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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of
Inspector General (OIG) conducts independent audits and investigations of the
Department's programs and operations.
Today, the OIG published findings from its audit
on "National Organic Program International Trade Arrangements and Agreements." OIG began its review of the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) National Organic Program (NOP) in early 2016.
The audit evaluated
NOP’s internal controls for approving and overseeing international trade arrangements and agreements that allow organic imports into the United States.
OIG Audit Report Findings
OIG recommended that the NOP strengthen oversight controls
and offered nine recommendations to build on existing NOP policies and procedures. These
recommendations focus primarily on the process used to determine:
- whether a countries’ organic standards
are equivalent to USDA’s organic standards, and
- if organic imports comply with USDA’s
organic standards.
NOP Response
Protecting the integrity of organic products in the United
States and throughout the world is the NOP’s core mission. In its response to
the OIG audit report, NOP:
- accepts the OIG’s findings,
- outlines several projects already underway by NOP staff to improve oversight, and
- references related actions OIG recommends be taken by other agencies.
View the Report
Supplemental Resources
NOP continues to increase communications
and training opportunities designed to strengthen the integrity of organic imports. Here are
links to some key resources:
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