USDA Organic Rule Steps Closer

The U.S. Office of Management and Budget received the USDA’s second draft of its national organic proposal in early November. OMB has 90 days to review and approve it for public comment or send it back to the drawing board. If all goes well, it could be ready for public comment by February.

Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman says the 300,000 comments received during the first round in 1997 were incorporated into the new proposal. The final rule will include side-by-side comparisons with the old proposal, European standards, and the American Organic Standards approved by the organic industry this fall.