Years in development, the animal welfare rule for organic farming, issued in the final days of the Obama administration, will take effect at least 60 days later — May 19 — than planned due to the Trump administration freeze on new regulations, said USDA. The Organic Trade Association (OTA) urged the government “to avoid further delays and allow this new effective date to stand.”
USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, which oversees organic agriculture, said a Federal Notice of the delay would appear today. “These actions are being taken in accordance with guidance issued Jan. 20, 2017, to ensure the new policy team has an opportunity to review the rules. This is similar to procedures issued by previous administrations,” said AMS in an electronic message.
The animal welfare rule was the second major USDA regulation to be delayed this week. On Monday, USDA said the effective date of the so-called GIPSA rule on fair play in livestock marketing will be April 22. USDA asked for public comment on the livestock marketing rule. AMS did not seek new comment on the organic livestock regulation; that would be be impracticable in light of the brief extension, it said.
When it issued the rule on Jan. 18, USDA said it would set a consistent standard nationwide for production of organic livestock and treatment of the food animals. Farmers would be required to provide outdoor access for their animals during all but the hottest or coldest days. The rule would effectively end the practice of keeping egg-laying hens in small “battery’ cages and it would require group housing for swine.
In conventional agriculture, many producers use sow “crates” that limit movement by sows on grounds it protects piglets and makes their mothers, weighing more than 300 pounds, easier to handle.
The two largest U.S. livestock groups, the National Pork Producers Council and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, object to the the organic livestock rules, which applies to a sliver of meat production. The pork council has called for the new administration and Congress to overturn the rule. The beef group said the rule reflects “the whims and demands of animal activists” rather than the view of the industry overall. The Republican chairmen of the Senate and House Agriculture committees also scored the rule as over-regulation.
In a statement, the OTA said the organic livestock rule “reflects more than a decade of public engagement,” and has strong support from producers and consumers. “The rule has been fully vetted and has undergone the public comment process and scrutiny of federal budget watchdogs,” said the trade group.
The organic livestock rule was issued a day after USDA asked for public comment on an industry proposal for a checkoff program for organic products. If approved, the checkoff, estimated to generate $30 million a year, would be the first producer-funded research and promotion program to apply to a mode of production rather than a commodity. Nearly two dozen checkoff programs operate under USDA supervision, ranging from the well-known cotton and beef checkoffs to smaller-scale initiatives for raspberries, honey and popcorn.
To read the Federal Register notice, click here.
The USDA homepage for the National Organic Program is available here.