2009 Press Releases
Organic industry supports strict review of liquid fertilizers for organic production
Contact: Barbara Haumann
Phone: 413-376-1220
GREENFIELD, Mass. (July 17, 2009)—The Organic Trade Association (OTA) today encouraged manufacturers of liquid fertilizers with greater than three percent nitrogen for use on organic farms to submit their products immediately for third-party review in order to meet an October 1 approval deadline set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program (NOP) in a directive issued to USDA NOP Accredited Certifiers on February 20, 2009.
Companies can submit products for review to either third-party reviewers such as the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) or to accredited certifiers such as California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF).
“The whole industry, from organic growers and handlers to certifiers and third-party reviewers, are fully committed to ensuring that all inputs used on organic farms meet the requirements of U.S. national standards for organic production,” said Jack Erisman, OTA board member, organic farmer and co-chair of OTA’s Input(fertilizer) Verification Task Force.
In early March OTA formed the task force to assist the industry in developing standard protocols for the verification of these inputs. Task force representatives include growers from a variety of regions in the United States, manufacturers of fertilizers approved for use on organic farms, accredited certifiers and third-party reviewers of materials. OTA supports the levying of severe penalties for the manufacture and distribution of fraudulent fertilizer products.
Under NOP, accredited certification agencies must approve all Organic System Plans and are therefore ultimately responsible for the compliance of all materials used in organic production and handling. In order to determine which materials are NOP compliant, most certifying agencies rely on NOP-recognized material evaluation programs such as OMRI and the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) Material Registration Program. These programs and internal reviews by certifiers evaluate hundreds of inputs for organic production, including fertilizers, to determine whether they comply with national organic standards. In addition, OMRI and WSDA publish lists that specify which input materials and brand name products comply with the standards.
Currently, accredited certifying agents are notifying farms and input suppliers and manufacturers about the NOP directive. In addition, individual farms and branded product companies are expanding their own requirements for testing and verification of inputs.
According to OTA, the organic industry recognizes that sampling and testing must continue to play a role in the verifying of inputs, and that testing is a component of the system being adopted to verify NOP compliance of liquid fertilizers. Additionally, the industry is pursuing efforts to support the research needed to develop consistent and reliable verification testing methods.
The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the membership-based business association for organic agriculture and products in North America. Its members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers' associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers and others. OTA’s Board of Directors is democratically elected by its members. OTA's mission is to promote and protect the growth of organic trade to benefit the environment, farmers, the public and the economy (www.ota.com).
