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USDA Publishes New Organic Regulations:
Organic Final Rule Published for Mushrooms and Pet Food
Today, the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) published the final rule on Market Development for Mushrooms and Pet Food. This change to the USDA organic regulations will promote a fairer market for all mushroom and pet food producers and encourage growth in these sectors by ensuring that USDA-certified organic products are produced to the same consistent standard. The rule will provide increased certainty to support conditions necessary for growth in the organic mushroom and pet food markets and markets for related inputs (e.g., organic production by-products).
What does the rule do?
The rule adds consistent standards for organic mushroom production and pet food handling. It clarifies the requirements for these products to ensure the standards are consistently applied and enforced. In general, the rule will:
- Clarify which crop production standards mushroom producers should use, and which new requirements should be followed for mushroom substrate and spawn used in mushroom production.
- Standardize existing practices in organic pet food handling by applying the regulations for organic processed products to pet food.
- Allow the synthetic amino acid taurine to be used in organic pet food.
Establishing clear and uniform standards will give organic mushroom and pet food producers the confidence and certainty to know they are operating in a fair and competitive market.
When must organic operations comply with the rule?
The final rule goes into effect on February 21, 2025.
AMS is allowing an additional two (2) years for organic operations to comply with the requirements of the final rule. All organic mushroom and pet food operations must comply with the rule by February 22, 2027. However, organic operations may choose to comply with the final rule prior to the compliance date.
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