AMS Reopens Comment Period on Proposed Rule to Require Origin Certification for Organic Dairy Livestock

On April 28, 2015, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), published a proposed rule to amend the origin of livestock requirements for dairy animals under USDA organic regulations. The proposed rule added requirements for transitioning dairy animals to organic production. Specifically, the rule states that producers can transition dairy animals into production once. After completion of the one-time transaction, any new animals added to the farm would need to be managed organically according to a specified schedule. The rule is intended to provide greater clarity as to when the transition of a herd into organic production should be considered complete, as currently industry and certifying agents have varying interpretations. On October 1, 2019, the agency reopened the comment period to allow for additional public comments on the propose rule. Written comments are due by December 2, 2019.

• Read the original text of the proposed rule in the Federal Register here.
• Read the Federal Register notice reopening the comment period and submit comments here.
• Advocacy contact: Prianka Sharma at (202) 205-6938.