News
United States Streamlines Organic Trade with Taiwan
USDA today announced a new U.S.-Taiwan equivalence arrangement, effective May 30, 2020, that streamlines organic trade with Taiwan. The arrangement allows organic products certified in the United States or Taiwan to be sold as organic in either market. It also...
Specialty Crops Producers Can Now Apply for Financial Assistance Through USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program
Specialty crops producers can now apply for USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), which provides direct payments to offset impacts from the coronavirus pandemic. The application and a payment calculator are now available online and USDA’s Farm Service...
2020 Organic Inspections During COVID-19 Pandemic
OCIA has created an Emergency Remote Inspection Policy and Procedures document. This summary explains the main points of the policy and procedure. It is recommended that operators stay inspection-ready at all times. As on-site inspections are preferred and there may...
USDA to Host Webinar April 29
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will host a webinar on Wednesday, April 29, 2020, at 2 p.m. ET, for farmers, shippers and other suppliers interested in learning more about the Farmers to Families Food Box Program. This...
New Developments in Canada
OCIA has been accredited by IOAS to offer certification of cannabis production and cannabis processing in Canada, through the OCIA International Certification Standards. The OCIA International Certification Standards are OCIA's private standard. Certification under...
New Applicant Inspections
Thank you for applying with OCIA. Due to COVID-19, OCIA has been forced to pause inspections for now. The NOP requires that an on-site inspection occur for new applicants before certification can be granted, which includes operations currently certified by other...
Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) and Organic Seed Alliance (OSA)
The Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) and Organic Seed Alliance (OSA) have released two national organic surveys—one for certified organic producers and the other for producers transitioning to organic certification. This collaborative effort is part of a...
National Organic Standards Board – Spring Meeting
The NOSB Spring Meeting 2020 will be held live online, instead of in-person. This will allow the NOSB Board to move forward with deliberations in an open and public setting, without needing to travel. Public Comment is being expanded to two, webinar-based public...
USDA Seeks Five Nominees for National Organic Standards Board
Deadline for Nominations: June 1, 2020 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) seeks nominations of qualified individuals for five open seats on the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). The 15-member advisory board considers and makes recommendations on the...
Quaternary ammonia sanitizers/Desinfectantes de amonio cuaternarios
OCIA is resending this information from 2016. This includes updated test kit information. The use of Quaternary ammonia sanitizers are allowed under some organic programs with restrictions, but as they are a residual sanitizer, their use is discouraged unless required...