USDA-AMS | National Organic Program

 National Organic Standards Board | Spring 2014 Meeting Agenda Rev 04/17/2014

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National Organic Standards Board Meeting

St. Anthony Hotel, 300 East Travis Street, San Antonio, TX 78205 Anacacho Ballroom

April 29 – May 2, 2014 

Agenda

 Schedule at a Glance

Tuesday

April 29

Wednesday

April 30

Thursday

May 1

Friday

May 2

MORNING- Call to Order 

- NOSB Administration 

- Policy Development 

 Subcommittee

- Materials Update/

 Process Overview 

- NOP Report 

- Public Comment - Livestock

 Subcommittee 

- Deferred Items/ Final Votes

 

- NOSB Officer Elections 

- Subcommittee Work Plans 

 

- Other Business/ Closing 

 Remarks 

AFTERNOON- Presentation: Organic 

 Agriculture at USDA

- Presentation: (NRCS) 

- Discussion: Overarching 

 Ideas and Undercurrents 

 in Organics

- Public Comment 

 

- Crops 

Subcommittee 

- Compliance, Accreditation 

 & Certification 

 Subcommittee

- Handling Subcommittee

- Materials Subcommittee

- Adjourn

Meeting Format

• The USDA National Organic Program (NOP) National List Manager presents an overview of petitioned 

substances and technical reports in consistent format. 

• The Board hears public comments, which are grouped by topic to facilitate review. 

• NOSB members present and discuss Subcommittee proposals and discussion documents; NOSB votes on 

proposals. Final votes may be deferred to Friday May 2, 2014 if more deliberation is needed. 

• NOTE: Agenda items may be withdrawn or votes may be postponed at the discretion of the Board. 

• There will be two 15-minute breaks (mid-morning & mid-afternoon) and a 75-minute lunch break mid-day

Public Comments 

**IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING WRITTEN PUBLIC COMMENTS**

• Many of the proposals that would have been discussed at the cancelled October 2013 NOSB meeting will be 

discussed at the April 2014 meeting instead. If you submitted comments at that time, and the NOSB has not 

revised the proposal, you DO NOT need to resubmit your comments. If a document was revised, it is noted 

below by a “*”. If a proposal is new for spring 2014 it is marked with a “+”. This is also noted on the 

Subcommittee proposals webpages, and at the top of each proposal. 

• If you signed up for in-person oral comments for fall 2013, you WILL have to do so again for spring 2014. 

• All persons wishing to comment at NOSB meetings during the public comment period must sign up in advance. 

Instructions are available at www.ams.usda.gov/NOSBMeetings. Speaking slots for walk-in commenters are not 

guaranteed. Walk-in commenters can sign up in person at the meeting if the schedule allows.

• Each commenter must state his/her name and affiliation for the record at the beginning of their comment.
USDA-AMS | National Organic Program

 National Organic Standards Board | Spring 2014 Meeting Agenda Rev 04/17/2014

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Tuesday, April 29, 2014

8:30 AM Call to Order, Agenda Overview

Miles McEvoy, AMS Deputy Administrator

Introductions, NOSB Mission

Mac Stone, Chairperson and John Foster, Vice Chairperson

Secretary’s Report, Acceptance of April 2013 Meeting Summary and Voting Results

Dr. C. Reuben (Calvin) Walker, Secretary

NOSB Assessment, OFPA, FACA, NOSB Charter, Operating Guidelines

Miles McEvoy, AMS Deputy Administrator

Policy Development Subcommittee

Dr. Jean Richardson, Chairperson

Update on status of PDS and fall 2013 documents

National Organic Program - Materials Update/Petition Process Overview

Dr. Lisa M. Brines, NOP National List Manager

Summary of New and Outstanding Petitions

 Petition Process

BREAK 

National Organic Program - Sunset Review Process, Rulemaking Process, NOP Report

Dr. Lisa M. Brines, NOP National List Manager

Dr. Melissa Bailey, Director, Standards Division

Miles McEvoy, AMS Deputy Administrator

LUNCH

Organic Agriculture at USDA 

Mark Lipson, USDA Organic Policy Coordinator/Chair of USDA’s Organic Working Group

Overview of USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS)

Sarah Brown (NRCS)

Discussion: Overarching Ideas and Undercurrents in Organics 

NOSB

3:00 PM Public Comment 

5:30 PM RECESS
USDA-AMS | National Organic Program

 National Organic Standards Board | Spring 2014 Meeting Agenda Rev 04/17/2014

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* Fall 2013 document revised

+ New for spring 2014

 Lack of notation indicates no revisions to fall 2013 document Wednesday, April 30

8:30 AM Public Comment 

BREAK

Public Comment 

LUNCH

Public Comment 

3:00 PM Crops Subcommittee 

Zea Sonnabend, Chairperson

Present Subcommittee proposals and summarize written comments

 Topics:

 *Proposal: Streptomycin - petitioned

 *Proposal: Magnesium Oxide - petitioned 

 + Proposal: Vinasse - petitioned

 + Proposal: Laminarin - petitioned

 Verbal update: Inerts (no document)

 *Sunset 2015 Review List:

 Sulfurous Acid

 Sodium Carbonate Peroxyhydrate

 Aqueous Potassium Silicate

BREAK 

Subcommittee discusses proposals as needed

Board votes if ready

5:30 PM RECESS
USDA-AMS | National Organic Program

 National Organic Standards Board | Spring 2014 Meeting Agenda Rev 04/17/2014

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Thursday, May 1

8:30 AM Livestock Subcommittee 

Tracy Favre, Chairperson 

Present Subcommittee proposals and summarize written comments 

Topics:

 Proposal: Methionine in Organic Poultry Feed (MET) - petitioned

 Proposal: Acidified Sodium Chlorite (ASC) - petitioned

 Verbal update: Vaccines from Excluded Methods (GMO Vaccines) (no document)

*Proposal: Aquaculture - Chlorine (for aquatic animals) - petitioned

*Proposal: Aquaculture - Tocopherols (for aquatic animals) - petitioned

*Proposal: Aquaculture - Minerals (for aquatic animals) - petitioned

 Proposal: Aquaculture - Vitamins (for aquatic animals) - petitioned

+Proposal: Aquaculture - Biologics: Vaccines (for aquatic animals) – petitioned

+Proposal: Aquaculture - Micronutrients (for aquatic plants) - petitioned

+Proposal: Aquaculture - CO2 (for aquatic plants) - petitioned

+Proposal: Aquaculture - Chlorine (for aquatic plants) - petitioned

+Proposal: Aquaculture - Lignin Sulfonate (for aquatic plants) - petitioned

+Proposal: Aquaculture - Vitamins B1, B12, H (for aquatic plants) - petitioned

BREAK

Subcommittee discusses proposals as needed

Board votes if ready

LUNCH

1:30 PM Compliance, Accreditation and Certification Subcommittee 

Carmela Beck, Chairperson

Present Subcommittee proposals and summarize written comments

 Topics: 

 *Proposal: Guidance on Retail Certification

 Proposal Discussion Document: Clarifying Accredited Certifying Agents’ Application of 

 §205.206(e)

 Verbal Summary/Update: Sound and Sensible (no document)

Subcommittee discusses proposals as needed

Board votes if ready
USDA-AMS | National Organic Program

 National Organic Standards Board | Spring 2014 Meeting Agenda Rev 04/17/2014

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Thursday, May 1

2:30 PM Handling Subcommittee

Harold Austin, Chairperson

Present Subcommittee proposals and summarize written comments

Topics:

*Proposal: Ammonium Hydroxide (boiler water additive) - petitioned

 Proposal: Glycerin - petitioned for removal

 Discussion Document: Polyalkylene Glycol Monobutyl Ether (PGME) - petitioned

 Update: Ancillary Substances (no document)

*Sunset 2015 Review List: 

 Gellan Gum 

 Tragacanth Gum

 Marsala

 Sherry

BREAK

Subcommittee discusses proposals as needed

Board votes if ready

4:15 PM Materials Subcommittee 

Dr. C. Reuben (Calvin) Walker, Chairperson

Present Subcommittee proposals and summarize written comments 

Topics:

 Proposal: Update of Petition & Technical Review Process 

 Proposal: Confidential Business Information in Petitions (CBI) 

 Proposal: Fall 2013 Research Priorities

+ Written report: Seed Purity from GMOs

Subcommittee discusses proposals as needed

Board votes if ready

5:30 PM RECESS
USDA-AMS | National Organic Program

 National Organic Standards Board | Spring 2014 Meeting Agenda Rev 04/17/2014

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Friday, May 2

8:30 AM Deferred Proposals/Final Votes 

BREAK

Deferred Proposals/Final Votes

NOSB Officer Elections

Subcommittee Workplans

Other Business and Closing Remarks

12:30 PM ADJOURN