USDA National Organic 

Program

April 2017

Miles V. McEvoy, Deputy Administrator

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service

National Organic Program
Topics

• Accomplishments

• Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices Final 

Rule

• 2016 Count of Certified Operations 

• Organization Review: USDA, AMS, NOP

• NOP Strategic Goals and Activities 

• Global Organic Control System

• AMS-NOP Priority Areas 

National Organic Program | Agricultural Marketing Service 
Announcing the 2016 

Count of Certified Organic Operations 

• At the end of 2016: 

– 24,650 certified organic operations in the U.S.

– 37,032 around the world

• 13% increase between the end of 2015 and 2016, 

• Continues double digit growth of organic sector

• NOP supports growth through sound and sensible 

initiative, fact sheets, and interactive training 

• The Organic Integrity Database allows us to 

announce the count much earlier than previously 
Growth Over Time 

4
USDA Agricultural Marketing Service | National Organic Program 5
AMS Programs: 

• Dairy

• Specialty Crops

• Cotton &Tobacco

• National Organic Program

• Livestock, Poultry & Seed

• Transportation & Marketing

• Compliance and Analysis

• Science and Technology
Example AMS Services: 

• Standardization

• Grading 

• Quality Verification

• Market News

• Commodity Procurement

• Research and Promotion

• Marketing Orders and Agreements

• National Organic Program

• Transportation Services

• Wholesale and Farmers Markets
The National Organic Program (NOP)

• Mission: 

Ensure the integrity of USDA organic products 

throughout the world

• Vision: 

Organic Integrity from Farm to Table,

Consumers Trust the Organic Label 

• Core Role: 

Implement the Organic Foods Production Act and 

the USDA organic regulations 

National Organic Program | Agricultural Marketing Service 
NOP Organization and Activities

National Organic Program

Office of Deputy Administrator

Standards Division

Accreditation

& International 

Activities Division

Compliance &

Enforcement Division

National Organic 

Standards Board

• Rules, Guidance, 

Instructions, 

• National List

• Accreditation

• Equivalency 

arrangements

• Recognition

• Complaints

• Investigations

• Initiate enforcement 

actions 

• Communication

• FOIA requests

• Budget, Personnel

• National List 

recommendations

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service | National Organic Program 9
AMS National Organic Program

• AMS Acting Administrator Bruce Summers

– AMS-NOP Deputy Administrator Miles McEvoy

• AMS-NOP Associate Deputy Administrator 

Dr. Jennifer Tucker – (8 staff)

–NOP Standards Director 

Dr. Paul Lewis (9 staff)

–NOP Accreditation and 

International Activities Director 

Cheri Courtney (8 staff)

–NOP Compliance and Enforcement Director 

Betsy Rakola (9 staff)

–FOIA office (2 staff and 3 contractors)

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service | National Organic Program 10
Clear 

Standards

Market Access: 

Local, Regional, 

International

Protect 

Organic 

Integrity

Build Technology that 

Advances Organic 

Integrity

AMS-NOP Strategic Plan 2015-18

People and 

Process

11
National Organic Program 

NOP Staffing: 36 employees in four Divisions

NOP Budget: 

• FY 2012: $6.919 million

• FY 2013: $6.369 million 

• FY 2014 - 2016: $9 million

• FY 2017: Funding through April 28 at FY 2016 level

• FY 2018: ?????

Oversight Responsibility: 

• 82 certifying agents worldwide

• Certified organic operations in over 120 countries

• Over $43 billion in U.S. organic sales (2015)

National Organic Program | Agricultural Marketing Service 12
Process Improvement

• Internal Audit

• Management Review

• Peer Review - ANSI

• Assessments by foreign governments

• Office of Inspector General:

Audit on organic equivalency arrangements

Team Approach

• Internal communications team

• Import oversight team

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service | National Organic Program 13
Protecting Organic 

Integrity
Compliance & Enforcement: FY 2017

15
Adverse Action Appeals

Expedited appeals process within AMS

Certifier Actions -

– Proposed Suspension/Revocation of Certification

– Denial of Certification

NOP Actions

– Cease and Desist Notice

– Denial of Reinstatement

– Proposed Suspension or Revocation of Accreditation

Objective is to maintain average days of closure at less than 120 days.

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service | National Organic Program 16
Administrative Proceedings

• AMS may sustain or deny appeal, dismiss, or settle

• When AMS denies the appeal

– Operation has right to request hearing with 

Administrative Law Judge

– If operation requests hearing then USDA must file 

complaint against operation and prepare for hearing

– Lengthy process: May lead to Consent Order or 

administrative hearing

– NOP has a number of complaints/hearings in process

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service | National Organic Program 17
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

Federal agencies are required to disclose any information requested 

under the FOIA unless it falls under one of nine exemptions which 

protect interests such as personal privacy and law enforcement.

• FOIA requests are processed within 20 business days.

• NOP staff responsible for identifying responsive records.

• Records must be reviewed to:

– Ensure they are responsive records

– Redact information that falls under the 9 FOIA exemptions

• Some FOIA requests are straightforward, many involve hundreds or 

thousands of pages, and years of records.

• 2 NOP FTE staff members and 3 full-time contractors are dedicated to 

FOIA. Additional staff support assists as needed. 

• Currently 12 open FOIA requests, 2 appeals, and 7 under litigation

• Go to AMS FOIA reading room to see released records

18
NOP Accreditation of Certifiers

• 5-year renewal audits, mid-term audits, compliance 

audits

• Witness inspections, review audits

• 82 NOP accredited certifiers

• 2017 Foreign audits – Brazil, Australia, Vanuatu, 

Haiti, Ukraine, Bolivia, Peru, Turkey, Germany, 

Holland, Canada, Mexico, Greece

• 2017 Domestic audits – California, Oregon, 

Washington, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, 

Texas, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio, 

Kentucky, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, 

New Jersey, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service | National Organic Program 19
Recognition and Equivalency

Recognition of foreign government accreditation

• India and Israel assessment in 2016

• New Zealand assessment in 2017

Equivalency of foreign government standards, 

accreditation, certification and enforcement

• Established arrangements with Canada, the 

European Union, Japan, Korea and Switzerland

• Equivalency discussions underway with Mexico and 

Taiwan

• Argentina has applied for equivalency

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service | National Organic Program 20
Build Technology 

that Enhances 

Organic Integrity
The Organic INTEGRITY Database 

22

Modernized certified organic operations database:

•Contains 

up-to-date 

accurate 

information 

Increases 

supply chain 

transparency 

Enhances 

integrity of 

organic 

control 

system
Advanced Search

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service | National Organic Program 23
Sample Certificate 

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service | National Organic Program 24
Clear Standards
Regulations and Guidance

Rules

• Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices – Effective 

date delayed until May 19, 2017

• Sunset 2017 Proposed Rule – Proposed to remove 

11 substances from National List – Comment period 

closes April 19

Guidance

• Calculating the Percentage of Organic Ingredients in 

Multi-Ingredient Products – Comment period closed 

April 7

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service | National Organic Program 26
Instructions

• Organic Import Instructions

• Organic Integrity in the Supply Chain – Short Video

• Grower Group Instructions

– NOSB recommendations from 2002 and 2008

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service | National Organic Program 27
Control Systems

Accreditation,

Certification

Oversight
Background

• Organic trade expanding 

• U.S. and EU organic market over $80 billion

• Many governments have established organic 

standards and control systems

• Fraudulent certificates continue to be identified

• Alleged violations in foreign countries can be 

complex and challenging to investigate and enforce.

USDA Agricultural Marketing 

Service | National Organic 

Program

29
Organic Control System

• Organic standards

• Certifiers verify that organic farmers and handlers 

comply with organic standards

• Accreditation body ensures that certifiers are 

conducting thorough and complete inspections, 

have qualified personnel, and are meeting all 

aspects of their responsibilities as certifiers

• Certifiers enforce the standards under their 

authority (Notice of Noncompliance, Notices of 

Suspension/Revocation)

• Competent authorities (governments) provide 

oversight and enforcement. 

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service | National Organic Program 30
USDA, Certifiers & Operations

All Support the Organic Control System

31

Inspecting an Organic Grain and Rice Operation
Certifiers Are Central to Organic Control

What certifiers do:

32

Ensure compliance of existing regulations
Core Certifier Activities 

Review Operation Organic System Plans

• Inputs, Materials 

• Recordkeeping Systems

• Practices

Conduct Annual Inspections 

• Verify effective implementation of OSP 

• Review and audit records to ensure traceability 

Issue Certificates 

• Annual Certificates 

• Transaction/Import Certificates

• Attestation Statements 

33
Product Movement

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service | National Organic Program 34

Grower

Grower

Grower

Grower

Grower

Handler Elevator

Elevator

Elevator

Handler

Broker

Exporter Warehouse Broker Importer

Broker

Warehouse

Handler

CBP

Insp.
Recordkeeping

A certified operation must maintain records 

concerning the production, harvesting, and 

handling of agricultural products that are sold, 

labeled, or represented as organic

Such records must:

– (1) Be adapted to the particular business

– (2) fully disclose all activities and 

transactions of the certified operation in 

sufficient detail as to be readily understood 

and audited

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service | National Organic Program 35
Examples of Records: 

Reported in OSP, Checked During Inspections 

Records verifying that 

incoming product is 

organic, with amounts

Organic certificate for 

all incoming organic 

products, ingredients

Invoices, purchase 

orders, bills of lading, 

scale tickets

Handler organic 

certificates and 

contracts

Certificates of 

Analyses; Product 

Specification Sheets

Raw product inventory 

reports and records

Weigh tickets, 

receipts, and tags

Clean truck affidavits 

for bulk product

36
Records for Non-Certified Operations

• Who keeps records for organic products, 

if the supplier is not certified?

• The records must be kept by the certified 

operations responsible for the product 

(buyer or seller)

• Records must have enough detail

• Records must maintain traceability, 

demonstrated through an audit trail

• Records must document prevention of 

contamination and commingling

• Records must be available for inspection

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service | National Organic Program 37
Interactive Training for Certifiers 

• The Path to Sound and Sensible Organic 

Inspections

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service | National Organic Program 38
Priorities

• Organic Integrity in the Supply Chain

• Training certifiers and handlers

• Implementing better oversight system 

for imports

• Auditing certifiers and ensuring 

adequate controls for long supply chains, 

especially those involving imports

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service | National Organic Program 39
www.ams.usda.gov/nop