Ian and Seafood Community:
Currently there are no official US organic standards for wild or
aquacultured fish or shellfish.
California enacted a law last year to ban the labeling of seafood as
organic until formal organic certifcation stanadards have been developed
and implemented by the United States Department of Agriculture's
National Organic Program or by the California Department of Food and
Agriculture. The bill is listed at:
http://info.sen.ca.gov/pub/bill/sen/sb_0701-0750/sb_730_bill_20051007_ch
aptered.html
Yesterday Gary Jensen (USDA, Cooperative State Research, Education and
Extension Service) sent a notice noting that national organic standards
for aquaculture will be on the National Organic Standards Board meeting
agenda during October 17-19, 2006. Gary also included links that give
thoughts on the issue by the Aquaculture Work Group (formed by the
National Organic standards Board and the National Organic Program of the
USDA).
Pamela Tom
Sea Grant Extension Program
University of California
Davis, CA 95616
From: Jensen, Gary [mailto:GJENSEN@CSREES.USDA.GOV]
Sent: Thursday, October 05, 2006 5:06 AM
Subject: [aqua-ext] Progress on national organic standards - review of
documents and request for comments- time sensitive
October 5, 2006
************ AQUA-EXT MAIL GROUP NEWS *********************************
Please note the following notice of the upcoming meeting of the National
Organic Standards Board where again the topic of national organic
standards for aquaculture will be on the meeting agenda.
The National Organic Standards Board has scheduled a public meeting for
October 17 through 19 in Arlington, Virginia - The purpose of the NOSB,
which is managed by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service " ... is to
make recommendations about whether a substance should be allowed or
prohibited in organic production or handling, to assist in the
development of standards for substances to be used in organic
production, and to advise the Secretary on other aspects of the
implementation of the OFPA. The NOSB ... currently has six committees
working on various aspects of the organic program. The committees are:
Compliance, Accreditation, and Certification; Crops; Livestock;
Materials; Handling; and Policy Development ... The principal purposes
of the meeting are to provide an opportunity for the NOSB to receive an
update from the USDA/NOP and hear progress reports from NOSB committees
regarding work plan items and proposed action items ..." - NOSB Contact:
Valerie Frances, ExecutiveDirector at 202 720 3252; e-mail:
Valerie.Frances@USDA.gov <BLOCKED::mailto:Valerie.Frances@USDA.gov> -
USDA AMS October 2 Federal Register:
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo
.gov/2006/06-8419.htm
<BLOCKED::http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.
access.gpo.gov/2006/06-8419.htm> - USDA AMS notes that the following
NOSB committees are scheduled to meet during this time period to address
the indicated topics:
* The Policy Development Committee will present recommendations
regarding revisions to the NOSB Policy and Procedures Manual and discuss
the development of a guide for new NOSB members.
* The Policy Development and Crops Committees will provide an
update and will discuss issues regarding the development of a
recommendation on temporary variances allowed for certified organic
research facilities for products not to be marketed as organic.
* The Crops Committee will present recommendations regarding
guidance for the use of compost tea, vermiculture and dehydrated manure,
and on petitioned materials: lime mud, sodium lauryl sulfate, sulfuric
acid (to stabilize dehydrated manures), and calcium chloride ...[and]
discuss issues related to public comments received concerning commercial
availability requirements for the use of certified organic seed on
certified organic farms. In addition, the Committee will provide an
update to their work on developing guidance for the certification of
hydroponic crops.
* The Materials and Handling Committees will present a joint
recommendation on determining when a product is agricultural versus
nonagricultural. These same committees will also discuss their work to
clarify the definitions of materials on the National List.
* The Handling Committee will present a recommendation that will
specify criteria necessary to facilitate determinations related to the
commercial availability of organic agricultural ingredients. The
Committee will also present, in closure of its review of the first
sunset of substances under the requirements of the OFPA, a
recommendation to remove colors from the National List and a
recommendation to affirm their removal of bleached lecithin from the
National List. The Committee will receive the report of the Pet Food
Task Force regarding their efforts to draft standards for organic pet
food. In addition, the Committee will discuss the status of materials
petitioned for use in handling.
* The Livestock Committee will invite public input on issues
regarding the development of organic aquaculture (finfish) standards.
* The Compliance, Accreditation, and Certification Committee
(CACC) will present recommendations to address questions and answers
regarding the labeling of certified organic products of retailers and
private labelers. The CACC will present recommendations that address the
standardization of information required on organic certificates, the
addition of an expiration date, and procedures for managing expiration
dates on certificates. Finally, the CACC will discuss future Peer Review
Procedures.
More important at this time is the request by the NOSB on the review and
comment of their recent questions about organic aquaculture with a
deadline this Friday, October 6. The Aquaculture Work Group formed by
NOSB and the National Organic Program of USDA has responded and you can
find the Aquaculture Working Group's response by navigating the
following:
http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/ <BLOCKED::http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/>
Click on "national organic standards board"
Then on "NOSB meetings"
Then "Public Comments Received Regarding the October 2006 NOSB Meeting"
Finally on "Livestock Committee"
There are two postings that pertain to aquaculture:
Aquaculture Working Group: Aquaculture Questions
<BLOCKED::http://www.ams.usda.gov/nosb/PublicComments/Oct06/LCAquaticAni
malsTaskForceResponsetoInvitation.pdf>
http://www.ams.usda.gov/nosb/PublicComments/Oct06/LCAquaticAnimalsTaskFo
rceResponsetoInvitation.pdf
<BLOCKED::http://www.ams.usda.gov/nosb/PublicComments/Oct06/LCAquaticAni
malsTaskForceResponsetoInvitation.pdf>
Sustainable Fishery Advocates: Aquaculture Questions
<BLOCKED::http://www.ams.usda.gov/nosb/PublicComments/Oct06/LCSustainabl
eFisheryAdvocatesAquaculture.pdf>
http://www.ams.usda.gov/nosb/PublicComments/Oct06/LCSustainableFisheryAd
vocatesAquaculture.pdf
<BLOCKED::http://www.ams.usda.gov/nosb/PublicComments/Oct06/LCSustainabl
eFisheryAdvocatesAquaculture.pdf>
This is another critical crossroads in setting a course and direction
for US national standards that will have significant implications in the
market and for those interested in producing organic farmed aquatic
species certified as organic under US national standards. Interested
parties from the aquaculture community are encouraged to submit provide
comments as soon as possible.
Gary Jensen
CSREES-USDA
________________________________
From: owner-seafood@ucdavis.edu [mailto:owner-seafood@ucdavis.edu] On
Behalf Of Ian Langridge
Sent: Friday, October 06, 2006 2:00 PM
To: seafood@ucdavis.edu
Subject: USDA Organic standards
Hi All
We have an organic certified Pacific Oyster from New Zealand, certified
locally by Agriquality ( who are IFOAM accredited ),
Have been asked by an American supermarket if we can also provide USDA
certification
I'm trying to find the standards for USDA but viewing their website can
only find issues relating to non seafood products, and I believe there
may be no specific standard for seafood ( if so what is the status for
us to promote ours as organic? ),
Is anyone able to confirm what the standards / situation is, and best
organization to progress further with?
Many thanks
Kind Regards
Ian Langridge
CSI Seafood Limited / Jemco Ltd
1st Floor, Manly Palms North
54-56 Rawhiti Road, Manly
PO Box 852
Whangaparaoa, 0943, Auckland
NEW ZEALAND
* Phone: +64 9 424 9022
* Fax: +64 9 424 0140
* E-Mail: ian@csiseafood.co.nz <BLOCKED::mailto:ian@csiseafood.co.nz>
web: www.oystersnz.com <BLOCKED::http://www.oystersnz.com/>
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