Northwest Horticultural Council
Organics
The Pacific Northwest is the national leader in the production of organic apples, pears, and cherries. Over 17 million boxes of organic apples are now harvested from more than 32,537 acres in Washington state, amounting to over 93 percent of the fresh organic apple crop in the United States. There is also a significant volume of organic pears and cherries grown in our region, with more than 7,500 acres planted across the Pacific Northwest. Organic tree fruit production in the Pacific Northwest is increasing, with additional acreage transitioning to organic each year.
In many ways, the Pacific Northwest is the epicenter for organic pome fruit and cherry production in the United States. The total value of the organic tree fruit crop for the region topped $625 million in 2019, of which organic apples alone accounted for approximately $544 million. In fact, tree fruit accounted for 50% of farm gate sales for all Washington state organics that year.
Any operation, or portion of operation, that produces or handles crops, livestock, livestock products, or other agricultural products that are intended to be sold, labeled, or represented as “100 percent organic,” “organic,” or “made with organic (specified ingredients or food group(s))” must be certified organic by a USDA-accredited certifying agent.
I. USDA AMS National Organic Program (NOP)
The National Organic Program (NOP) develops the rules & regulations for the production, handling, labeling, and enforcement of all USDA organic products. This process, referred to as rulemaking, involves input from the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) (a Federal Advisory Committee made up of fifteen members of the public) and the public. The NOP also maintains a Handbook that includes guidance, instructions, policy memos, and other information on the organic standards.
A. NOSB meeting information
The NOSB meets publicly twice a year to consider new topics and make recommendations on a wide range of issues involving the production, handling, and processing of organic products. The NOSB encourages public input in the form of written and oral comments.
Spring 2021 Meeting Information
The NOSB 2021 Spring meeting will take place virtually, rather than in person, as follows:
Public Comment Webinar Day 1: Tuesday, April 20, from Noon – 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET)
Public Comment Webinar Day 2: Thursday, April 22, from Noon – 5:00 p.m. ET
NOSB Public Meeting Day 1: Wednesday, April 28, from Noon – 5:00 p.m. ET
NOSB Public Meeting Day 2: Thursday, April 29, from Noon – 5:00 p.m. ET
NOSB Public Meeting Day 3: Friday, April 30, from Noon – 5:00 p.m. ET
A number of products important to tree fruit growers and packers are up for sunset review this spring, including list 3 Inerts (necessary for codling moth mating disruption dispensers) and several sanitizers used in both the orchard and packinghouse. Be aware that there is an effort by some advocacy groups to use the sunset review process to limit the number of sanitizers available for use. The NOSB will also be considering a petition to allow the use of Kasugamycin for fire blight control.
The NHC has submitted written comments in support of maintaining these products, as well as adding Kasugamycin to the National List, and staff will be providing oral testimony. The number of comments matter to the NOSB as the board considers renewal of these materials, and comments from producers carry a lot of weight. Therefore, the NHC encourages industry members to submit their own comments.
Click here for the NHC’s comments to the NOSB.
Growers and packers are welcome to use any or all of the NHC’s comments in their draft. However, NHC staff encourages growers to individualize the comments by providing a description of their operation and emphasizing how loss of a product (i.e. mating disruption dispensers) would impact them (or alternatively, what benefit Kacugamycin would provide). If commenting on the sanitizers, it would be helpful to refence how each farm or packinghouse uses each material, and provide a summary of what material is used at each stage of the process in order to give the NOSB a full picture of how the multiple sanitizers are needed by each operation. NHC staff also suggest that comments list the other possible uses (i.e., mention that PAA may be used to treat dump tank water, even if you don’t use it in that manner) to support the continued availability of these products for those purposes in the future.
The written comment period closed on April 5, 2021, and oral comment registration is full. If you would like to be added to an oral comment waitlist, please email Michelle Arsenault by no later than April 16, 2021. The Board will hear oral comments during the following times via Zoom: Tuesday, April 20, and Thursday, April 22, 2021, from 12:00 – 5:00 p.m. Speakers will be notified by email of the commenting order and be given three minutes to testify.
Contact Rhoda Benson or Dave Epstein with questions or if you need assistance in drafting oral comments.
For the full meeting documents, click here.
Below is a table showing the materials, of importance to tree fruit, undergoing review at the 2021 Spring NOSB Meeting.
|
2021 SPRING NOSB MEETING LIST OF MATERIALS UNDER REVIEW |
||||
|
SUBCOMMITTEE* |
REVIEW TYPE |
MATERIAL |
MATERIAL DETAILS |
USES |
|
Crops |
Sunset** |
Ozone gas |
|
irrigation system cleaner only |
|
Crops |
Sunset |
Peracetic Acid |
|
disinfectant |
|
Crops |
Sunset |
Peracetic Acid |
|
fireblight |
|
Crops |
Sunset |
EPA List 3 Inerts |
|
EPA List 3 Inerts – for use in passive pheromone dispensers only |
|
Crops and Handling |
Sunset |
Calcium hypochlorite (Chlorine) |
|
Algaecide/Sanitizer/disinfectant |
|
Crops and Handling |
Sunset |
Chlorine dioxide (Chlorine) |
|
Algaecide/Sanitizer/disinfectant |
|
Crops and Handling |
Sunset |
Hypochlorous acid (Chlorine) |
generated from electrolyzed water |
Algaecide/Sanitizer/disinfectant |
|
Crops and Handling |
Sunset |
Sodium Hypochlorite (Chlorine) |
|
Algaecide/Sanitizer/disinfectant |
|
Crops |
Sunset |
magnesium oxide |
|
For use to control the viscosity of clay suspension agent for Humates |
|
Crops |
Petition*** |
Kasugamycain |
|
fireblight |
*Subcommittee: The review work for materials is divided up based on the NOSB subcommittee of relevance.
**Sunset: The NOSB must review every substance on the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances every five years to confirm that it continues to meet all required criteria. This review is called “sunset review.”
***Petition: A material that has been placed on review list through formal petition to NOSB Board.
| NHC Past Comments: | |
| Spring 2020 | Fall 2020 |
| Spring 2019 | Fall 2019 |
| Spring 2018 | Fall 2018 |
| Spring 2017 | Fall 2017 |
| Spring 2016 | Fall 2016 |
C. The National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances
The USDA organic regulations allow most natural substances in organic farming while prohibiting most synthetic substances. The National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances—part of these regulations— lists the exceptions to this basic rule: Synthetic substances are prohibited unless specifically allowed. Natural substances are allowed unless specifically prohibited.
II. Pacific Northwest State Departments of Agriculture
A. Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) Organic Program
The WSDA is accredited as a certification agency by USDA. As a certification agent of the National Organic Program, the WSDA Organic Program’s role is to inspect and certify organic operations; verifying that they are meeting all of the USDA organic standards requirements.
B. Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) Organic Program
The ODA is a USDA-accredited certifying agent for organic crop production and organic handling/processing.
C. Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) Organic Program
The ISDA is an accredited certifying agent of the USDA’s National Organic Program. ISDA has been serving the state’s organic community since 1990 when the Idaho legislatures passed the Organic Food Products Law (Title 22, Chapter 11, Idaho Code). In 2002, ISDA became one of the nation’s first accredited certifying agencies. They certify over 230 operations.
III. Links
NHC Science Advisory Committee Organic Subcommittee Members
| Recent Trends in Certified Organic Tree Fruit in Washington State: | |||
| Preliminary 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
NOP International Trade Partners
Inadvertent Residues on Organic Fruit
For more information on international, federal, state, and private organics information, please click here.
The Northwest Horticultural Council represents the deciduous tree fruit industry of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington on national and international policy issues affecting growers, packers, and shippers. For further information, please contact Rhoda Benson, Technical Issues Specialist, Northwest Horticultural Council at 509-453-3193.
Updated 3/31/21