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/regulations or NOSB recommendations. Proposals 

must be voted on by the full Board, to become recommendations to the USDA. 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 Committee (ES) Meeting notes and

summary of NOSB Subcommittee activities

Friday, November 9, 2018, 1:00 pm ET

Attending: Harriet Behar (HB), NOSB Chair, Materials Chair; Scott Rice (SR), NOSB Secretary, CACS Chair; Steve

Ela (SE), NOSB Vice Chair, Crops Chair; Tom Chapman (TC), NOSB Chair emeritus; Lisa de Lima (LD), Handling 

Chair; Dan Seitz (DS), PDS Chair

Absent: Ashley Swaffar (AS), Livestock Chair

Staff: Jenny Tucker (JT); Paul Lewis (PL); Michelle Arsenault (MA); Clarissa Mathews (CM)

Agenda

• Approve notes of October 12, 2018 

• Chairs Report - HB

o Debrief of Fall meeting

o Work agenda suggestions from Subcommittees

o Check work agenda for accuracy

o Questions for Jenny and Paul?

o Status of paper pots/NOP notice to certifiers

o Biodegradable-biobased mulch work agenda request response

o Early posting of documents for public comment 

• NOP news and update - JT/PL

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o Finalize Fall 2018 recommendations

o Notice announcing Spring 2019 meeting

o Spring milestones 

o Timeline for posting Subcommittee notes, work agendas, Exec notes

• Subcommittee Reports/Updates (5 minutes each)

o Crops (CS) - SE.

o Livestock (LS) - AS.

o Handling (HS) - LD.

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

o Policy Development (PDS) - DS.

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

• Additional Items 

• Adjourn

Discussion

• Notes of October 12, 2018 were approved with no changes.

• Chairs Report - HB

o The new NOSB Chair and outgoing Chair met to discuss the transfer of duties. They discussed 

Subcommittee rosters and the succession plan for the transition that will occur in 2020 when
five members rotate off. The NOSB Chair will contact the Subcommittee Chairs to discuss these 

changes. 

o Debrief of Fall meeting.

 Members provided feedback about their impressions of the Fall meeting, praising the 

collaboration between the NOP and NOSB, and the transparency, respectfulness, and 

support.

 Members also commented on the sound and microphone issues, comfortable chairs for 

prolonged sitting, and the process of using the petition discussion document while 

waiting for a TR or prepping a proposal. 

o Work agenda suggestions from Subcommittees. There were no new suggestions. 

o The LS thanked the NOP for approving the vaccines for excluded methods work agenda item.

The entire board expressed their appreciation to the NOP for its consideration and decision to 

extend the deadline for use of paper pots.

o Fatty alcohols was re-petitioned, and is currently under review by NOP. The NOP anticipates it 

will be sent to the Subcommittee soon. 

o Status of paper pots/NOP notice to certifiers. Members thanked the NOP for making the 

decision to extend the expiration date for use of paper pots. The NOP and the Crops 

Subcommittee will keep this a high priority so it comes to conclusion quickly. 

o Biodegradable biobased mulch. The NOP will likely issue a memo to the NOSB requesting the 

Board move this from the “hold” list and resume its review once it determines the scope of the 

request. The Board has received and continues to receive public comments on this topic, and 

appreciates the NOP’s willingness to move it forward. 

o Early posting of documents for public comment.

o A member emphasized the importance of making sure that the public has 30 days to submit 

comments. At the Board meeting in St. Paul the NOP and NOSB discussed posting proposals as 

they are submitted, as opposed to submitting them all at once at the end. 

o NOP is enthusiastic about the use of the open docket, and will explore a way to clear the 

documents for posting at the NOP level. 

• NOP news and update - JT/PL

o NOP reminded the group about the upcoming webinar on the Management Learning System 

(MLS) on November 15. The webinar was announced in an Organic Insider. 

o The NOP recently held the third webinar in a series of three on verifying documents in

International Trade. The webinar was well attended by accredited certifiers. These documents 

will eventually be added to the LMS.

o There are a couple of National List rules in clearance.

o The NOP emphasized the importance of clear language and strong justifications in the NOSB 

recommendations, sunset reviews, and petition reviews. This will support the next phase of rule 

writing. 

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o Finalize Fall 2018 recommendations. Recommendations are due to NOP November 16.

o The Federal Register Notice announcing the Spring 2019 meeting is in clearance and should be 

published soon. 

o The Spring NOSB/NOP milestones were updated and can be found on the table below.

• Subcommittee Reports/Updates (5 minutes each) 

o Crops (CS) - SE. Crops met earlier this week. During the call they discussed outcomes from the 

NOSB Fall meeting, discussed the Allyl Isothiocyanate (AITC) petition, discussed the approval by 

NOP to resume work on biodegradable biobased mulch, assigned leads for the 2021 sunset 

substances, and discussed paper pots and how best to move forward. The CS is leaning towards 

broadening the review to include all paper products, and considered the need for a TR. The 

Subcommittee also rescheduled a call in January, because the first call fell on January 1.
o Livestock (LS) - AS. The Livestock Subcommittee has not met since the Fall NOSB meeting, but

received the approval to work on vaccines produced through excluded methods. The LS would 

also like to discuss additional work agenda items and will do that on a future call. 

o Handling (HS) - LD. HS has had one call since the Fall meeting. The group discussed potential 

work agenda items, the sunset review of lecithin and whether to split the listing or annotate it, 

and petitions for substances for 205.606. The NOSB is seeking a process by which they can 

determine commercial availability by asking more pointed questions of the petitioners. During 

the call, the HS assigned leads to some of the 2021 sunsets, and have some to complete. 

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - HB. The Materials Subcommittee will reconvene next week

for the first time after the Fall NOSB meeting. The group will be working on the integrity of seed 

document, for which the NOSB received positive feedback. The MS will also proceed with its 

work on sanitizers. The group discussed whether to convene an expert panel or request a TR. 

While a panel could be useful to the immediate Board, the MS felt that a TR would be most 

useful to them when developing a reference document for future Boards. At this time, the 

Subcommittee is still discussing the options and questions they are seeking answers to. The MS 

Chair shared her experience of touring the Ecolab facility in St. Paul.

o Policy Development (PDS) - DS. The PDS Chair would like to convene the PDS in December and 

January to make some minor modifications to the PPM that we have been collected over the 

last several months.

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - SR. The CACS continues to discuss the oil and 

gas extraction request, and will also be discussing how to move forward with the import 

integrity projects. The CACS is meeting next week and anticipate sending a work agenda request 

to the NOP regarding the oil and gas extraction. The CACS has discussed various formats and will 

continue to discuss the goals. This could take the form of formalized best practices that would 

give organic producers a tool to use if they are affected by oil and gas extraction activities, and 

provide support for mitigation. 

• Additional Items. 

o The outgoing NOSB Chair offered words of support and encouragement for the incoming Chair.

• The meeting was adjourned

Previous ES Notes

NOSB Work Agenda

Future call schedule: All calls 1:00 ET/10:00 PT

October 12, 2018

November 9, 2018

December 14, 2018

January 14, 2019

February 11, 2019

March 11, 2019

April 8, 2019

May 13, 2019

June 10, 2019

July 8, 2019

August 12, 2019

September 9, 2019

October 14, 2019 Columbus day 

November 11, 2019 Veterans day

December 9, 2019
Spring 2019 Milestones Target dates (tentative)

NOP - Publish FRN, Open public comment Nov 26, 2018

NOSB – Spring 2019 proposals due to NOP Feb 21, 2019

NOP - Draft Spring 2019 NOSB meeting tentative agenda Mar 4, 2019

NOP - Post proposals Mar 6, 2019

Public comment closes Apr 4, 2019

Discuss/finalize work agendas on ES call Apr 13, 2019

NOP - Send compiled public comments to NOSB Apr 8, 2019

Public comment webinars Apr 16 & 18, 2019

Spring 2019 NOSB meeting - Seattle, WA Apr 24 - 26, 2019
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/regulations or NOSB 

recommendations. Proposals must be voted on by the full Board to become recommendations to the USDA. 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 Committee (ES) Meeting notes and

summary of NOSB Subcommittee activities

Friday, October 12, 2018, 1:00 pm ET

Attending: Tom Chapman (TC), NOSB Chair; Harriet Behar (HB), NOSB Vice Chair, Materials Chair; Scott Rice (SR), 

CACS Chair, NOSB Secretary; Steve Ela (SE), Crops Chair; Lisa de Lima (LD), Handling Chair; Jesse

Absent: Dan Seitz (DS), PDS Chair; Ashley Swaffer (AS), Livestock Chair

Staff: Jennifer Tucker (JT); Paul Lewis (PL); Michelle Arsenault (MA); Devon Pattillo (DP); Clarissa Mathews (CM)

Agenda

• Approve notes of September 21, 2018 

• Chairs Report - TC

• NOP news and update - JT/PL

o Status of open NOSB work agenda requests

o Status of Mexico equivalency

o Impacts on NOP and NOSB of the Farm Bill not being finalized

o Status of funding for enforcement activities

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o Webinar practice reminder

o Meeting logistics

• Subcommittee Reports/Updates (5 minutes each)

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

o Crops (CS) - SE.

o Livestock (LS) - AS.

o Handling (HS) - LD.

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

o Policy Development (PDS) - DS.

• Additional Items 

• Adjourn

Discussion

• Notes of September 21, 2018 were approved with no changes.

• Chairs Report - TC

o The NOSB Chair has been working with NOP on meeting details. 

• NOP news and update - JT/PL

o Status of open NOSB work agenda requests

 Use of antibiotics in pre-two-day old chicks. The USDA reviewed the work agenda 

request and denied it, citing a lack of authority by the USDA over this specific topic area.

An Executive Committee member asked about the possibility of appealing USDA’s 

decision. The NOP indicated it must follow provisions of OFPA, which says that 

antibiotics cannot be used after the first day of life. While there is no formal appeal 
process, stakeholders could engage their congressional representatives if they would 

like modifications to OFPA. 

 Use of vaccines made with excluded methods on organic livestock - annotation. This 

request is under review by the USDA. 

 Celery powder panel. The NOSB and NOP are working together to identify possible 

panelists, including a person with expertise in exposure to nitrates/nitrites and possible 

human health effects. 

o Status of Mexico equivalency

 USDA is continuing discussions with Mexico about organic equivalency. Compliance and 

enforcement is a key component, and Mexico is currently addressing activities in this 

area. NOP will provide an update to stakeholders during the Fall 2018 NOSB meeting. 

o Impacts on NOP and NOSB of farm bill not being finalized.

 Technology. Technology modernization is a top priority, and the NOP was able to spend 

the FY 2018 funding designated for technology upgrades to enhance the organic 

integrity database, develop an export certificate system, and procure an accreditation 

management system. 

 Cost share. Effects may be minimal at this time as the money is paid out in the future. 

Since the Cost share program was moved to the Farm Service Agency (FSA), it does not 

impact NOP’s budget. The government is currently operating under a continuing 

resolution (CR) at 2018 budget levels, and the cost share program had a $12M

appropriation in the FY 2018 budget. 

 Enforcement activities. The FY 2018 funds dedicated to enforcement activities have 

been spent. 

o Learning Management System (LMS). The NOP will hold a virtual townhall on November 15 to 

gather community feedback. 

o There was a recent publication about fraudulent grains in Iowa/Nebraska. The NOP is aware of 

the case, which is ongoing, and is pleased at the support from other agencies in the protection 

of organic integrity. 

o There are several National List rules in progress. One rule (AMS-NOP-14-05), currently in 

clearance, contains 35 substances and likely won’t be completed before the Fall 2018 NOSB 

meeting. The second rule (AMS-NOP-17-09) addresses two (2) NOSB recommendations from the 

Fall 2017 NOSB meeting. Regarding the process for rules, the NOP publishes a proposed rule and

provides an opportunity for public comments. NOP then considers the comments while

developing a final rule. Preparation of proposed and final rules includes a Department clearance 

process, which includes a review by USDA’s Office of General Counsel (OGC). 

o The NOP noted that the rule with 35 items (AMS-NOP-14-05) would likely publish first. 

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o Webinar practice reminder. The NOSB Chair will have to leave the webinar a little early and the 

NOSB Vice Chair will facilitate.

o The ABS mentioned meeting logistics including travel arrangements and various documents.

• Subcommittee Reports/Updates (5 minutes each)

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - SR. The CACS has two proposals: Inspector 

qualifications and training, and accreditation criteria and oversight. The CACS Chair noted that 

these are not controversial and doesn’t anticipate them being sent back to Subcommittee for 

additional work. The CACS will also provide a verbal update on the oversight of imports 

o Crops (CS) - SE. The CS identified a couple of topics that will likely elicit more comments and 

need more time for discussion: Natamycin, and paper pots. The Chair doesn’t anticipate sending 

anything back to Subcommittee. The lead for the proposal on Strengthening the Organic Seed

Guidance intends on talking about seed searches in relation to the doc. There is great interest 
among the community about paper pots. Sodium citrate is also a substance that will require a 

bit more discussion. 

o Livestock (LS) - AS. The LS will have a longer discussion about vaccines, but don’t anticipate it 

will be removed from the list. Sucrose Octanoate Esters will also warrant additional discussion 

as they are not currently EPA registered. A member noted that while they are not used in the 

US, they are in use internationally, and most of it comes from Brazil. 

o Handling (HS) - LD. The HS has several proposals and many sunset reviews. The Subcommittee 

received lots of comments on sodium chlorite for the generation of chlorine dioxide gas. 

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - HB. The MS has two proposals – excluded methods 

determination, and the genetic integrity of seed on organic land. The Subcommittee may need 

to add some wording to clarify the excluded methods document, which they feel would not be 

substantive. Many commenters suggested the proposal be reorganized. An MS member 

suggested writing a coversheet to attach to the original proposal with explanation of the 

clarified format.

o Policy Development (PDS) - DS. No update. If the use of the petition discussion document goes 

well, then the NOSB proposes that it get codified in the PPM. 

• Additional Items

o Coversheets were sent to the Subcommittee Chairs last month for use with the final 

recommendations.

o Slides with proposals for projection at the meeting. The slides contain a summary for each of the 

sunsets, and the proposals. MA will forward the slide deck to the NOSB members so they can 

see it ahead of time. 

o Webinar logistics and questions. The NOP will initiate a practice webinar today to make sure 

folks are familiar with the process.

o The NOSB Chair mentioned that the NOP Deputy Administrator is speaking at the NOC meeting, 

the day before the NOSB meeting in St. Paul, and encouraged anyone who arrives early to 

attend. 

• The meeting was adjourned

Previous ES Notes

NOSB Work Agenda

Future call schedule: All calls 1:00 ET/10:00 PT

September 14, 2018

October 12, 2018

November 9, 2018

December 14, 2018

Fall 2018 Milestones Target dates (tentative)

NOP - Publish FRN, Open public comment Aug 9, 2018

NOSB Request for TRs for 2021 sunset materials Jun 6, 2018

New NOSB member training July 18, 2018

NOP - Draft Fall 2018 NOSB meeting tentative agenda Aug 9, 2018

NOSB - Fall 2018 proposals due to NOP Aug 23, 2018
NOP - Post proposals On or before Sep 5, 2018

Public comment closes Oct 4, 2018

Discuss/finalize work agendas on ES call Oct 12, 2018

NOP - Send compiled public comments to NOSB Oct 8, 2018

Public comment webinars Oct 16 & 18, 2018

Fall 2018 NOSB meeting - St. Paul, MN Oct 24-26, 2018

Spring 2019 Milestones Target dates (tentative)

NOP - Publish FRN, Open public comment Nov 2, 2018

NOSB – Spring 2019 proposals due to NOP Feb 21, 2019

NOP - Draft Spring 2019 NOSB meeting tentative agenda Mar 4, 2019

NOP - Post proposals Mar 6, 2019

Public comment closes Apr 4, 2019

Discuss/finalize work agendas on ES call Apr 13, 2019

NOP - Send compiled public comments to NOSB Apr 8, 2019

Public comment webinars Apr 16 & 18, 2019

Spring 2019 NOSB meeting - Seattle, WA Apr 24 - 26, 2019
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/regulations or NOSB recommendations. Proposals must be voted on by the full Board, to become 

recommendations to the USDA. 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 Committee (ES) Meeting notes and

summary of NOSB Subcommittee activities

Friday, September 21, 2018, 1:00 pm ET

Attending: Tom Chapman (TC), NOSB Chair; Harriet Behar (HB), NOSB Vice Chair, Materials Chair; Steve Ela (SE), 

Crops Chair; Ashley Swaffar (AS), Livestock Chair; Lisa de Lima (LD), Handling Chair; Dan Seitz (DS), PDS Chair

Absent: Scott Rice (SR), CACS Chair, NOSB Secretary

Staff: Jennifer Tucker (JT); Paul Lewis (PL); Michelle Arsenault (MA); Devon Pattillo (DP); Clarissa Mathews (CM)

Agenda

• Approve notes of August 10, 2018 

• Chairs Report - TC

• NOP news and update - JT/PL

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

• Subcommittee Reports/Updates (5 minutes each)

o Policy Development (PDS) - DS.

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

o Crops (CS) - SE.

o Livestock (LS) - AS.

o Handling (HS) - LD.

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

• Additional Items. 

• The meeting was adjourned

Discussion

• Notes of August 10, 2018 were approved with a modification to the Livestock section to remove a 

sentence that referred to the Crops Subcommittee.

• Chairs Report - TC

o The NOSB Chair noted that the Fall meeting agenda is full and will let each of the Subcommittee 

Chairs expound below. 

• NOP news and update - JT/PL

o The end of the fiscal year is approaching, and the NOP has successfully completed FY ‘18 

spending. 

o The NOP provided an update on suspension notices, which can be found on the AMS website: 

https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/enforcement/organic/ams-decisions

o Expo East participation. Several NOP staff members attended the Expo East trade show and 

staffed an exhibit booth. The NOP Deputy Administrator delivered two talks: one about the 

state of organic policy, and one about blockchain technology. The latter was very well attended. 

o Relationship with Amazon and other online retailers re: organic claims. As many as 15% of 

compliance inquiries and complaints to the NOP relate to products sold through Amazon.com. 
The NOP has developed a relationship with the Amazon regulatory team, to address fraudulent 

organic claims, and has a process in place for reviewing incoming complaints. Amazon’s

regulatory program is very collaborative and has taken a leadership role in organic oversight in 

the last couple of years. 

o Paper pots. The NOP explained the justification for its decision to not extend the allowance for 

the use of paper pots for another growing season while the NOSB completes its review of the 

pending petition to add paper pots to the National List. The question about the use of paper

pots arose from a disagreement between certifiers: some were approving its use, and some 

were not. Members discussed the disparity between the allowance of newspaper and paper 

pots. The adhesive used in the paper pots is not on the National List, and allowance of a 

substance not approved for use in organic is the key issue for the NOP. The Crops 

Subcommittee will continue to work on the paper pots petition after the Fall meeting. The Crops 

Subcommittee chair extended an invitation to the Deputy Administrator to sit in on a future 

Crops call to discuss this further. 

o BPA and other packaging materials. This was an NOP-initiated work agenda item, however, the 

NOP wishes to move it to the inactive/hold list as there are other key priorities. Additionally, it is 

not clear if this is within the regulatory scope of authority under OFPA. The HS Chair will discuss 

it with the Subcommittee members and let them know the status. Members discussed several 

aspects of this work agenda item. Based on a survey by the Organic Trade Associated (OTA) 

none of the respondents are using BPA, and it appears that consumers are driving the decision 

for many manufacturers to change their packaging. The work agenda spreadsheet was updated 

to reflect the NOP decision. 

o AMS is currently reviewing the Livestock work agenda request on pre-day-old chicks. 

o EPA registration and National List substances. A member asked if the NOSB should consider a 

generic material if it is not registered for use at EPA, with the intention that if it was on the list 

someone could develop a product using that material. The NOP added that if a substance is 

inconsistent with EPA regulations, it would be difficult to justify a rulemaking action to add it to 

the National List. It was noted that because the organic seal is international, feedback from 

growers in other countries where the substance is allowed is always a factor. 

o The NOP recently spoke with the USDA tribal office about the Board and its role, at the 

suggestion of one of the NOSB members. 

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o Public comments. The comment period will close October 4. Of the 228 written comments there 

are 20-25 about paper pots.

o Travel update. The NOP reminded members to make flight reservations. 

o Fall 2018 meeting agenda. The NOP has invited two guests to give opening remarks: The 

Minnesota Commissioner of Agriculture, and a professor from the University of Minnesota.

• Subcommittee Reports/Updates (5 minutes each)

o Policy Development (PDS) - DS. The PDS has not met and there is nothing to report.

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - TC. In addition to the two CACS proposals, 

the Subcommittee will provide a verbal update at the St. Paul meeting on the import panels that 

were held at the last two meetings. 

o Crops (CS) - SE. For the Fall 2018 meeting, the CS has several complex issues including paper

pots and sucrose octanoate esters (SOEs). The CS will discuss these substances on its next call in 

preparation for the fall meeting discussion. NOP approved the work agenda request for the 

liquid fish products annotation. The CS is seeking to annotate the listing to prohibit the use of 

whole, native caught fish as fertilizer. 

o Livestock (LS) - AS. The LS sent a work agenda request to the Executive team about use of 

vaccines made with excluded method. Vaccines are currently undergoing sunset review, and 

during the review, the LS discovered an inconsistency in the way in which it’s being 
implemented. The Executive Committee supports, without objection, the addition of this project

to the Livestock work agenda.

o Handling (HS) - LD. On its last call the HS discussed the two Materials’ proposals (Genetic 

Integrity Transparency of Seed Grown on Organic Land and Excluded Methods Determinations). 

The TR for pullulan was received and the HS will determine sufficiency on next call. 

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - HB. The MS is bringing forth three (3) proposals and one (1) 

discussion document to the fall meeting. The MS did not meet this past month, but the MS Chair 

sat in on three other Subcommittee calls to discuss the MS proposals on the Genetic Integrity 

Transparency of Seed Grown on Organic Land and Excluded Methods Determinations. The MS 

Chair noted support of the new process of posting petitioned-materials’ discussion documents,

which are very useful to glean early feedback from other NOSB members and the community. 

• Additional Items. A member asked the NOP which TRs were ultimately contracted for the 2021 sunset 

substances. The NOP indicated there were TRs for ascorbic acid, malic acid, and trace minerals for 

livestock feed. 

• The meeting was adjourned

Previous ES Notes

NOSB Work Agenda

Future call schedule: All calls 1:00 ET/10:00 PT

August 10, 2018

September 14, 2018

October 12, 2018

November 9, 2018

December 14, 2018

Fall 2018 Milestones Target dates (tentative)

NOP - Publish FRN, Open public comment Aug 9, 2018

NOSB Request for TRs for 2021 sunset materials Jun 6, 2018

New NOSB member training July 18, 2018

NOP - Draft Fall 2018 NOSB meeting tentative agenda Aug 9, 2018

NOSB - Fall 2018 proposals due to NOP Aug 23, 2018

NOP - Post proposals On or before Sep 5, 2018

Public comment closes Oct 4, 2018

Discuss/finalize work agendas on ES call Oct 12, 2018

NOP - Send compiled public comments to NOSB Oct 8, 2018

Public comment webinars Oct 16 & 18, 2018

Fall 2018 NOSB meeting - St. Paul, MN Oct 24-26, 2018
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 Committee (ES) Meeting notes and

summary of NOSB Subcommittee activities

Friday, August 10, 2018, 1:00 pm ET

Attending: Tom Chapman (TC), NOSB Chair; Harriet Behar (HB), NOSB Vice Chair, Materials Chair; Scott Rice (SR), 

CACS Chair, NOSB Secretary; Steve Ela (SE), Crops Chair; Ashley Swaffar (AS), Livestock Chair

Absent: Lisa de Lima (LD), Handling Chair; Dan Seitz (DS), PDS Chair

Staff: Jennifer Tucker (JT); Paul Lewis (PL); Michelle Arsenault (MA); Devon Pattillo (DP); Clarissa Mathews (CM)

Agenda

• Approve notes of July 13, 2018

• Chairs Report - TC

o Work agenda review

• NOP news and update - JT/PL

o Status of pending NOSB work agenda requests: Liquid fish work agenda item, day old chicks.

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o Fall 2018 meeting notice - published August 9

o Draft Fall 2018 NOSB meeting agenda

o Fall proposals submission date

• Subcommittee Reports/Updates (5 minutes each)

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

o Policy Development (PDS) - DS.

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

o Crops (CS) - SE.

o Livestock (LS) - AS.

o Handling (HS) - LD.

• Additional Items:

• Adjourn

Discussion

• Notes of July 13, 2018 were approved with no changes.

• Chairs Report - TC

o The NOSB Chair had no specific updates. 

• NOP news and update - JT/PL

o The NOP Deputy Administrator just returned from an interesting and productive trip to visit two 

different ports-of-entry in the Miami area. While there, she met with Customs and Border 

Protection (CBP) and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to look at fumigation 

sites and observe processes for organic shipments. AMS is looking at additional port visit 

opportunities in the coming months

o The NOP response to a recent OIG report was posted on the AMS website. The OIG report 

included four findings with nine recommendations, including a recommendation that AMS 

needs to strengthen its controls over the approval and oversight of international trade 

arrangements and agreements for the import of organic products into the United States. AMS 

provided a response to the OIG, with a summary of actions taken to date and planned actions. 

o The Fall 2018 meeting notice was published August 9. The notice opened the public comment

docket, which will be open through October 4, 2018. 
o Several NOP staff members participated in a multi-day tour of specialty crop farms and handling 

facilities in the California Central Valley and Central Coast during the week of August 6. Staff 

learned about pest pressure and pest control tools for various specialty crops, as well as supply 

chain traceability. 

o The NOP Deputy Administrator described the process and possible gaps that exist that could 

lead to fumigated shipments being sent to market. AMS is working with CBP and APHIS to close 

the gaps, which may include uncertified brokers. . 

o The Deputy Administrator provided background about recent approval for the use of specific 

prohibited substances to control mosquitos after Hurricane Harvey and for a specific localized 

storm event this Spring in TX. The Deputy Administrator indicated the USDA reviewed the 

specific incoming requests and does not consider the specific type of treatment used to be an 

application that would impact the organic status of certified organic crops and livestock. This 

allowance is based on information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

and based on the specific application process used. 

o NOSB work agenda requests. Livestock has requested to add to its work agenda ‘antibiotics in 

pre-two day old chicks’, and Crops has requested to work on an annotation to prohibit whole, 

wild caught fish as fertilizer. Both are currently under review by AMS leadership. The Livestock 

Chair added that antibiotics are considered a substance that is used on livestock, and therefore 

it falls squarely under the purview of the NOSB and NOP. 

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o Fall 2018 meeting notice - published August 9

o Draft Fall 2018 NOSB meeting agenda. Members reviewed scheduling information and the NOP 

made some modifications based on feedback. 

o Fall proposals. NOP asked that the Subcommittee Chairs submit proposals as they are 

completed. 

o NOP will add a sentence to the proposals indicating the Subcommittee’s intent, so it is clear. 

Particularly on the sunset reviews, since the motion is a “motion to remove”.

• Subcommittee Reports/Updates (5 minutes each)

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - HB. The MS is bringing forward three proposals and one 

discussion document to the Fall meeting. Proposals on excluded methods, genetic integrity of 

seed, and research priorities, and a discussion document on marine materials (marine algae and 

extracts) on the National List. The MS has two work agenda items to complete before the 

deadline on August 24.

o Policy Development (PDS) – DS. The PDS is gathering a list of minor changes for the PPM for a 

proposal at the Spring meeting. 

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - SR. The CACS has three documents for the 

Fall 2018 meeting: Criteria to establish risk-based accreditation oversight proposal; inspector 

qualifications, skills and training; and summary document of import activities such as feedback 

from the import panel. The Deputy Administrator will be on the next CACS call to talk about the 

learning management system (LMS) and provide insight as it relates to training and reviewer 

qualifications. 

o Crops (CS) - SE. The Crops Subcommittee has completed the majority of its work agenda items, 

and has four sunset reviews and one more petition proposal to complete. Crops received a 

petition addendum for allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) that contains commentary on the Limited 

Scope TR, after they voted on the proposal. The group discussed the options and timing for

reviewing the addendum, and will consider the addendum along with the public comment 

received for the Fall meeting. Members discussed the possibility of codifying this process in the 

Policy and Procedures Manual. The proposal for paper pots was resubmitted and the Crops 

Subcommittee will review it for the Spring 2018 meeting, as there is not enough time to 
complete it before the Fall meeting. The petition is for plant pots/containers made from hemp 

paper or other paper. The petition is available online. Crops asked that the NOP consider 

extending the deadline for the use of this material while the Board undertakes its review, so it 

does not affect growers in the interim. The NOSB Chair noted that it would be helpful if the NOP 

could provide further clarification of policy to certifiers on the use of paper-based pots, as there 

is some discrepancy between certifiers. The Subcommittee requested an update on 

biodegradable biobased mulch, as there has been ongoing research. 

o Livestock (LS) - AS. The LS has two sunset reviews to complete (biologics and glycerin) and one 

petition discussion document on oxalic acid. The NOP asked that Subcommittees submit any 

additional requests for TRs before the end of the fiscal year, and the LS had none. 

o Handling (HS) - LD. The HS has a few items to finish on the next call. The Subcommittee will bring

five petition proposals, two petition discussion documents and 18 sunset reviews to the Fall 

meeting. 

• Additional Items. None

• The meeting was adjourned

Previous ES Notes

Future call schedule: All calls 1:00 ET/10:00 PT

June 8, 2018

July 13, 2018

August 10, 2018

September 14, 2018

October 12, 2018

November 9, 2018

December 14, 2018

Fall 2018 Milestones Target dates (tentative)

NOP - Publish FRN, Open public comment Aug 9, 2018

NOSB Request for TRs for 2021 sunset materials Jun 6, 2018

New NOSB member training July 18, 2018

NOP - Draft Fall 2018 NOSB meeting tentative agenda Aug 9, 2018

NOSB - Fall 2018 proposals due to NOP Aug 23, 2018

NOP - Post proposals On or before Sep 5, 2018

Public comment closes Oct 4, 2018

Discuss/finalize work agendas on ES call Oct 12, 2018

NOP - Send compiled public comments to NOSB Oct 8, 2018

Public comment webinars Oct 16 & 18, 2018

Fall 2018 NOSB meeting - St. Paul, MN Oct 24-26, 2018
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 Committee (ES) Meeting notes and

summary of NOSB Subcommittee activities

Friday, July 13, 2018, 1:00 pm ET

Attending: Tom Chapman (TC), NOSB Chair; Harriet Behar (HB), NOSB Vice Chair, Materials Chair; Lisa de Lima 

(LD), Handling Chair; Steve Ela (SE), Crops Chair; Dan Seitz (DS), PDS Chair

Absent: Ashley Swaffar (AS), Livestock Chair; Scott Rice (SR), CACS Chair, NOSB Secretary

Staff: Michelle Arsenault (MA); Paul Lewis (PL); Jenny Tucker (JT)

Agenda

• Approve notes of June 8, 2018

• Chairs Report - TC

• NOP news and update - JT/PL

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

• Subcommittee Reports/Updates (5 minutes each)

o Handling (HS) - LD

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

o Policy Development (PDS) - DS

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

o Crops (CS) - SE

o Livestock (LS) - HB

• Additional Items 

• Adjourn

Discussion

• Notes of June 8, 2018 were approved with no changes.

• Chairs Report - TC

o New member training. Training will be held next week in DC. The two new NOSB members 

joined Subcommittee calls as of June, and have been assigned mentors. 

o The NOSB Subcommittees are working towards completion of documents for the Fall 2018 

NOSB meeting. 

• NOP news and update - JT/PL

o The NOP is hosting a virtual town hall on strengthening organic enforcement Tuesday, July 17 at

1:00 pm ET. There’s no need to preregister, and the webinar will be recorded for those who 

can’t attend. 

o New NOSB member training. Wednesday, July 18. The training materials have been revised to

focus on hands-on activities. 

o National List Rules. The comment period on the proposed rule (NOP 14-05) that responded to 

35 materials’ recommendations is now closed and NOP is reviewing comments. 

o The National List rule (NOP 17-09) addressing two NOSB materials recommendations from the 

Spring 2018 meeting was posted and the NOP received four (4) comments. This rule proposes to 

add elemental sulfur to the National List for use in organic livestock production, and reclassify 

potassium acid tartrate from a nonagricultural substance to an agricultural substance and 

require the organic form of the ingredient when commercially available
o Liquid fish work agenda item. NOP is talking with AMS leadership about this project. 

o The announcement for the Fall 2018 NOSB meeting is in clearance and should be published

soon. 

o The members congratulated Jenny Tucker on her promotion to NOP Deputy Administrator.

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o Fall timeline - See table below. 

• Subcommittee Reports/Updates (5 minutes each)

o Handling (HS) - LD. The Subcommittee has completed the silver dihydrogen citrate proposal, as 

well as several sunset reviews. The HS is also working on proposals for ethiopian pepper and 

japones pepper, as well as a discussion document for the pullulan petition. If the TR arrives in 

time they will complete a proposal. 

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - HB. The Materials Subcommittee has met only once since

the last Executive call, and members have not yet met Clarissa Mathews, the new National List 

manager. The MS is working on several projects, including liquid fish products, seed integrity, for 

which there may be a proposal for fall meeting, excluded methods, and the 2018 research 

priorities. Public commenters asked that the NOSB be more specific with excluded methods

definitions. The Subcommittee has discussed the review of sanitizers and a possible sanitizer 

panel. In support of this, the MS Chair is working on a list of potential topics and questions for 

the panel. The NOP indicated its support for a panel in place of a TR, as a panel is more likely 

able to provide answers to the NOSB’s questions. Given the timeline, it is likely a panel would be 

convened at the Spring 2019 meeting. The research priorities proposal is in progress. The MS 

added an additional call on July 24. 

o Policy Development (PDS) - DS. The PDS Chair and NOP spoke about future revisions to the 

PPM, including the addition of the new pilot procedure for writing a petition discussion

document while awaiting a TR.

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - HB. The CACS met earlier this week, and 

subdivided the project on enforcement activities into discrete pieces. Some will become 

discussion documents and some proposals. HB will work on learning management systems, SR 

will work on the accreditation aspect (proposal) and TC will capture the feedback from the 

Spring 2018 panel and comments and do a high level analysis, so the CACS can determine which 

areas provide opportunities to move forward. 

o Crops (CS) - SE. The next few Crops call agendas are full, and they are making good progress on 

projects for the Fall 2018 meeting. Crops has completed half of its sunset reviews, the proposals 

on sodium citrate and natamycin, and is expecting TRs for ammonium citrate, ammonium 

glycinate, and calcium acetate. If the TRs do not arrive in time, the CS will put forth petition 

discussion documents. The Subcommittee will discuss and vote on the allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) 

proposal on the next call, and expects to finish the proposal to strengthen and clarify the 

requirements for use of organic seed (NOP 5029). Crops is also working on its research priorities, 

which will be submitted to the Materials Subcommittee. Members discussed a potential update 

by NIFA (National Institute of Food and Agriculture) about the status of previous research 

priorities. The NOP suggested an update at the Spring 2019 meeting given that NIFA is currently 

under brand new leadership. The group also discussed other topics for the Spring 2019 meeting, 

which include a panel on celery powder, and a possible panel on sanitizers. 

o Livestock (LS) - HB. The 2020 sunset reviews are underway. The LS will put forth a petition 

discussion document for oxalic acid if the TR does not arrive in time to complete a proposal. 

Livestock has requested the addition of a work agenda item on the use of antibiotics in pre-two 

day old chicks, and outdoor access for swine. NOP noted that the request for the use of 

antibiotics in pre-two day old chicks is under review, and since it relates to authorities under
OFPA, the NOP elevated the request to OGC and AMS leadership. The AMS Administrator is 

interested in reviewing the requests, which could delay the response.

• The meeting was adjourned

Previous ES Notes

Future call schedule: All calls 1:00 ET/10:00 PT

June 8, 2018

July 13, 2018

August 10, 2018

September 14, 2018

October 12, 2018

November 9, 2018

December 14, 2018

Fall 2018 Milestones Target dates (tentative)

NOP - Publish FRN, Open public comment pending

NOSB Request for TRs for 2021 sunset materials Jun 6, 2018

New NOSB member training July 18, 2018

NOP - Draft Fall 2018NOSB meeting tentative agenda Aug 9, 2018

NOSB - Fall 2018 proposals due to NOP Aug 23, 2018

NOP - Post proposals On or before Sep 5, 2018

Public comment closes Oct 4, 2018

Discuss/finalize work agendas on ES call Oct 12, 2018

NOP - Send compiled public comments to NOSB Oct 8, 2018

Public comment webinars Oct 16 & 18, 2018

Fall 2018 NOSB meeting - St. Paul, MN Oct 24-26, 2018
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 Committee (ES) Meeting notes and summary of NOSB Subcommittee activities

Friday, June 8, 2018, 1:00 pm ET

Attending: Tom Chapman (TC), NOSB Chair; Harriet Behar (HB), NOSB Vice Chair, Materials Chair; Scott Rice (SR), 

CACS Chair, NOSB Secretary; Lisa de Lima (LD), Handling Chair; Steve Ela (SE), Crops Chair; Ashley Swaffar (AS), 

Livestock Chair; Dan Seitz (DS), PDS Chair

Absent:

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

Agenda

• Approve notes of May 18, 2018

• Chairs Report - TC

o New member committee assignment

o Petition discussion draft 

o Work agenda updates 

• NOP news and update - JT/PL

o Update - Liquid fish products annotation work agenda request

o NOP presentation to OTA policy conference

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update – MA

o Updated “current members” page

o Updated meeting page (voting summary, transcripts, and import panel presentations)

• Subcommittee Reports/Updates (5 minutes each)

o Livestock (LS) – AS

 Work Agenda Request: Antibiotics in day old chicks

o Handling (HS) - LD

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - HB

o Policy Development (PDS) - DS

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - SR

o Crops (CS) - SE

• Additional Items 

• Adjourn

Discussion

• Notes of May 18, 2018 were approved with no changes.

• Chairs Report - TC

o New member committee assignments. Eric Schwartz will sit on the Handling and Crops 

Subcommittees and Rick Greenwood will sit on the CACS and Materials Subcommittees.

o Petition discussion draft. The NOSB is seeking to bring forth discussion drafts on petitioned 

materials while waiting for TRs. This will allow the Board to solicit feedback on questions that 

the TR doesn’t usually provide, and to foster additional conversation among board members 

earlier on the process prior to final discussions and voting. Several Subcommittees are piloting 

this new process now, and the PDS will write language to add it to the PPM. A draft template 

was sent to group. It will be brief – one to two pages - and will contain a summary of the 

petition, a brief review, and questions for public comment. 
o Work agenda updates. The group reviewed the work agenda during Subcommittee updates

below.

• NOP news and update - PL

o Update - Liquid fish products annotation work agenda request. Crops is refining the request to 

add a work agenda item to develop an annotation for native wild caught fish, restricting its use 

as a fertilizer. Crops will talk further with the NOP next week.

o The NOP presented a talk on import oversight activities at the OTA policy conference in May. 

o Clarissa Mathews was hired as the National List Manager and will be starting next week. She has 

been with the NOP AIA team as an Accreditation Manager since December 2017. 

o The comment period for the proposed rule AMS–NOP–14–0079, with 35 amendments to the 

National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (Crops, Livestock and Handling), closed May 

14 and the NOP is analyzing comments.

o The comment period for the proposed rule AMS–NOP–17–0080 closes June 29, 2018. This rule 

proposes to add elemental sulfur to the National List for use in organic livestock production, and 

reclassify potassium acid tartrate from a nonagricultural substance to an agricultural substance 

and require the organic form of the ingredient when commercially available.

o Training update. The NOP will condense the new member training to spend more time on 

practical, day-to-day work examples and less on background. The NOSB Chair suggested using a 

previous Subcommittee meeting agenda to illustrate the work flow and mechanics. Perhaps the 

last CS call agenda since it had a variety of topics at different stages. 

o MA will send the member guide to the entire Board as well as the new members.

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o The “current members” webpage was updated with the two new member’s bios.

o The Spring 2018 meeting page was updated with the voting summary, transcripts, and import 

panel presentations.

o The FR notice for the Fall meeting is in clearance.

• Subcommittee Reports/Updates (5 minutes each)

o Livestock (LS) - AS

 Work Agenda Request: The LS sent a request to the Exec team this week to add a work 

agenda item on the ‘prohibition of antibiotics in pre-second day-of-life poultry’. 

Currently antibiotics are sometimes applied to chicks in-ovo as well as on first day of life. 

This topic was brought to the NOSB’s attention from a consumer group, and has 

community wide support. The Executive team approved the written request provided by 

the LS Chair and will send it to the NOP for consideration. Members added that 

currently there is a discrepancy between livestock and poultry and this project would 

bring consistency to the organic regulations. Additionally, conventional producers are

already practicing this and the NOSB indicated that this would help align organic. The

NOP noted that although this has been mentioned at several previous NOSB meetings, 

NOP will have to seek approval to add it to the work agenda. 

 Work agenda items: The 2020 sunset reviews have been scheduled, and are set to be 

completed for the Fall meeting. The LS has one petition and a pending TR for oxalic acid. 

The TR is due in mid-July, and they may be able to complete it for the Fall meeting. If 

timing does not allow the proposal to be completed before the deadline, the LS will put 

forth a petition discussion document, using the new process as described above. The LS 

requested TRs for two (2) 2021 sunsets: atropine and xylazine. The Subcommittee is also 

working on research priorities. 

o Handling (HS) – LD. 

 The HS will schedule all of its sunset discussions by the next call. The Subcommittee 

voted on two petitions (sodium chlorite for the generation of chlorine dioxide gas, and 
tamarind seed gum) and has three more to vote on (the two pepper petitions and silver 

dihydrogen citrate). The HS will also be drafting petition discussion documents for two 

petitioned materials that are awaiting TRs - pullulan, and collagen gel (casing). 

 The NOSB Chair will provide an update to the HS on the next call on BPA and Nutrient 

Vitamins and Minerals (NVM) annotation change. 

 Celery powder panel. The NOP reached out to OTA seeking suggestions for possible 

panelists for a celery powder technical advisory panel. The NOSB members have been 

discussing the use of a technical panel rather than a technical report, and feel that 

celery powder would be a good test case. The panel would convene either between the 

Fall and Spring meetings, or at the Spring meeting.

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) – HB.

 The Materials Subcommittee did not meet in May, but will be meeting next week. The 

group plans to discuss marine materials and the genetic integrity of seed. The MS will 

also be working with the other Subcommittees to compile this year’s list of research 

priorities. The Materials Subcommittee Chair mentioned that there was specific 

language in the appropriation for USDA regarding the NOSB research priorities. The 

Materials Chair and the NOSB Chair will discuss the status of the project on sanitizers to 

determine the next steps. 

o Policy Development (PDS) – DS.

 The NOSB is piloting a two-phase petition discussion, and if it is successful the PDS will 

draft language for addition to the Policy and Procedures Manual. Two other small edits 

to the PPM will be added at that time.

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) – SR.

 During the last CACS call, the NOP updated the CACS about ongoing enforcement work 

and will speak more about it with the CACS during the next call. The NOSB Chair had 

questions about uncertified handlers and would like to talk further with the program 

next week. 

o Crops (CS) – SE

 Sunset reviews are scheduled and on track to meet the August deadline.

 The CS hosted a guest speaker on the last call to discuss possible collaboration. Dr. Meg 

McGrath of Cornell University Plant Pathology joined the call to talk about how the 

NOSB can collaborate with IR4, which is a program that registers pesticides for specialty 

crops. Dr. McGrath suggested some online resources the NOSB can use to aid in its 

materials reviews, and offered to be a resource for future inquiries. 

 During the last conference call the CS worked on TR questions for the liquid fish 

annotation proposal. The discussion and vote on Allyl Isothiocyanate (AITC) was 

deferred to a later call. The CS has some additional questions and work to complete on 

two petitions - sodium citrate and natamycin. Crops will coordinate with Livestock to 

talk about sodium citrate, and once the CS votes on the proposal, will refer it to the LS 

to consider its listing at §205.604.

 The CS will be working on the discussion document on strengthening and clarifying the 

requirements for use of organic seed (NOP 5029) for the Fall 2018 meeting. 

 Biodegradable biobased mulch annotation change. The CS will not be working on this for 

the Fall meeting. The group discussed the status, and the current research underway, 

and will revisit the proposal after the Fall meeting. 

 Crops will have three petition discussion documents for the fall meeting, as the TRs are 

pending: Ammonium citrate; ammonium glycinate; and calcium acetate.

• Additional Items. None. 

• The meeting was adjourned
Previous ES Notes

Future call schedule: All calls 1:00 ET/10:00 PT

May 18, 2018

June 8, 2018

July 13, 2018

August 10, 2018

September 14, 2018

October 12, 2018

November 9, 2018

December 14, 2018

Fall 2018 Milestones Target dates (tentative)

NOP - Publish FRN, Open public comment pending

NOSB Request for TRs for 2021 sunset materials Jun 6, 2018

New NOSB member training July 18, 2018

NOP - Draft Fall 2018NOSB meeting tentative agenda Aug 9, 2018

NOSB - Fall 2018 proposals due to NOP Aug 23, 2018

NOP - Post proposals On or before Sep 5, 2018

Public comment closes Oct 4, 2018

Discuss/finalize work agendas on ES call Oct 12, 2018

NOP - Send compiled public comments to NOSB Oct 8, 2018

Public comment webinars Oct 16 & 18, 2018

Fall 2018 NOSB meeting - St. Paul, MN Oct 24-26, 2018
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 Committee (ES) Meeting notes and

summary of NOSB Subcommittee activities

Friday, May 18, 2018, 1:00 pm ET

Attending: Tom Chapman (TC), NOSB Chair; Harriet Behar (HB), NOSB Vice Chair, Materials Chair; Scott Rice (SR), 

CACS Chair, NOSB Secretary; Lisa de Lima (LD), Handling Chair; Steve Ela (SE), Crops Chair

Absent: Ashley Swaffar (AS), Livestock Chair; Dan Seitz (DS), PDS Chair

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

Agenda

• Approve notes of April 13, 2018

• Chairs Report - TC

o Spring meeting review

o New members’ workload

• NOP news and update - JT/PL

o AMS Administrator position

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o Spring meeting recommendations finalization

o Fall timeline (see below)

o Travel documents

• Subcommittee Reports/Updates since last ES call (5 minutes each)

o Crops (CS) - SE

 Work agenda requests – Wild fish prohibition; add natamycin to the prohibited list at 

205.602

o Livestock (LS) - HB

o Handling (HS) - LD

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - HB

o Policy Development (PDS) - TC

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - SR

• Additional Items 

• Adjourn

Discussion

• Notes of April 13, 2018 were approved with no changes.

• Chairs Report - TC

o Spring meeting review. Members offered feedback about the Spring 2018 meeting.

 Board members received positive feedback about the imports panel. The NOP found the 

question and answer portion of the panel very helpful. A member added that the public 

comment was very thoughtful and useful.

 The NOSB expressed an interest in convening expert panels between in-person 

meetings via webinar, which could be very useful to the Board when reviewing large or 

complex topics. A member suggested one on sanitizers. 

 Members discussed the timing of the Board dinner. 

 NOSB members expressed their appreciation that Mr. Ibach, MRP Under Secretary,

joined the meeting and met with Board members
 A member voiced a concern that organic is still thought of as elitist or for rich people, 

and sees a need to dispel that falsehood. That seems to have been the sentiment during 

the conversations with the USDA.

 Members discussed a process change so all Board members have more time to review 

petitions and comments on those petitions, earlier in the process, without extending the 

time it takes to review a petition. The NOSB will post draft discussion documents while 

waiting for technical reports, which will not affect the timing but will allow more public 

engagement and transparency during the process. 

o New members’ workload. The NOSB Chair reached out to the two new members, and will follow 

up with them regarding Subcommittee assignments. They will begin joining calls in June. New 

member training will likely occur in July, in DC. The group discussed reassigning current reviews

to the new members, and decided to keep them as assigned and let the new members begin 

reviewing 2021 sunset substances. A member suggested assigning mentors, as she found it very 

helpful when she was a new member. 

• NOP news and update - JT/PL

o Hiring updates. The AMS Administrator position was filled by Bruce Summers, who had been 

Acting Administrator for the past year and a half. Ruihong Guo will continue to be acting Deputy 

Administrator for NOP until the position is filled permanently. The position for National List 

manager was advertised and the department received applications from several well qualified

candidates. The NOP is finalizing the process, and should have an announcement soon. 

o The National List proposed rule that closed on May 14 (AMS–NOP–14–0079) was reopened to 

allow for additional public comment. There are 35 substances included in this proposed rule. 

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o Spring meeting recommendations finalization. Due to NOP May 25.

o Fall timeline (see below).

o Travel documents. MA asked that any outstanding travel documents be submitted as soon as 

possible.

• Subcommittee Reports/Updates since last ES call (5 minutes each)

o Crops (CS) - SE

 The Crops Subcommittee had one call since the Tucson meeting, which it used to 

schedule future discussions. The Subcommittee is requesting two technical reports for 

sunset 2021 substances: One for horticultural oils and one for ammonium soaps. The 

group is also reviewing a couple of complex petitions; sodium citrate, and natamycin. 

Sodium citrate is used as a processing aid (anticoagulant) in blood meal products and is 

likely used to manufacture products currently listed by OMRI. The NOP expressed 

interest in learning more about substances being allowed as “processing aids” in 

fertilizers. 

 Work agenda requests. The Executive team is supportive of adding the following work 

agenda item to Crops. NOP will draft a response approving the addition. 

• Wild fish products. The Board seeks to prohibit use of whole wild-caught fish for 

use as fertilizer. The group discussed either adding wild-caught whole fish to 

205.602, and/or annotating its listing (liquid fish products pH adjusted with 

synthetic acids) at 205.601. 

 Paper pots. The NOP and NOSB are anticipating a petition, based on conversations at 

the Spring 2018 NOSB meeting. 

 Meg McGrath, of Cornell University and the IR-4 project, will join the Crops call June 5 to 

discuss coordination with NOP and NOSB. IR-4 is a USDA/NIFA funded project that

supports the registration of pesticides on “minor crops”.

o Livestock (LS) - HB. The Livestock Subcommittee has one petition for fall: oxalic acid. 
o Handling (HS) - LD. The Handling Subcommittee is currently reviewing several petitions, and 

anticipates bringing 5 proposals for vote to the Fall 2018 meeting: silver dihydrogen citrate, 

tamarind seed gum, sodium chlorite for the generation of chlorine dioxide gas, japones pepper, 

and Ethiopian peppers. The petition for collagen gel was found sufficient and the HS requested a 

TR. The TR for pullulan was requested in April 2018, and if it is back in time, the HS could bring a 

proposal to the fall meeting. The HS also requested TRs on two 2021 sunset substances -

gelatin/casings (to be combined with collagen gel), and celery powder.

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - HB. The Materials Subcommittee is working on a discussion 

document on marine materials for Fall 2018. This was a project that originated in both Crops 

and Handling, and was consolidated and moved to Materials for completion. The MS is also 

discussing next steps for sanitizers. The MS Chair will draft a document for discussion, which will

include the ultimate goal, and questions about how to collect the necessary data. The 

Subcommittee is also working on proposals on protecting integrity of organic seed, and 

excluded methods. 

o Policy Development (PDS) - TC. The PDS is currently keeping a list of minor changes for the Policy 

and procedures manual (PPM), and will embark on an update in the future. The NOSB Chair 

suggested adding the new process discussed above, for a two-stage petition process, whereby a 

Subcommittee would post a brief discussion document while waiting for the technical report, in 

order to give Board members more time to read the proposal and comments, as well as to 

collect additional feedback earlier in the review process. 

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - SR. The CACS met once since the Spring 

meeting and discussed several components that may be included in the CACS proposal on 

import oversight. The NOP provided feedback about how to move forward. The CACS also 

discussed uncertified handlers, but given there is currently regulatory activity in progress, 

including in the Farm Bill, the CACS will not focus on this. The CACS also discussed the issue of 

fracking and put forth a couple of ideas to narrow the focus so they can develop t a request to 

the NOP to add it to the work agenda. 

• Additional Items. None

• The meeting was adjourned

Previous ES Notes

Future call schedule: All calls 1:00 ET/10:00 PT

April 13, 2018

May 18, 2018

June 8, 2018

July 13, 2018

August 10, 2018

September 14, 2018

October 12, 2018

November 9, 2018

December 14, 2018
Fall 2018 Milestones Target dates (tentative)

NOP - Publish FRN, Open public comment TBD

NOSB Request for TRs for 2021 sunset materials Jun 6, 2018

New NOSB member training July 18, 2018

NOP - Draft Fall 2018NOSB meeting tentative agenda Aug 9, 2018

NOSB - Fall 2018 proposals due to NOP Aug 23, 2018

NOP - Post proposals On or before Sep 5, 2018

Public comment closes Oct 4, 2018

Discuss/finalize work agendas on ES call Oct 12, 2018

NOP - Send compiled public comments to NOSB Oct 8, 2018

Public comment webinars Oct 16 & 18, 2018

Fall 2018 NOSB meeting - St. Paul, MN Oct 24-26, 2018
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 Committee (ES) Meeting notes and

summary of NOSB Subcommittee activities

Friday, April 13, 2018, 1:00 pm ET

Attending: Tom Chapman (TC), NOSB Chair; Harriet Behar (HB), NOSB Vice Chair, Materials Chair; Lisa de Lima 

(LD), Handling Chair; Scott Rice (SR), CACS Chair, NOSB Secretary; Dan Seitz (DS), PDS Chair; Ashley Swaffar (AS), 

Livestock Chair; Steve Ela (SE), Crops Chair; Jesse Buie (JB)

Absent:

Staff: Jenny Tucker (JT); Michelle Arsenault (MA); Paul Lewis (PL)

Agenda

• Approve notes of March 16, 2018

• Chairs Report - TC

o Imports panel update

o Meeting agenda

• NOP news and update - JT/PL

o Carrageenan decision

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o Webinar preparation

o Spring meeting logistics

• Subcommittee Reports/Updates since last ES call (5 minutes each)

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - SR

o Crops (CS) - SE

o Livestock (LS) - AS

o Handling (HS) - LD

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - HB

o Policy Development (PDS) - DS

• Additional Items 

• Adjourn

Discussion

• Notes of March 16, 2018

• Chairs Report - TC

o Imports panel update. There are nine (9) confirmed panelists representing the organic industry 

and the organic certifier community. There will be three one-hour long sessions: one industryfocused panel, one certifier-focused panel, and then one hour for all nine panelists. After 

introduction of the panelists, there will be a question and answer session with the Board. Scott 

Rice, the Chair of the CACS, will moderate the certifier panel, and Tom Chapman, NOSB Chair, 

will moderate the industry panel. Then Scott will moderate a discussion with the entire panel. 

o NOSB meeting agenda and logistics. 

 Greg Ibach, Under Secretary of the USDA Marketing and Regulatory Programs, will be in 

attendance, and will address the Board. He will be communicating about the Secretary’s 

priority: Imports and enforcement. There will be some time for Q and A with the NOSB

after his presentation. 
 Ruihong Guo, NOP Acting Deputy Administrator, will also be in attendance and will open 

the meeting. There will be a USDA update by Greg Ibach and Jenny Tucker, and Q and A 

with the NOSB facilitated by the NOSB Chair. After the USDA/NOP update, the NOSB 

Chair will provide the NOSB update. The NOSB will prepare some questions for the 

Under Secretary and NOP. A member suggested two questions: one about the status of 

the Farm Bill, and one about the new NOSB nominees. 

 Materials update. The NOP and NOSB agreed to omit this update since the same 

information will be presented during the work agenda discussion at the end of the 

meeting. 

 Mr. Ibach’s schedule is still in flux, but there may be a meet and greet opportunity for 

the Board members.

 The NOSB Chair noted that there are two topics that will likely be raised: OLPP, and 

Carrageenan

o The Chair reviewed the remainder of the agenda for the NOSB meeting, including the two 

webinars. 

• NOP news and update - JT/PL. 

o The two new NOSB appointments are still under consideration by the Secretary’s office.

o The sunset rule (NOP 17-05) comment period was recently reopened based on several requests 

by commenters.

o Carrageenan decision. The USDA declined to implement the 2017 NOSB recommendation to 

remove carrageenan from the National List. The NOSB asked for the justification as two why, 

and clarification for the USDA’s definition of essentiality, noting that there seems to be a

disconnection between what the NOP and NOSB weighs when determining essentiality. The 

Chair emphasized the need to align the NOSB criteria and what the USDA considers when 

implementing or not implementing a recommendation, to eliminate any future discrepancies. 

Carrageenan was recommended for removal based on essentiality to organic production, not 

human health or environmental health criteria. The group discussed the role that FDA plays in 

the determination regarding human health. 

o There is no update on the vacancies for the NOP Deputy Administrator position or the AMS 

Administrator position. 

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o Webinar preparation – MA asked that Board members let her know if they would like to test the 

software for the webinars prior to the first webinar. 

o MA summarized the spring meeting logistics and travel.

• Subcommittee Reports/Updates since last ES call (5 minutes each)

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - SR. The Chair reiterated the information 

about the Imports panel, as was noted above. The CACS has two proposals for the Spring 

meeting: Inspector qualifications, and Eliminating the Incentive to Convert Native Ecosystems 

into Organic Crop production

o Crops (CS) - SE. The Crops Subcommittee is working on two proposals for petitioned materials: 

sodium citrate and natamycin. During the last call the CS assigned leads for 2021 sunsets, and 

will be evaluating the need for Technical Reports (TRs).

o Livestock (LS) - AS. During the last call the LS assigned leads for 2021 sunsets, and will be 

evaluating the need for Technical Reports (TRs).

o Handling (HS) - LD. The HS is working on several petitioned materials. The Subcommittee 

recently approved two TRs, one for sodium chlorite and one for tamarind seed gum, and has 

one TR for silver dihydrogen citrate pending review. The HS requested a TR for pullulan, and 

received a new petition for collagen gel. 
o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - HB. The MS had a productive meeting with Fan Li Chou, 

biotech coordinator at USDA. Dr. Chou sat in on the most recent call and discussed 

biotechnology priorities at USDA, which could have implications for the NOSB work on excluded 

methods. The Chair offered to share her notes with the group. Dr. Chou offered to connect 

some of her colleagues to the MS to discuss biotechnology with regard to livestock. The MS 

Chair suggested inviting the Livestock Subcommittee to participate on that call. 

o Policy Development (PDS) - DS. No updates at this time. 

• Additional Items. None

• The meeting was adjourned

Previous ES Notes

Future call schedule: All calls 1:00 ET/10:00 PT

March 9, 2018

April 13, 2018

May 11, 2018

June 8, 2018

July 13, 2018

August 10, 2018

September 14, 2018

October 12, 2018

November 9, 2018

December 14, 2018

Spring 2018 Milestones Target dates (tentative)

New NOSB member orientation TBD

NOSB - Spring 2018 proposals due to NOP Feb 21, 2018

NOP - Complete Spring 2018 NOSB meeting tentative agenda Mar 6, 2018

NOP - Post proposals, “Open” public comment Mar 6, 2018

Discuss work agendas on ES call Mar 9, 2018

Public comment closes Apr 4, 2018

NOP - Send compiled public comments to NOSB Apr 9, 2018

Work agendas finalized on ES call (last call before fall meeting) Apr 13, 2018

Public comment webinar(s) Apr 17 & 19, 2018

Spring 2018 NOSB meeting - Tucson, AZ Apr 25 - 27, 2018
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 Committee (ES) Meeting Notes and Summary of NOSB Subcommittee Activities

Friday, March 16, 2018, 1:00 pm ET

Attending: Tom Chapman (TC), NOSB Chair; Harriet Behar (HB), NOSB Vice Chair, Materials Chair; Scott Rice (SR), 

CACS Chair, NOSB Secretary; Dan Seitz (DS), PDS Chair; Ashley Swaffar (AS), Livestock Chair; Steve Ela (SE), Crops 

Chair; Jesse Buie (JB) - observer; Dave Mortensen (DM) - observer

Absent: Lisa de Lima (LD), Handling Chair

Staff: Jenny Tucker (JT); Michelle Arsenault (MA); Paul Lewis (PL); Devon Pattillo (DP)

Agenda

• Approve notes of February 9, 2018

• Chairs Report - TC

o Imports panel update

• NOP news and update - JT/PL

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o Spring meeting timeline/deadlines

o Webinar preparation

o Update: Document posting 

• Subcommittee Reports/Updates since last ES call (5 minutes each)

o Policy Development (PDS) - DS

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - SR

o Crops (CS) - SE

o Livestock (LS) - AS

o Handling (HS) - LD

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - HB

• Additional Items 

• Adjourn

Discussion

• Notes of February 9, 2018 were approved as written

• Chairs Report - TC

o Imports panel update. The NOP and CACS received applications from a number of interested

candidates to convene two panels at the Spring 2018 meeting. Eight people have been invited 

and the NOSB is seeking a ninth person who is an international certifier. There will be four 

representatives from the certifier community, and five industry representatives. Between now 

and the next CACS meeting in early April, the CACS will be working on questions for the panel. 

• NOP news and update - JT/PL. 

o On March 12, 2018, USDA announced the decision to withdraw the Organic Livestock and 

Poultry Practices (OLPP) final rule published on January 19, 2017. The withdrawal becomes 

effective May 13, 2018.

o The meeting materials for the April NOSB meeting, including the agenda and proposals, were 

posted Friday, March 9.

o The Department is aware of both the vacant environmental protection/resource conservation 

and organic handler position on the NOSB, and are considering next steps. 

o Planning for the import panels is in progress.
o AMS and APHIS continue to collaborate with Customs and Border Protection to assess imports 

of shipments that may be falsely labeled as organic. 

o The National List proposed rule announcing actions for 35 substances is open for comment. The 

comment period closes next week, and thus far the NOP has received about 75 comments.

o The NOP is assessing the NOSB’s Fall 2017 recommendations on elemental sulfur and potassium

acid tartrate.

o The NOSB’s revised work agenda is posted on the NOSB meeting webpage, and will be updated 

monthly after the Executive Committee call. Executive Committee notes will also continue to 

serve an important function summarizing NOSB subcommittee actions. The NOSB Chair 

received praise for developing a revised work agenda so quickly; NOP noted that that the work 

agenda spreadsheet, and the Executive Committee Notes and Subcommittee Summary will 

replace the individual Subcommittee notes that were previously posted on the website. 

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o Spring meeting timeline/deadlines

 Travel planning is in progress. MA asked that the members make flight arrangements 

soon. 

 Public comments for the Spring meeting opened March 9 and will close April 4. 

o Webinar preparation. The NOSB members felt that there was no need for a practice session, as 

everyone has used the software before. 

o Document posting: Since Subcommittee notes will now be posted in summary form each month, 

Subcommittee Chairs discussed a way to track the work flow for all items on the work agenda, in 

order to develop the agendas for the Subcommittee calls. The NOP will update the work agenda 

(Excel workbook) after each call, and will recirculate it to subcommittees. The work agenda will 

be posted on the NOSB webpage once a month along with the Executive Committee and 

Subcommittee summary notes. The NOP will ensure that the Executive notes are more 

comprehensive so the community is aware of Board activities. 

• Subcommittee Reports/Updates since last ES call

o Policy Development (PDS) - DS. No update as the Subcommittee has not met. 

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - SR. Planning for the import panels is in 

progress. The CACS has three documents for the Spring NOSB meeting: a discussion document 

on import oversight, a proposal on inspector qualifications, and a proposal on eliminating the 

incentive to convert native ecosystems to organic production. 

o Crops (CS) - SE. Reviews of allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) and natamycin are in progress. The CS is 

continuing to discuss the classification of natamycin. It was previously classified as a synthetic, 

but according to the NOP materials classification guidance is likely a nonsynthetic substance. 

The CS is also reviewing a petition to add sodium citrate for the production of blood meal. The

proposal on marine materials will move from Crops to the Materials Subcommittee for 

completion. 

o Livestock (LS) - AS. The LS has two proposals for the spring NOSB meeting: Defining emergency 

treatment for parasiticides, and glycolic acid, and also several sunset reviews. The 

Subcommittee Chair asked about the possibility of moving forward with an organic poultry task 

force. This request was on hold until the Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices (OLPP) rule was 

finalized, and now that it has been withdrawn, the LS Chair would like to move ahead with 

convening a task force to look at such things as methionine. Members discussed the confusion 

in the industry with regard to methionine, and emphasized that a refusal to address the issues is 

perceived as poor customer service and does not serve the industry well. The NOP suggested 

the LS identify discreet, specific, materials-oriented questions related to livestock, and that the 

NOSB work to align their priorities with the Administration’s priorities, so work can continue in 

the areas that are most critical to the organic integrity of the entire industry. 
o Handling (HS) - SR. The 2020 sunset reviews are ready for the first posting in Spring 2018, and 

the HS will also be looking at the need for technical reports for the 2021 sunsets. The HS has two 

proposals for the Spring meeting: Sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS) (petitioned), and

magnesium chloride reclassification. The review of sodium chlorite for the generation of 

chlorine dioxide gas (petitioned) is still in progress, and the technical report (TR) was found 

sufficient. The TR for tamarind seed gum (petitioned) is under review. The HS recently received 

a petition for pullulan. The HS is waiting for additional information from petitioners on two 

petitions: Ethiopian peppers and Japones peppers, and also waiting for additional information 

from the TR contractor about silver dihydrogen citrate. 

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - HB. Dr. Chou, the USDA biotechnology coordinator, was 

unable to participate on the last MS call as planned, and was rescheduled to April 10. The NOSB 

is seeking to open communication channels with USDA with regard to excluded methods. The 

MS will be presenting and discussing a document on protecting the genetic integrity of seed 

grown on organic land at the Spring 2018 meeting. Other projects in progress include 

contaminated inputs, research priorities, and marine materials, which the MS will take over 

from Crops and Handling. The request to review sanitizers was verbally approved by NOP and 

will be officially added to the MS work agenda. The next step for this project is to develop 

questions for a technical review. The NOP had some follow up questions about the goal of this 

project and will talk further with the MS Chair. The NOSB Chair suggested a panel or task force 

on sanitizers instead of a TR, to provide the data the NOSB is seeking. Next steps - written 

communication back from the program that this work item is officially approved for addition to 

the work agenda. 

• Additional Items. None

• The meeting was adjourned

Previous ES Notes

Future call schedule: All calls 1:00 ET/10:00 PT

February 9, 2018

March 9, 2018

April 13, 2018

May 11, 2018

June 8, 2018

July 13, 2018

August 10, 2018

September 14, 2018

October 12, 2018

November 9, 2018

December 14, 2018

Spring 2018 Milestones Target dates (tentative)

New NOSB member orientation TBD

NOSB - Spring 2018 proposals due to NOP Feb 21, 2018

NOP - Complete Spring 2018 NOSB meeting tentative agenda Mar 6, 2018
NOP - Post proposals, “Open” public comment Mar 6, 2018

Discuss work agendas on ES call Mar 9, 2018

Public comment closes Apr 4, 2018

NOP - Send compiled public comments to NOSB Apr 9, 2018

Work agendas finalized on ES call (last call before fall meeting) Apr 13, 2018

Public comment webinar(s) Apr 17 & 19, 2018

Spring 2018 NOSB meeting - Tucson, AZ Apr 25 - 27, 2018
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 9, 2018, 1:00 pm ET

Attending: Tom Chapman (TC), NOSB Chair; Harriet Behar (HB), NOSB Vice Chair, Materials Chair; Scott Rice (SR), 

CACS Chair, NOSB Secretary; Lisa de Lima (LD), Handling Chair; Dan Seitz (DS), PDS Chair; Ashley Swaffar (AS), 

Livestock Chair; Steve Ela (SE), Crops Chair; Asa Bradman (AB) - observer; A-Dae Romero-Briones (ARB) -

observer

Absent: None

Staff: Jenny Tucker (JT); Michelle Arsenault (MA); Paul Lewis (PL); Devon Pattillo (DP)

Agenda

• Approve notes of January 12, 2018

• Chairs Report - TC

o Imports

o Update re: NOSB vacancy

o Update re: NOP Deputy Administrator position 

• NOP news and update - JT

o Change to reviewing work agenda at NOSB meeting

o Sanitizers 

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o Spring meeting timeline/deadlines

o Travel

• Subcommittee Reports (5 minutes each)

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - HB. S

o Policy Development (PDS) - DS.

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - SR

o Crops (CS) - SE

o Livestock (LS) - AS

o Handling (HS) - LD

• Additional Items 

• Adjourn

Discussion

• Notes of January 12, 2018 were approved with no changes

• Chairs Report - TC

o Imports. The Chair noted that the call for panelists is a little behind scheduled but should be 

ready soon.

o NOSB vacancy: Joelle Mosso resigned her position on the NOSB due to professional demands of 

her new job. The NOP is considering the options for filling Joelle Mosso’s seat. A Board member 

asked about the potential for getting it filled before the Spring meeting. 

• NOP news and update - JT

o Update on recent Accredited Certifier Association (ACA) training. The NOP noted that the 

attendees were engaged and energetic. NOP presented training and updates on imports, 

pasture compliance, appeals, and accreditation, and there was an emphasis on audits. The NOP 
will be reprising the training at BioFach next week. The NOP also announced the intention to 

hold a panel on imports at the April NOSB and received a lot of interest.

o Work agendas. The NOP and NOSB discussed the recent changes to the NOSB work agenda. The 

NOP clarified that they are asking the NOSB to focus on petitions and sunset reviews for the 

Spring meeting, and defer any other projects to a later date. The NOSB has several other 

projects that are complete or nearly complete, and requested that they be allowed to bring 

those forth to the Spring meeting. The NOSB Chair indicated the need for clarity around work 

agenda changes, so that it can be communicated to the organic community. Members 

expressed the desire to foster a collaborative environment between the program, the NOSB, 

and the community. The NOSB Chair will continue the discussion with the NOP to map out the 

path forward with regard to the remainder of the work agenda, as well as way to track items 

that are not going to be worked on in the immediate future. The group discussed the current 

NOP priorities, which are to strengthen enforcement and improve oversight of imports. 

Sanitizers is also an NOP priority, and the Materials Subcommittee will focus the scope of this 

project to highlight the importance to oversight and integrity. Members also discussed the value 

of their work in addressing inconsistencies in the implementation of the Organic Regulations, 

which helps to alleviate uncertainty among certifiers and the organic community. The NOSB 

feels that this can be accomplished through clarification of existing regulations. 

o Subcommittee notes. The group discussed the recent decision to stop posting the NOSB 

Subcommittee notes. The NOP is considering other options to communicate to stakeholders 

what the Board is working on, such as adding additional detail to the Executive subcommittee 

notes, which will continue to be posted. 

o Update on new NOSB nominee. Nomination package is still under review by the Secretary. 

o Deputy administrator position vacancy – The Acting Deputy Administrator indicated that the 

hiring process is on track and the initial goal was to fill the position in the next month or two. 

o Proposed rule on National List changes: Comments due March 19. 

o NOP is reviewing the NOSB recommendations from the Fall 2017 meeting.

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o Spring meeting timeline/deadlines. See table below

o Travel. Travel planning is underway and members will be able to proceed with flight 

arrangements soon.

• Subcommittee Reports (5 minutes each)

o Handling (HS) - LD. The HS voted on the proposal for SDBS (petitioned) on the last call, and have 

a couple of sunset materials to complete. The next call agenda is very full. Joelle Mosso 

completed her work for the Spring meeting and the Chair will transition her work agenda items 

to other members. 

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - HB. The document on excluded methods is moving forward, 

but the NOP asked that the MS delay work until Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 

(APHIS) develops their framework for Genetic Engineering. NOSB asked for the opportunity to 

work more closely with APHIS as they are developing the framework, as opposed to contributing 

after it is complete. The MS and NOP will discuss this further on the next MS call. The project on 

the integrity of organic seed is moving forward, and the MS Chair is attending a seed breeders 

meeting next week. The request to add sanitizers to the MS work agenda is still in revision, and 

is close to NOP approval.

o Policy Development (PDS) - DS. The PDS has not met, and had no update.

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - SR. The proposal on inspector qualifications 

is nearly complete. The Chair noted the great conversations about this topic that occurred at the 

recent ACA training. 
o Crops (CS) - SE. Crops has completed their sunset material reviews for the Spring meeting. There 

are several petitioned substances - polyoxin D zinc salt, natamycin, and sulfur (as molluscicide) -

that could potentially be ready for the Spring meeting. Crops is waiting for TRs for three 

petitioned materials: allyl isothiocyanate, ammonium citrate, and ammonium glycinate. The 

proposal on marine materials is finalized and ready for a vote, and the CS is waiting to hear from 

NOP about whether or not it will be put on the Spring 2018 meeting agenda. 

o Livestock (LS) - AS. The LS has two petitioned materials: glycolic acid, which will be ready for the 

Spring meeting; and oxalic acid, which is awaiting a TR. The Subcommittee would like to bring 

forth a discussion document to the Spring meeting on defining emergency treatment for 

parasiticides The LS sunset reviews are completed. 

• Additional Items. Members asked for an update about the work agenda for the spring meeting, as the 

proposal deadline is approaching.

• The meeting was adjourned

Previous ES Notes

Future call schedule: All calls 1:00 ET/10:00 PT

January 12, 2018

February 9, 2018

March 9, 2018

April 13, 2018

May 11, 2018

June 8, 2018

July 13, 2018

August 10, 2018

September 14, 2018

October 12, 2018

November 9, 2018

December 14, 2018

Spring 2018 Milestones Target dates (tentative)

New NOSB member orientation TBD

NOSB - Spring 2018 proposals due to NOP Feb 21, 2018

NOP - Complete Spring 2018 NOSB meeting tentative agenda Mar 6, 2018

NOP - Post proposals, “Open” public comment Mar 6, 2018

Discuss work agendas on ES call Mar 9, 2018

Public comment closes Apr 4, 2018

NOP - Send compiled public comments to NOSB Apr 9, 2018

Work agendas finalized on ES call (last call before fall meeting) Apr 13, 2018
Public comment webinar(s) Apr 17 & 19, 2018

Spring 2018 NOSB meeting - Tucson, AZ Apr 25-27, 2018
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 12, 2018, 1:00 pm ET

Attending: Harriet Behar (HB), Materials Chair; NOSB Vice Chair; Dan Seitz (DS), PDS Chair; Jesse Buie (JB); 

Ashley Swaffar (AS), Livestock Chair; Scott Rice (SR), CACS Chair, NOSB Secretary; Steve Ela (SE) - observer

Absent: Tom Chapman (TC), NOSB Chair; Lisa de Lima (LD), Handling Chair; Asa Bradman (AB) - observer

Staff: Jenny Tucker (JT); Michelle Arsenault (MA); Paul Lewis (PL); Lisa Brines (LB)

Agenda

• Approve notes of December 8, 2017

• Chairs Report - HB for TC

o Subcommittee assignments update

o Update on appointment of new NOSB member 

• NOP news and update - JT. 

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o Final posting of Fall 2017 meeting materials

o Notice of Spring meeting status

• Subcommittee Reports (5 minutes each)

o Livestock (LS) - AS 

o Handling (HS) - SR for LD

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - HB

o Policy Development (PDS) - DS.

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - SR

o Crops (CS) - SE 

• Additional Items 

• Adjourn

Discussion

• Notes of December 8, 2017 were approved with no changes.

• Chairs Report - HB

o Subcommittee assignments update. The new Subcommittee assignments were completed in 

December. There were a couple of minor changes. 

o Update on appointment of new NOSB member. The nomination package is still under review. 

• NOP news and update - JT. 

o Greg Ibach, Under Secretary of Marketing and Regulatory Programs (MRP) held a Town Hall 

meeting yesterday. Organic integrity was mentioned, indicating that it is a priority. 

o Bruce Summers is still the acting Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) administrator.

o The Organic Policy Advisor position is vacant and there are no immediate plans to refill the 

position.

o The AMS Deputy Administrator position was advertised recently, and is not yet filled. Ruihong 

Guo will continue to act in that role. 

o Lisa Brines, the National List Manager is leaving NOP January 19. NOP will seek to fill her 

position. 

o Comments on the Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices (OLPP) final rule are due January 17, 

2018. 
o The NOP is hosting a certifier training in San Antonio in February, and is currently preparing 

materials. There are several focus areas: a review on the pasture rules; supply chain and 

imports; and appeals.

o A member asked about the next steps for OLPP once the comment period closes. The NOP 

noted that the USDA is in exparte communication while in the rulemaking phase, and cannot 

discuss details.

o There are two Federal Register notices that should be published soon: The meeting 

announcement for the Spring 2018 NOSB meeting, and the National List rule for various 

substances. 

• Advisory Board Specialist (ABS) update - MA

o Final posting of Fall 2017 meeting materials. Meeting materials should be posted on the NOSB 

webpage soon.

o Notice of Spring meeting status. The notice will preview on January 16 and publish on the 17th. 

The written comment period will open when the notice publishes but the oral comment sign up 

will open later, when the proposals are posted.

o Travel planning for the Spring meeting could be conducted towards the end of February or 

beginning of March. 

• Subcommittee Reports (5 minutes each)

o Livestock (LS) - AS. Livestock is working on sunset items, several petitions and the emergency 

treatment proposal. With regard to the sunset reviews, the LS Chair noted that one may be 

controversial: vaccines. 

o Handling (HS) - SR. The HS focused on the SDBS petition on the last call, and is also working on 

sodium chlorite for the generation of chlorine gas. Both proposals should be completed soon. 

The Handling sunset materials are under review, and the HS is waiting for TRs for some

substances.

o Materials/GMO ad hoc (MS/GMO) - HB. Materials is actively working on the proposal on the 

genetic integrity of seed, and may collaborate with the Crops Subcommittee members. The MS 

has also discussed the document on excluded methods and the Chair will talk with NOP about 

the direction of the document, and how to collaborate with APHIS. The contaminated inputs 

project is delayed for now as the lead hasn’t had a chance to work on it.

o Policy Development (PDS) - DS. The PDS does not have any calls scheduled at this time. The PDS 

Chair and NOSB Chair discussed some minor edits to the Policy & Procedures Manual (PPM), and 

chose to defer them to a later date.

o Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification (CACS) - SR. The CACS is prepping for the imports 

panel that will be held at the Spring NOSB meeting. The panel will be composed of certifier and 

industry representatives (e.g. traders and brokers). The NOP provided a timeline to the CACS for 

choosing panelists and determining the focus. The CACS has a related project; looking at 

inspector qualifications. A document on native ecosystems that was sent back to Subcommittee 

at the Fall 2017 meeting is being developed for the Spring 2018 meeting. The Subcommittee has 

a full agenda and added some additional calls to support the workload. 

o Crops (CS) - SE. The Crops Subcommittee is busy reviewing sunset materials, which the Chair 

noted are non-controversial. There are eight petitions on the work agenda, at various stages in 

the review process. Some will be completed for the Spring meeting, and some are still awaiting 

TRs. Field and Greenhouse Container Production is still on the work agenda, as it was a 

discussion document at the Fall 2017 meeting. The lead reviewer expressed an interest in 

working on this further. The NOP suggested that the group focus on sunset materials and 

petitions for now. The lead felt strongly about summarizing the last round of comments and 

acknowledging those comments so the community knows they were heard. 
• Additional Items. 

o The members verified the accuracy of the roll call in the December 8 meeting notes. 

o A member urged people to comment on OLPP by the January 17 deadline.

• The meeting was adjourned

Previous ES Notes

Future call schedule: All calls 1:00 ET/10:00 PT

December 8, 2017

January 12, 2018

February 9, 2018

March 9, 2018

April 13, 2018

May 11, 2018

June 8, 2018

July 13, 2018

August 10, 2018

September 14, 2018

October 12, 2018

November 9, 2018

December 14, 2018

Spring 2018 Milestones Target dates (tentative)

New NOSB member orientation TBD

NOSB - Spring 2018 proposals due to NOP Feb 21, 2018

NOP - Complete Spring 2018 NOSB meeting tentative agenda Mar 6, 2018

NOP - Post proposals, “Open” public comment Mar 6, 2018

Discuss work agendas on ES call Mar 9, 2018

Public comment closes Apr 4, 2018

NOP - Send compiled public comments to NOSB Apr 9, 2018

Work agendas finalized on ES call (last call before fall meeting) Apr 13, 2018

Public comment webinar(s) Apr 17 & 19, 2018

Spring 2018 NOSB meeting – Tucson, AZ Apr 25-27, 2018