Development (PDS) - TC. The PDS has completed both proposals for the fall meeting: The 

latest updates to the PPM, and the sunset reorganization proposal. During the most recent call 

the group finalized the updated Member Guide, which they hope to have available when the 5 

new members are appointed in January. 

• Additional Items - none

• The meeting was adjourned

Previous ES Notes

Future call schedule:

October 14, 2016 1:00 ET

November 4, 2016 1:00 ET

December 9, 2016 1:00 ET

January 13, 2017 1:00 ET

February 10, 2017 1:00 ET

March 10, 2017 1:00 ET

Fall 2016 Milestones Target dates (tentative)

NOP - Publish FRN, Open public comment Aug 1, 2016

NOP - Complete fall 2016 NOSB meeting tentative agenda Sep 8, 2016

NOSB - Fall 2016 proposals due to NOP Sep 14, 2016

NOP - Post proposals On or before Sep 27, 2016

Discuss work agendas on ES call Oct 14, 2016

Public comment closes Oct 26, 2016

NOP - Send compiled public comments to NOSB Nov 2, 2016

Public comment webinar Nov 3, 2016

Work agendas finalized on ES call (last call before fall meeting) Nov 4, 2016 

Fall 2016 NOSB meeting - St Louis, MO Nov 16-18, 2016

Spring 2016 Milestones 2017 Target date

New NOSB member orientation Feb 7/8?, 2017

NOP - Complete Spring 2016 NOSB meeting tentative agenda Feb 10, 2017

NOSB - Spring 2016 proposals due to NOP Feb 17, 2017
NOP - Post proposals, Publish FRN, Open public comment Mar 1, 2017

Discuss work agendas on ES call Mar 10, 2017 (coincides with Expo 

West)

Public comment closes Mar 30, 2017

NOP - Send compiled public comments to NOSB Apr 5, 2017

Work agendas finalized on ES call (last call before fall meeting) Apr 7, 2017

Public comment webinar Apr 13, 2017

Spring 2016 NOSB meeting – Washington, DC Apr 19-21, 2017 (W-F)
Note: Subcommittee notes may include preliminary discussions regarding substances considered for addition to or removal 

from the National List. They do not represent official National Organic Program (NOP) policy or regulations. Please see the 

NOP website for official NOP policy, regulations, and status of substances used in organic production and handling.

National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) 

Executive Subcommittee (ES) Meeting Notes

Friday, November 4, 2016, 1:00 pm ET

Attending: Tracy Favre (TF), NOSB Chair; Tom Chapman (TC), NOSB Vice Chair & PDS Chair; Lisa de Lima (LD), 

NOSB Secretary & Materials/GMO ad hoc Chair; Ashley Swaffar (AS), Livestock Chair; Zea Sonnabend (ZS), Crops 

Chair; Harold Austin (HA), Handling Chair; Carmela Beck (CBe), CACS Chair; Jesse Buie (JB) - observer;

Harriet Behar (HB) - observer; Jean Richardson (JR) - observer

Absent:

Staff: Paul Lewis (PL); Michelle Arsenault (MA); Jessica Walden (JW)

Agenda

• Approve notes of October 14, 2016

• Chairs Report - TF

o Update on new board members

o Recommendations for NOP 2017 work plan

o NOSB meeting logistics (Admin meeting, Potential issues at the meeting)

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o Meeting logistics/travel

o Public comments

o Projections for meeting

• NOP news and update - PL

• Subcommittee Reports (5 minutes each)

o Crops (CS) - ZS. 

o Livestock (LS) - AS.

o Handling (HS) - HA. 

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - LD. 

o Policy Development (PDS) - TC.

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - CBe.

• Additional Items 

• Adjourn

Discussion

• Notes of October 14, 2016 were approved with no changes

• Chairs Report - TF

o Update on new board members. The NOP plans to announce the names of the new NOSB 

members at the fall NOSB meeting. 

o Recommendations for NOP 2017 work plan. The Chair circulated the short list of priorities that 

the NOSB ranked. These projects are previous NOSB recommendations that are currently 

pending at the NOP. Included on this list as top priorities was Classification of Materials and 

Calculating percentages of Organic Ingredients.

• NOSB meeting logistics. The Chair reminded members about the administrative meeting to discuss 

logistics. At the meeting members will receive meeting materials, affirm presentations, and discuss 

mechanics. Officer elections are held at the fall NOSB meeting and after the meeting there will be a 
transition to new Subcommittee chairs. The NOSB Chair asked the Subcommittee Chairs to think about 

recommendations about who will replace them. 

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o Meeting logistics. Travel. Field trip logistics. Final sunset docs for 2018 templates

o Public comments. MA summarized the schedule for public comments, and noted that the block 

of time was expanded to allow for a larger number of commenters. 

o Projections for meeting. MA asked that members provide any PowerPoint presentations to her 

by the admin meeting.

• NOP news and update - PL

o The Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices (OLPP) final rule is at Office of Management and 

Budget for final review.

o The NOP is currently preparing the Federal Register notice for the Spring NOSB meeting, which 

should be published after the fall meeting concludes.

o

• The group discussed the use of transcripts for each of the Board meetings. Members emphasized the 

need for transcripts and encouraged the department to continue using them as part of the process. 

Several members noted that they use the transcripts often, and that they are vital and critical for 

proposal writing and future review. 

• Subcommittee Reports (5 minutes each)

o Crops (CS) - ZS. Hydroponics is a hot topic at the fall meeting. Comments were mixed. The Crops 

Subcommittee is seeking feedback from NOP regarding the structure of the document, which 

was something that was discussed while the proposal was being drafted. The lead noted that 

many commenters questioned it, and the group discussed how the NOP would implement the 

recommendation if it passes. 

o Livestock (LS) - AS. The LS Chair noted several comments, including some in favor of sodium 

bisulfate. The LS has scheduled all discussions for future work agenda items after the fall 

meeting. 

o Handling (HS) - HA. The HS recently received the TR for BPA and will discuss it in December. The 

Subcommittee is waiting for a TRs on SDBS, and two 2019 sunset materials, and received a new 

petition for short DNA tracers. The chair noted that the group is considering how to proceed if 

some of the proposals are sent back to Subcommittee during the fall meeting. The HS is 

preparing for the new members in January and will be working on a transition plan for materials 

review. The Chair summarized the public comments; most of them for carrageenan. A member 

noted that the Subcommittee determined that the science does not support the health claims 

that many commenters noted. Therefore the conversation should focus on alternatives. The HS 

also received a number of comments about marine materials, xanthan gum, and sodium 

chlorite. Based on comments about sodium chlorite, the Chair felt that there was a possibility 

that the HS may have to conduct a further review. 

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - LD. The MS has a call next week, on which they will discuss

public comments. The majority of comments have been about the excluded methods 

documents.

o Policy Development (PDS) - TC. The PDS will have two documents for the fall meeting: the 

sunset reorganization proposal and the PPM updates. The next PDS call is next week, and the 

Subcommittee will review comments and finalize the updated member guide. 

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - CBe. The next meeting of the CACS is next 

and they will review public comments on two discussion documents. The Subcommittee 

received some useful feedback. A member noted that commenters were disappointed that the 

native ecosystem document was brought forth as a discussion document and not a proposal. 

The Chair noted that a discussion document was appropriate at this time, because this is a very 
large, complex topic, and it will allow the Subcommittee to fully develop it before bring it to the 

NOSB for a vote. 

• Additional Items. None

• The meeting was adjourned

Previous ES Notes

Future call schedule:

November 4, 2016 1:00 ET

December 9, 2016 1:00 ET

January 13, 2017 1:00 ET

February 10, 2017 1:00 ET

March 10, 2017 1:00 ET

Fall 2016 Milestones Target dates (tentative)

NOP - Publish FRN, Open public comment Aug 1, 2016

NOP - Complete fall 2016 NOSB meeting tentative agenda Sep 8, 2016

NOSB - Fall 2016 proposals due to NOP Sep 14, 2016

NOP - Post proposals On or before Sep 27, 2016

Discuss work agendas on ES call Oct 14, 2016

Public comment closes Oct 26, 2016

NOP - Send compiled public comments to NOSB Nov 2, 2016

Public comment webinar Nov 3, 2016

Work agendas finalized on ES call (last call before fall meeting) Nov 4, 2016 

Fall 2016 NOSB meeting - St Louis, MO Nov 16-18, 2016

Spring 2017 Milestones 2017 Target date

New NOSB member orientation Feb 8, 2017

NOP - Complete Spring 2017 NOSB meeting tentative agenda Feb 10, 2017

NOSB - Spring 2017 proposals due to NOP Feb 17, 2017

NOP - Post proposals, Publish FRN, Open public comment Mar 1, 2017

Discuss work agendas on ES call Mar 17, 2017 
Public comment closes Mar 30, 2017

NOP - Send compiled public comments to NOSB Apr 5, 2017

Work agendas finalized on ES call (last call before fall meeting) Apr 7, 2017

Public comment webinar Apr 13, 2017

Spring 2017 NOSB meeting – Denver, CO Apr 19-21, 2017 (W-F)
Note: Subcommittee notes may include preliminary discussions regarding substances considered for addition to or removal 

from the National List. They do not represent official National Organic Program (NOP) policy or regulations. Please see the 

NOP website for official NOP policy, regulations, and status of substances used in organic production and handling.

National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) 

Executive Subcommittee (ES) Meeting Notes

Friday, December 9, 2016, 1:00 pm ET

Attending: Tom Chapman (TC), NOSB Chair, PDS Chair; Ashley Swaffar (AS), NOSB Vice Chair, Livestock Chair;

Jesse Buie (JB) - NOSB Secretary; Zea Sonnabend (ZS), Crops Chair; Harold Austin (HA), Handling Chair; Carmela 

Beck (CBe), CACS Chair; Harriet Behar (HB) - observer; Tracy Favre (TF) - observer; Francis Thicke (FT) - observer

Absent: Lisa de Lima (LD), Materials/GMO ad hoc Chair

Staff: Paul Lewis (PL); Michelle Arsenault (MA); Jessica Walden (JW)

Agenda

• Approve notes of November 4, 2016

• Chairs Report - TC

o Transition of Subcommittee Chairs 

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o Final recommendations due ~December 20, 2016

o New member orientation February 8, 2017

o Spring timeline (see below)

o Next call for nominations (for Jan 2018)

• NOP news and update - PL

• Subcommittee Reports (5 minutes each)

o Livestock (LS) - AS.

o Handling (HS) - HA. 

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - LD. 

o Policy Development (PDS) - TC.

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - CBe.

o Crops (CS) - ZS. 

• Additional Items 

• Adjourn

Discussion

• Notes of November 4, 2016 were approved with no changes

• Chairs Report - TC

o Subcommittee assignments for 2017. The new Subcommittee Chairs have been identified, and 

the Vice Chairs will be identified by the end of January.

o Debrief of St. Louis meeting: Several members provided positive feedback about the meeting. A 

member thought the meeting went well, and felt that the in-depth conversations were useful 

and important. Another member echoed that sentiment and noted that one challenge is the 

balance of time allotted for the Board to complete their work in relation to comment time, as 

nearly half of the meeting was dedicated to listening to public comment. The member asked 

that the NOP explore the possibility of adding a half-day to the meeting in the fall, especially in 

light of the new sunset review timeline. Another member noted the respect each of the Board 

members showed towards one another, which is important and impactful. Other comments 

included the room setup and the use of transcripts. The Board members emphasized the critical 

need to continue using transcripts. 
o New members. The NOSB Chair indicated he has spoken with each of the new members, and

reviewed the new Subcommittee rosters. 

o New member training. The new member training will occur in February 2017

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o MA will move the HS, CS, and LS calls from Feb 7 to Jan 31 to accommodate the training 

schedule, as the new members and officers will be traveling on February 7.

o Final recommendations are due ~December 20, 2016

o As noted above, the new member orientation is scheduled for February 8, 2017

o Spring timeline (see below)

o The next call for nominations (for Jan 2018) will be published in early spring. There will be one 

vacancy, that of the environmentalist/resource conservation seat. 

• NOP news and update - PL

o The classification of materials final guidance is now available, and the draft guidance on how to 

calculate the percentage of organic ingredients in organic products is posted for 60 day 

comment period. The NOP has several other rulemaking actions in progress. 

o A member asked about next steps in the process for the NOP operating plan, for which the 

NOSB was asked to provide a list of priorities. The NOP is discussing prioritization. 

• Subcommittee Reports (5 minutes each)

o Livestock (LS) - AS. The LS has begun its review of the 2019 sunset materials, and will continue to 

work on “Emergency use for paraciticides”. As a reminder to the NOP, the LS sent in questions 

about day old chicks in light of the OLPP rule. 

o Handling (HS) - HA. The HS has a large workload this semester, including several items that were 

sent back to Subcommittee from the fall meeting. These include: phosphates - the HS will not 

take action in the immediate future, but going forward will stress that this needs to be discussed 

by future boards. To capture that intent, the document will be posted on the petitioned 

substance database; Marine materials - will work on nomenclature document for the spring 

meeting; and tocopherols - the HS received several comments on the two tocopherol proposals 

about how best to recraft the annotation. HS will discuss this in the coming weeks, and will take 

into consideration the materials’ classification now that the guidance is published. The HS asked 

the Materials Subcommittee to look at the classification for materials like xanthan gum and 

tocopherols, which may be produced both synthetically and non-synthetically, but that are listed 

on 205.605(b). Specifically, the question as to whether non-synthetic versions can be used 

instead of synthetic versions needs to be addressed by the Materials Subcommittee. Also on the 

work agenda are several petitioned materials, other proposals (including TR sufficiency for BPA), 

and review of the 2019 sunset substances. MA will update the templates for 2019 sunset 

materials and add some links to the newest info. 

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - LD. The MS has the framework for the excluded methods 

definitions to move forward. Seed purity is on the work agenda and the MS will continue to 

stress the need for a task force. A member urged the Subcommittee to revisit some of the 

materials that were on hold until the classification of materials guidance was published. The 

group discussed the recommendation on research priorities from the fall meeting, and the lead 

will write a shortened executive summary for posting, and a brief list which will be sent to the 

Organic Policy Advisor for distribution to funding sources. On the next call, the MS will discuss 

the original recommendation on research priorities, as well as a summary of GMO issues and 

documents. Two MS members (DS and HB) will be taking over the lead for the outgoing member 

(ZS). 

o Policy Development (PDS) - TC. The PDS will continue to work on PPM updates, and will discuss a 

couple of topics identified in public comment and by Board members including clarification of 
the COI policy, compensation for work from a member’s employer, and financial disclosure from 

public commenters.

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - CBe. The CACS will continue work on two 

topics that were part of the fall meeting: A discussion document on eliminating incentives for 

conversion of native habitat, and the onsite field evaluations for inspectors. The CACS would like 

to vote on these documents before the current members rotate off. 

o Crops (CS) - ZS. Some petition reviews will not likely be done in time for the Spring meeting, as 

the CS is waiting for TRs. Hydroponics may also not be ready for the spring meeting. The CS will 

discuss the path forward on this topic, and has asked the NOP to identify the most useful format 

for moving forward. HB and JB will lead this effort. The CS also has several large, longer term 

projects: contamination of farm inputs, and anaerobic digestate. 

• Additional Items. 

o A member asked about holding a field trip at the spring meeting. Other members supported the

opportunity, as it is both a bonding experience for members and helps to support local organic 

agriculture. The NOP asked for ideas for field trip venues for the Denver area.

o A member asked that the PDS discuss the process by which the NOSB may call on stakeholders

during an NOSB meeting to inform an issue, or clarify questions by the NOSB. This was a topic 

the Board discussed previously, but it was not codified in the PPM.

• The meeting was adjourned

Previous ES Notes

Future call schedule: All calls 1:00 ET/10:00 PT

December 9, 2016 

January 13, 2017 

February 10, 2017 

March 10, 2017 

April 14, 2017 (Last call before Spring meeting)

May 12, 2017

June 9, 2017

July 14, 2017

August 11, 2017

September 8, 2017

October 13, 2017

November 17, 2017 (3rd Friday, as Nov 10 is Veterans Day)

December 8, 2017

January 12, 2018

Spring 2017 Milestones 2017 Target date

New NOSB member orientation Feb 8, 2017

NOP - Complete Spring 2017 NOSB meeting tentative agenda Feb 10, 2017

NOSB - Spring 2017 proposals due to NOP Feb 17, 2017
NOP - Post proposals, Publish FRN, Open public comment Mar 1, 2017

Discuss work agendas on ES call Mar 17, 2017 

Public comment closes Mar 30, 2017

NOP - Send compiled public comments to NOSB Apr 5, 2017

Work agendas finalized on ES call (last call before fall meeting) Apr 7, 2017

Public comment webinar Apr 13, 2017

Spring 2017 NOSB meeting – Denver, CO Apr 19-21, 2017 (W-F)