NASAA Certified Organic would like to notify Australian organic dairy farmers of a change to the NOP Rule “National Organic Program; Origin of Livestock” which includes an exception to the conversion time for NOP certified dairy cattle.
The rule change, effective from June 6, 2022, specifies that organic milk and milk products must be from animals that have been under continuous organic management from the last third of gestation onward, with an exception for newly certified organic livestock operations.
In summary:
“The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) amends the origin of livestock requirements for dairy animals under the USDA organic regulations with this final rule. AMS is taking this action to increase uniformity in origin of livestock production practice for organic dairy animals, and reduce variance between the approaches taken by certifying agents.
The policy choices in this rule align with practices that many certifiers and most organic operations already follow, and align with the public comments on the rule. This rule specifies that organic milk and milk products must be from animals that have been under continuous organic management from the last third of gestation onward, with an exception for newly certified organic livestock operations.”
Please refer to the published document here for full details. Please contact NASAA Certified Organic if you require further information about how this may affect your operations.