Bipartisan Bill Seeks To Tighten Regulation of Imported Organics

The National Organic Program (NOP) would receive a significant budget increase and an updated monitoring system under a bipartisan bill introduced by House Agriculture Committee members, Reps. John Faso, R., N.Y., and Michelle Lujan Grisham, D., N.M.The Organic Farmer and Consumer Act would be aimed at ending import fraud in organics and give USDA's NOP “the authority necessary to crack down” on these imports for years to come, Grisham said in a September 28 press release.Legislators request a NOP budget of $15 million for Fiscal 2018, up from $9.1 million. They seek an increase to $24 million by Fiscal 2023. Those funds would be used to bolster trade monitoring and data collection systems to ensure "full traceability without unduly hindering trade."Industry groups support the legislation, saying protecting the integrity of organic products is essential. "Our farmers have to have a level playing field, and organic consumers have to be able to trust that they are getting what they pay for when they buy organic," said Laura Batcha, CEO and executive director of the Organic Trade Association.