Previewing his path forward for organic and pledging to elevate the significance and importance of organic agriculture at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack kicked off the Annual Membership Meeting of the Organic Trade Association (OTA) on June 16. Speaking live at the virtual meeting to over 250 members of the trade association, Vilsack laid out a forward-looking agenda for the organic sector, including a vow to resolve the ongoing issue over USDA’s failure to implement a critical and fully vetted organic animal welfare regulation. The day after his comments to members of the trade association, Vilsack announced the department would draft a new rule that will address the Trump administration’s outlier interpretation of the authority of USDA regarding organic animal welfare regulations, and also disallow the use of porches for outdoor access in organic poultry operations. The OTA welcomed Secretary Vilsack’s acknowledgement that animal welfare belongs in organic, and birds belong outside. This has been in the Courts since 2017 when the OTA took legal action to defend organic standards. The association said in a statement that it hopes that USDA’s acknowledgement facilitates a full and timely resolution of this litigation. The next court filing deadline [...]
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