U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) 

National Organic Program (NOP) Update

Jennifer Tucker, Ph.D. 

Associate Deputy Administrator

1
Agenda 

• Welcome and Thanks 

• Imports and Enforcement Update

• Closing 

2
Welcome to Tucson! 

3

7 Certified Organic Operations In Tucson

214 in Arizona
Thanks to the Organic Community 

NOSB Spring Meeting Engagement: 

• 1,600 Written Public Comments 

• 48 Oral Commenters on 2 Webinars

• 146 Webinar attendees

• 84 Signed up to speak in Tucson 

4
Happy Administrative Professional’s Day! 

• Meet Joan Avila!

• Five Years at NOP

• Runs NOP Main Office 

• Answers hundreds of 

calls and emails each 

month 

• Manages regulations 

and requisitions with 

ease and good humor!

5
Secretary’s Principles for Organic

• Protect the integrity of 

the USDA organic 

certified seal. 

• Deliver efficient and 

effective oversight of 

organic production 

practices, to ensure 

organic products meet 

consistent standards. 

6
Strong Organic 

Control Systems 

Trusted People, 

Processes, and Rules

Farm to Market 

Traceability 

Worldwide Supply 

Chain Integrity 

Robust

Enforcement 

A Level Playing 

Field for All 

Enforcement Actions and Plan Ahead

1

2

3
Strong Organic Control Systems 

Trusted People, Processes, and Rules

8

1

Actions Regulatory Needs 

•Increase Training: 

Traceback and Mass 

Balance Audits

•Increase Training on Key 

Regulatory Requirements 

•Identify New Models for 

Risk-Based Accreditation

Audit Models

• Federated Organic 

Certificate

• Certification Expiration 

Dates 

• Accreditation of Certifier 

Satellite Offices 

• Inspector and Reviewer 

Qualification and 

Training Requirements
Farm to Market Traceability 

Worldwide Supply Chain Integrity 

9

2

Actions Regulatory Needs

•Import Oversight Initiatives: 

APHIS & CBP

• Launching Electronic Export 

Certificates

•Increased Reporting to 

Organic Integrity Database

•Identifying Requirements: 

International Supply Chain 

Technologies

• Require Increased 

Reporting to Organic 

Integrity Database

• Eliminate Exclusions 

for Uncertified 

Handlers 

• Require Certificates 

for All Imports
Robust Enforcement

A Level Playing Field for All 

10

3

Actions Regulatory Needs 

•Increase NOP-Led Onsite 

Surveillance, Investigations

• Expand NOP Investigative 

Capabilities

• Expedite Formal Complaint 

Processes

•More Enforcement Postings

• Process for PACA Referrals

•Risk-Based Complaint 

Intake/Investigation Models 

• Add Regulatory

Requirement for 

Unannounced 

Inspections

• Revise 

Noncompliance 

Processes
The Organic Control System

Standards

Statute, Regulations, 

NOP Handbook

Accreditation

Accreditation, Oversight 

of Third-Party Certifiers

Certification

Certification, Oversight 

of Organic Farms and 

Businesses

Enforcement 

Civil Penalties, 

Loss of Certification 

for Violators

11
Core to All Enforcement 

12

Organic Foods 

Production 

Act

USDA 

Organic 

Regulations

Legally 

Defensible 

Evidence

Enforcement Depends on All 3
Training for Certifiers: Face-to-Face

• Training for Certifiers: U.S. and Europe 

• Topics: Imports, Adverse Actions, Pasture: Grazing, Other

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Training for Certifiers: Investigations 

https://access.willinteractive.com/the-investigation/the-investigation/ 14
• Regulatory requirements and best practices for 

certifiers overseeing organic imports.

• Public comments stressed need for stronger 

regulatory requirements. 

• NOP will continue to stress the best practices 

with certifiers: Import oversight is a key focus 

for NOP certifier audits this year.

15

Imports Instruction for Certifiers

Maintaining the Integrity of 

Organic Imports (NOP 4013)
Directives and Enforcement Actions

16

• Certifier Directives to Increase Testing/ Inspections 

in Eastern Europe: Reviewing Certifier Reports, 

Designing New Directives

• Enforcement Actions (Non-compliances, Proposed 

Suspensions/Revocations) Against Operations and 

Certifiers

• Of the organic operations in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, 

Russia, and Turkey, 96 (13%) have surrendered 

certification and 30 (4%) have been suspended or 

revoked by certifiers since 2016.
Collaboration: CBP and APHIS 

• Collaborations: Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service (APHIS), 

Customs and Border Protection 

(CBP)

• Ship-Specific Investigations: APHIS 

has lead at border with CBP. Both 

have worked to investigate and 

block incoming grain shipments. 

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CBP: Organic Imports Data

• Reality: CBP system (ACE: Automated Commercial 

Environment) not programmed to mark products as 

organic. 

• Action: 

– AMS, APHIS & CBP held joint meeting to discuss 

future collaboration options. 

– AMS submitted a Request for Development to 

CBP for “organic message sets.” Goal: 2018-2019. 

– AMS is reviewing Memorandum of Agreement 

with CBP to request broader access to trade data. 

18
APHIS: Fumigation Data

• Reality: APHIS providing “Fumigation Notifications.” 

1,600 records in 8 Months 

• Action: 

– Requested Targeted Investigations by Certifiers.

– Training for Certifiers on Accessing APHIS 

Fumigation Rules.

– Data Analysis to identify Top Commodities/ 

Countries: Developing Notification Approaches. 

– Working with APHIS to Access Data Reports in 

More Usable Way; Hired Data Analyst to Help. 

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Investing in Data: INTEGRITY

• Traceability requires accurate and timely data. 

• Organic Integrity Database Data Quality Dashboard 

– Certifiers can see what they are doing well with 

their data, and what they could improve on. 

• “Investing in INTEGRITY” Awards

– Awarded to top 6 certifiers in February based on 

data quality and quantity at the start of 2018. 

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“Investing in INTEGRITY” Winners!

• CCOF: California Certified 

Organic Farmers 

• County of Marin Organic 

Certified Agriculture 

• New Jersey Department 

of Agriculture 

• NOFA-NY - Northeast 

Organic Farming 

Association of New York

• One-Cert, Incorporated 

• OTCO: Oregon Tilth 

Certified Organic 

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Key Tools: Acreage, Certificates 

• Organic farm acreage is critical for investigations 

and for data analysis and reporting. 

• NOP held acreage working session in late February: 

Certifiers shared reporting 

process and barriers.

• Continuing to encourage 

Federal certificate use: 

5 Certifiers have generated 

in system 
Electronic Export Certificates

• AMS is developing an electronic export certificate 

option to support organic businesses shipping to 

Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Mexico. 

• Initial pilot test with interested certifiers completed; 

launch expected 

this summer. 

• Providing valuable 

learning for future 

international systems 

development work. 

23
Join Us! May 10 Webinar 

• Webinar on May 10: 

Organic Integrity Through Technology Innovation

• Topics: 

– Organic Integrity Database Updates

– Export Certificate Updates

– Future Planning

• More Details: 

https://www.ams.usda.gov/reports/organic-insider

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Priority: USDA Boots on the Ground

Increased On-Site Surveillance in 2018

• Unannounced Inspections: U.S. Dairies 

• Site Visits and Inspections: Grain Importers 

• Certifier Audits: Eastern Europe 

• Commodity/Country-Level Certifier Audit
Office of Inspector General (OIG) Report

• Published in 

September 2017

• AMS Actions: On 

Track to Complete 

by July 2018

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www.ams.usda.gov/nop