8 Organic rules and regulations, standards, and Allowed and Prohibited Substances

This section will present the USDA rules and regulations for organic livestock production and the USDA Allowed and Prohibited Substances for use with organic livestock.

USDA Organic Rules and Regulations

The USDA requires that livestock be raised according to the USDA organic regulations throughout their lives. To meet these rules, organic livestock must be:

• Produced without genetic engineering, ionizing radiation, or sewage sludge
• Managed in a way that conserves natural resources and biodiversity
• Raised per the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances

Use this link to access the living document of regulations which will include the most recent updates: Code of Federal Regulation-National Organic Program

Animal health and natural behavior must be accommodated year-round, and livestock must be:

• Managed organically from the last third of gestation (ruminants and swine) or second day of life (poultry). Organic milk and milk products must be from animals that have been under continuous organic management from the last third of gestation onward, with an exception for newly certified organic livestock operations (National Organic Program: Origin of Livestock)
• Allowed year-round access to the outdoors, direct sunlight, and shade, except under specific conditions (e.g., inclement weather)
• Sheltered, offered dry clean organic bedding (i.e., straw, cornstalks or bean stubble), and clean drinking water
• Raised on certified organic land meeting all organic crop production standards
• Fed 100% certified organic feed, except for trace minerals and vitamins used to meet the animals’ nutritional requirements
• Managed without antibiotics, added growth hormones, mammalian or avian by-products, or other prohibited feed ingredients (e.g., urea, manure, or arsenic compounds)

Ruminant pasture standards

• Organic ruminant livestock such as cattle, sheep, and goats must have free access to certified organic pasture for the entire grazing season. This period is specific to the farm’s geographic climate but must be at least 120 days. Due to weather, season, or climate, the grazing season may or may not be continuous.
  • Per the USDA organic regulations, the grazing season is the period of time when pasture is available for grazing due to natural precipitation or irrigation.
    • After an animal reaches the 120-day grazing minimum, does that mean it no longer needs to be on pasture? No, ruminant livestock must graze on certified organic pasture throughout the entire grazing season for the geographic region. Depending on region-specific environmental conditions(e.g., rainfall, frost-free days, growing season) the grazing season will range from 120 to 365 days per year.
• Organic ruminants’ diets must contain at least 30% dry matter (on average) from certified organic pasture during the grazing season. Dry matter intake (DMI) is the amount of feed an animal consumes per day on a moisture-free basis. The rest of its diet must also be certified organic, including hay, grain, and other agricultural feed products.
• Ruminants must have free access to the outdoors year-round outside the grazing season except under specific conditions (inclement weather) (CFR 205.239(b)).
• During the finishing period, ruminant slaughter stock are exempt from the minimum 30 percent DMI requirement from grazing. The finishing period for ruminant slaughter stock cannot exceed one-fifth (1/5) of the animal’s total life or 120 days, whichever is shorter (USDA Organic 101).

The National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances – USDA Organic

The Allowed and Prohibited substances list identifies what can and can’t be used in organic crop and livestock production and processing of organic products. In general, natural substances are allowed unless they are specifically prohibited on the list, and synthetic substances are not allowed unless they are specifically provided on the list. Some substances on the list may be used only in specific situations or up to a maximum amount. The National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances is a living document, and changes occur. The version below is from March 2021. The live document can be found here: 7 CFR 205.603.

The National Organics Standards Board (NOSB) meets twice a year and reviews items to be added or removed from the list. The NOSB makes recommendations to the Secretary of Agriculture through the National Organic Program (NOP). The producer’s certification agency will update them when items are added or removed from the list.

A non-profit agency, the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI), has developed a generic and brand-name product review program. Suppliers of agricultural inputs can have their proprietary active and inert ingredients reviewed as compliant with NOP regulations. The OMRI seal can help farmers determine what is approved for use. It’s important to note that not all suppliers pay to have the OMRI seal but the materials may still be allowed. It is essential for organic livestock producers to always check with their certifying agency to verify if a specific brand name or formulation is approved for organic production. It is also possible to have brand-name products reviewed by individual certifiers, and while cumbersome, it is free; however, advertising of such certifier-approved products is generally not allowed by an Accredited Certification Agency (ACA).

Synthetic substances

Synthetic substances are generally prohibited in the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances, except for those allowed below.

From CFR 205.603, accessed 22 June 2022.

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*Some organic markets prohibit the use of all synthetic hormones including oxytocin.

Use of prohibited substances disqualifies the treated individual animal from organic production permanently.

One method for making sure that products are allowed (within the regulations) is that a producer can say that they will use any and all allowed substances in a given year if confronted with a challenge to an animal’s health. This kind of statement would need to be updated each year.

Record-keeping is critical for organic farmers

Good records are needed to document compliance with organic regulations. This makes the difference between USDA NOP certified organic farms and those that practice alternative agricultural practices with their animals. This is also an area in which veterinary technicians and other health professionals can be of great assistance to organic and alternative livestock producers. Good records also provide an invaluable management tool, giving farmers historical data on what worked well and what didn’t, based on information gathered over the years. Livestock records must track each animal’s birth, vaccinations, health issues and treatments, and events such as castration, weaning, and when they enter or leave a livestock grouping. Poultry is tracked by the flock. Livestock records can help the producer make herd health decisions with the veterinarian and other supporting animal health professionals. Many of these items are included in other labels, (e.g. non-GMO) that alternative agriculture producers may opt to certify with.

From livestock management to equipment cleaning to seed selection, there is a lot of information to manage. Each farmer needs to find their own easily accessible system to track this information. Some farmers find it works well to carry a pocket-sized calendar or notebook to record dates and brief details of activities for each animal group. Then transfer the notes to a handwritten ledger or computer record-keeping program.  Farmers can develop their own system or use one from their certification agency. Free downloadable template forms for organic record keeping are available from the Sustainable Agriculture Project at the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT), Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA) at:  attra.ncat.org.