Guidelines for Organic Certification of Dairy Livestock 

Written and designed by staff at the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont. This product was 

developed with support from U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service, National Organic 

Program. 

The following guidelines are based on the USDA organic regulations (7 CFR §205). In order to be eligible for 

organic certification, farms must be in compliance with the following standards. 

Land requirements (§205.202) 

Land used for pasturing and housing livestock and livestock feed and bedding crops must qualify for organic 

certification. The organic regulations state that any field or farm parcel, from which harvested crops are 

intended to be sold as organic, must have had no prohibited substances applied to it for a period of three 

years immediately preceding the harvest of the crop. 

Example to determine if a field qualifies: 

A farmer's last fertilizer application is on May 31, 2011. 

On May 31, 2012 first transitional year has ended. 

On May 31, 2013 second transitional has ended. 

On May 31, 2014 third transitional year has ended. 

This means after May 31, 2014 pastures or crops harvested can be certified organic. 

Please refer to the Guidelines for Organic Certification of Crops for a complete description of the organic 

standards for crops. 

Origin of Livestock (§205.236) 

Farmers may either transition an existing non-organic herd to organic production or purchase an organic herd. 

The transition is a one-year process, during which the producer must manage the herd following the organic 

standards. 

Accepted 

 Dairy animals under continuous organic management from the last third of gestation 

 Dairy animals under continuous organic management beginning no later than 1 year prior to the 

production of milk or milk products to be represented as organic 

 Breeder stock brought onto the organic facility and managed organically no later than the last third of 

gestation 

Prohibited 

 Representing breeder or dairy stock not under continuous organic management since the last third of 

gestation as qualifying for organic slaughter 

 Continuously transitioning non-organic animals into a distinct herd that has been converted to organic 

production 
Written and designed by staff at the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont. This product was 

developed with support from U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service, National Organic 

Program. 

All purchases of organic livestock must be accompanied with organic certificates and receipts that are 

sufficient to preserve the identity of all organically managed animals. 

Livestock Feed (§205.237) 

For Transitioning Herds 

Beginning the first day of the transition, all animals must receive 100% organic feed. The 100% organic feed 

ration can include forages from land in your farm production plan that is being managed organically and is 

‘certifiable’ or in the third and final year of transition. 

For Purchased Organic Herds 

Starting with the day animals arrive on the farm, all animals must receive 100% organic feed. No transitional 

crops may be fed to organic animals. Transitional crops must be harvested separately and sold to a nonorganic market. Records of these sales must be kept. Transitional pastures may not be grazed until they qualify 

for certification. 

Accepted 

 100% of feed grains and forage, including pastures, managed by organic production practices and if 

applicable, organically, handled. 

 Feed additives and supplements consistent with the National List §205.603. 

 Minerals and vitamins that are FDA approved or currently listed in AAFCO will be considered for approval 

by your organic certifier. 

Prohibited 

 Use of animal drugs, including hormones, to promote growth 

 Plastic pellets for roughage 

 Urea or manure added to feed or in feed formulas. 

 Direct fed mammalian or poultry by-products such as animal fats and rendered products (does not 

include fishmeal). 

 Providing feed supplements or additives in amounts over what is needed by the livestock for nutrition and 

health. 

All pastures must be certified organic. If the bedding qualifies as roughage (hay, straw, etc.), it must comply 

with the feed requirements and be certified organic. 

Purchased Feed 

All purchased grain and forages must be certified organic. You must keep receipts and accompanying 

certificates as documentation of off-farm feed purchases. The receipt must verify the quantity and source of 

feed purchased from off-farm. 
Written and designed by staff at the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont. This product was 

developed with support from U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service, National Organic 

Program. 

All feed supplements, including minerals and salt blocks must be approved by your certifier. Antibiotics, GMOderived products, animal by-products and synthetic preservatives are not permitted in any feed products. Be 

sure that any mineral supplements do not contain prohibited ingredients (such as mineral oil). Agricultural 

substances in feed supplements (molasses, soy oil, roughage, etc.) must be organic. 

Young Stock Management

Calves (or other young ruminant stock) must be fed organic milk and organic feed. The use of conventional 

milk replacer and medicated grain is prohibited.

Livestock Healthcare Practices (§205.238) 

Animal health is the result of preventative and on-going management efforts to create living soils, provide 

nourishing forage and feeds, and improve the quality of livestock life. Animals must be kept in healthy, low stress 

environments. Producers must use preventative health care practices and may only use approved treatments. 

Accepted 

 Selecting species and types of livestock suitable to the conditions on their farm and resistant to prevalent 

diseases and parasites. 

 Providing feed sufficient to meet the needs of the animals, including vitamins, minerals, protein and/or 

amino acids, fatty acids, energy sources, and fiber. 

 Establishing appropriate housing, pasture, and sanitation to reduce diseases and parasites. 

 Providing animals with the opportunity for exercise, freedom of movement, and reduction of stress. 

 Performing physical alterations when needed for the animal’s welfare, taking care to minimize pain and 

stress. 

 Administering vaccines and other veterinary biologics. 

When preventative measures are insufficient to prevent sickness, producers may consult with their certifier for 

allowed medications.

Prohibited 

 Withholding treatment from animals to maintain organic status. 

 Administering any animal drug in the absence of illness. 

 Use of hormones for the promotion of growth of livestock. 

 Selling, labeling, or representing as organic any animal or animal product that has been treated with 

antibiotics, a synthetic substance not on the National List, or any prohibited non-synthetic substance. 

 Tail docking. 

Use of Antibiotics 

In an emergency, a producer must use antibiotics if necessary to save the life of the animal or to prevent 

suffering. Use of antibiotics should be based on the recommendation of a vet. Withholding treatment of 
Written and designed by staff at the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont. This product was 

developed with support from U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service, National Organic 

Program. 

antibiotics from animals to maintain their organic status is prohibited. If a producer uses antibiotics, they must 

do the following: 

 Record the event in their health records. 

 Notify their certifier of the situation. 

 Segregate the animal to prevent contamination of organic products. For example, a dairy cow must be 

marked to prevent the milk from going in the bulk tank. In addition, the milk may not be fed to calves.

 Sell the animal to a non-organic market. 

 Document the sale of the animal. 

For the offspring of the treated animal to qualify as organic, the treatment must not occur during the last third 

of gestation. In addition, the offspring cannot nurse on an animal that has been treated. 

Oxytocin Use

Oxytocin is a hormone that is allowed with restrictions. It is prohibited for routine or long-term use. It may only be 

used when necessary in post-parturition therapies. 

Parasiticide Use

Livestock producers are encouraged to minimize parasite infestations by quarantine and fecal exams for all 

incoming stock, good pasture management, maintaining clean facilities and culling seriously infected animals. 

Producers must have a parasite management plan for preventing infestations. In addition, biological control 

methods and non-synthetic controls are permitted. 

Use of parasiticides (de-wormers) is allowed only in health care emergencies and in the case of acute and 

dangerously high levels of infestation. Parasiticides are allowed when preventative practices and veterinary 

biologics are inadequate to prevent sickness. There is a 90-day withholding period for lactating dairy cows 

treated with parasiticides. 

Currently the only synthetic parasiticides allowed for use are Ivermectin, Moxidectin & Fenbendazole. Synthetic 

parasiticides may not be used on animals intended to be sold as organic meat. If a producer uses an allowed 

parasiticide, they must do the following: 

 Record the event in their health records including withholding time, if applicable.

 Notify their certifier of the situation. 

 Segregate the animal to prevent contamination of organic products. For example, a dairy cow must be 

marked to prevent the milk from going in the bulk tank. In addition, milk may not be fed to calves.

 If applicable document sale to non-organic meat market.

Breeding 

Accepted 

Natural service 

Artificial insemination 
Written and designed by staff at the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont. This product was 

developed with support from U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service, National Organic 

Program. 

Prohibited 

Use of breeding hormones 

Livestock Living Conditions (§205.239) 

Livestock housing must provide for adequate ventilation, adequate supply of clean water and proper 

sanitation. Housing must provide access to the outdoors, shade, shelter, exercise areas, fresh air and direct 

sunlight year round. Living conditions must accommodate the health and natural behavior of animals. 

Continuous total confinement of any ruminant animal over 6 months of age indoors is prohibited. 

Accepted 

 Temporary confinement for an animal because of inclement weather; the animal’s stage of production 

(except that lactation is not a stage of life); conditions under which the health and safety of the animal 

could be jeopardized; risk to soil or water quality; preventative healthcare procedures or the treatment 

of illness or injury; breeding; and 4-H or other youth projects. 

 Longer confinement of an animal for one week for dry off, three weeks prior to parturition, and one 

week after parturition. 

 Newborn dairy cattle may be confined until 6 months of age. 

 Animals may be confined for periods of milking, providing that milking is scheduled in a manner to 

ensure sufficient grazing time to provide an animal with an average of at least 30% DMI from pasture. 

Prohibited 

 Animals confined or tethered in such a way that prevents them from lying down, standing up, fully 

extending its limbs and moving about freely. 

 Inadequate clean, dry bedding. If the bedding qualifies as roughage (hay, straw, etc.), it must comply 

with the feed requirements and be certified organic. 

 Continuous total indoor confinement of any ruminant animal over 6 months of age. 

 Continuous total confinement of ruminants in yards, feeding pads and feedlots is prohibited. 

 Yards, feeding pads and feedlots that are not large enough to allow all ruminant livestock occupying 

the area to feed simultaneously without crowding and without competition for food. 

 

Manure must be managed in a manner that does not contribute to contamination of crops, soil or water, by 

plant nutrients, heavy metals, or pathogenic organisms and optimizes the recycling of nutrients. 

Lumber treated with arsenate or other prohibited substances may not be used for new construction that will 

come into direct contact with soil or livestock. For example, treated wood should not be used to construct 

feeding or housing areas where livestock can have direct contact with the wood. 

Pasture (§205.240) 

All ruminant livestock must be provided pasture throughout the entire grazing season for the geographical 

region, which shall be not less than 120 days per calendar year. Pasture should be provided to provide a 
Written and designed by staff at the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont. This product was 

developed with support from U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service, National Organic 

Program. 

minimum of 30% of a ruminant’s dry matter intake (DMI) on average over the course of the grazing season. 

Accepted 

 Temporary confinement from pasture due to weather, season, and/or climate. The total grazing days for 

ruminants (over 6 months of age) must still not be less than 120 days per calendar year. 

 Breeding bulls are exempt from the 30 percent dry matter intake from grazing requirement; provided, 

that, any animal maintained under this exemption is not sold, labeled, used, or represented as organic 

slaughter stock. 

Prohibited 

 Providing over 70% of a ruminant’s dry matter demand from dry matter fed (ie. stored forages, grains) 

during the grazing season. This shall be calculated as an average over the entire grazing season for 

each type and class of animal. 

 Providing pasture of insufficient quality and or quantity to graze throughout the entire grazing season. 

 Not managing pasture in compliance with the guidelines for organic crop production. 

Pasture Plan 

The producer will complete a pasture plan as part of their annual certification application. The plan will 

demonstrate, through auditable records, the following: 

 Types of pasture provided 

 Cultural and management practices in place to ensure sufficient quality and quantity of pasture 

 Duration of the grazing season 

 Location and size of pastures (including maps that identify each pasture) 

 Types of grazing methods to be used in the pasture system 

 Location and types of permanent fences 

 Location and source of shade and water 

 Soil fertility and seeding systems 

 Erosion control and protection of natural wetlands and riparian areas practices 

Slaughter (§205.102) 

Meat that is to be sold, labeled, or represented as organic must be from an animal that was under continuous 

organic management from at least the last third of gestation. A certified organic slaughter facility must be 

used for processing meat that is to be marketed as organic. 

Marketing and Labeling (§205.303)

Livestock products that are packaged and to be sold, labeled or represented as “100% organic” or “organic” 

must include the following on the information panel of your label: 

 Handler information: name of handler and business address 

 Followed by “Certified organic by ***”, identifying the name of the certifying agent responsible for 

certifying the handler of the finished product. 
Written and designed by staff at the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont. This product was 

developed with support from U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service, National Organic 

Program. 

Additionally, the agricultural products in packages that are to be sold, labeled or represented as “100% 

organic” or “organic” may display on the package panel or any marketing/labeling information about the 

product the following: 

 The term “100% organic” or “organic, as applicable to modify the name of the product 

 The USDA seal and/or your certifier’s logo/seal 

For more details of USDA label requirements, it is recommended that you contact your certifier. Most certifiers 

require label review and approval prior to the use of the label in the sale of agricultural products to be sold or 

represented as organic.

Record Keeping (§205.103) 

Records must be kept on an ongoing basis. Records are essential, as organic certification is about verifying your 

farming practices to a third party. Maintaining records can also help producers improve their management. 

Records must be “readily auditable” (accessible, organized, complete) and must be maintained for five years. 

In general, your record keeping system must allow a third party to trace your management from birth/purchase 

to death/sales. Many certifiers provide record keeping templates but also accept farm-specific systems, so 

long as they include the necessary information. 

Records that must be kept by certified livestock producers include: 

 Health care records for all medications and treatments administered 

 Health care product inventory 

 Animal inventory record that tracks animals entering and leaving the farm 

 Receipts for purchases and sales of livestock, livestock feed, bedding (if applicable) 

 Applicable service provider records (vet slips, custom harvester, etc.) 

 Feed rations for all animal groups 

 Sales/Production records for products sold off the farm 

 Pasture plan (as outlined above) 

 Split Operations (§205.272) 

Operations that choose to produce organic and non-organic livestock products or to hire services from custom 

operators that may service non-organic and organic clients, must implement measures necessary to prevent 

the commingling of organic and non-organic livestock products. Additionally, they must protect the organic 

livestock and livestock products from contact with prohibited substances. 

Please refer to your certifier’s guidelines for a more detailed explanation of the USDA organic regulations. If you 

have any question regarding the standards or the application process, please contact your certifier.