Washington, D.C.—The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will delay enforcement, under the interim final rule (IFR), of the requirement for labs to be registered by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and will stop requiring producers to use a DEA-registered reverse distributor or law enforcement, to dispose of non compliant...
Kutztown, PA—Organic Farmers Association (OFA) has received responses from two presidential candidates following its forum “Combating Climate Change with Organic and Regenerative Agriculture,” held in Story City, Iowa, in December, which was attended by Senator Bernie Sanders. Senator Elizabeth Warren and Mayor Pete Buttigieg have submitted written responses to the...
Washington, D.C.—The Organic Trade Association (OTA) has received nearly $3 million from USDA, according to a press release. On Thursday, USDA announced the award of $812,786, from the agency’s Market Access Program. This is in addition to the $1,127,085 OTA received from USDA’s Agricultural Trade Promotion program earlier in the...
Washington, D.C.—A panel of organic farmers testified before a Congressional committee on Wednesday, urging lawmakers and USDA to advance organic and enforce organic standards, according to a press release from the Organic Trade Association (OTA). The growers told members of the House Agricultural Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture and Research that...
Washington, D.C.—The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has established the U.S. Domestic Hemp Production Program, which creates a consistent regulatory framework around hemp production throughout the U.S., according to a press release. An interim final rule formalizing the program will be published in the Federal Register this week that...
Kutztown, PA—The Organic Farmers Association (OFA) delivered a letter of opposition to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue, according to a press release, in response to a statement made by Department Undersecretary Greg Ibach. Ibach suggested opening a dialogue regarding gene-editing in organic agriculture. The letter was signed by 79 organic farm...
Washington, D.C.—Beyond Pesticides, a public interest organization founded in 1981 to advocate for healthy air, water, land, and food by eliminating the use of pesticides, has announced the formation of its new investigative arm, OrganicEye, in a press release. The agency will focus on defending the philosophy and legal definition...
Denver, CO--USDA and FDA officials were on hand to share important information with companies selling hemp-CBD in dietary supplements at the two-day American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) Hemp-CBD (cannabidiol) Supplement Congress, which took place in Denver earlier this month. “The overwhelming turnout for the first AHPA Hemp-CBD Supplement Congress demonstrates...
Washington, D.C.--The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that the Plant Variety Protection Office (PVPO) will start accepting applications for seed-propagated hemp for plant variety protection. The PVPO gives intellectual property protection to breeders of new varieties of seeds and tubers, USDA explained. Through implementation of The Plant Variety Protection...
Washington, D.C.--Responding to requests from U.S. producers and hemp seed exporters, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which regulates importation of all seeds for planting to ensure safe agricultural trade, has provided an alternative path for the safe importation of hemp seeds in the U.S. The Agency announced that Hemp...
