Starting with March 2018, the organic farming will have to comply with new standards.
A new set of standards is going to put into practice for organic farming. The agricultural officials have just announced that this industry will be more tightly regulated than ever before. The rules will apply to all farmers that are labeling their merchandise as organic, be it livestock or crops.
The new standards to which all organic farmers have to comply are entitled Organic Research, Promotion and Information Order. This fresh program proposes standardized processes that regard different agricultural assets, such as vegetables, fruits, poultry, meat, snack foods, condiments, grains, beverages, as well as packed foods. The new specifications are regulating non-edible products also such as personal care cosmetics, flowers or textiles. The new rules will apply to all merchandise that is labeled as organic. This means that even products from import will have to comply with these standards.
The new program from USDA R&P intends to create a quality organic market where the development of the industry will always reach higher grounds thanks to continuous efforts in research and promotional work. Elanor Starmer who is the administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture office has personally supervised the organic regulation farming rules since 2002. She is of the opinion that the new standards will ensure quality products with true labels that will correctly inform the customers.
The new program is scheduled to become official in March 2018. The USDA estimates that organic farmers will have to invest $31 million more than usual to level up to the new rules. The case will be a little different for poultry and egg producers. They have until 2020 to replace their barns with new ones. The future buildings will have to allow a minimum personal space for each chicken. Moreover, farmers will have to take out poultry and pigs to feed themselves on a daily basis.
Even though the new rules will apply in 2018, some producers are already in full process of modernizing their farms. Mike Leventini who is the vice president of Perdue Farms Inc. stated that people now are more concerned about the quality of their food as well as the conditions in which the livestock grew than ever before. Thus, if the organic farming complies with these new trends, not only the market will become more elevated, but the consumers will also be more satisfied.
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