Phase Out Toxic Plastic Mulches in Organic Farming

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And other matters of importance to organic standards

The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) will be holding its spring meeting April 26-28. Public comments on specific issues to be discussed by the NOSB are being accepted until Friday, April 1 at 11:59PM ET.

Please take a moment to submit a comment to help improve the National Organic Program (NOP). You can use our pre-written text or edit it to make it your own.

Proposal topics include:

The use of Biodegradable Biobased Mulch Film (BBMF) made from bioplastics is under consideration for sunset* and will be voted on in the Fall 2022 NOSB meeting. BBMF should not be relisted. Moreover, the NOSB should initiate action to eliminate all uses of plastic in organic production and handling—including packaging.

The vast majority of mulch films in this category contain 20% or less of biobased materials, with the remainder consisting of polymers, colorings, and other synthetic materials. BBMFs are plastic and break down into microplastics and nanoplastics, polluting the environment and even our own bodies. The Guardian reports: Huge amounts of plastic waste are dumped in the environment and microplastics now contaminate the entire planet, from the summit of Mount Everest to the deepest oceans. People were already known to consume the tiny particles via food and water as well as breathing them in, and they have been found in the feces of babies and adults. An alarming new study published this month discovered microplastic pollution is, in fact, in human blood. Additionally, plastics leach toxic chemicals which could potentially be taken up by plants grown in contaminated soil and could also be detrimental to long-term soil health.

Organic materials and practices should not be polluting the Earth.

*What is “Sunset?” The NOSB must review every substance on the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances every five years to confirm that it continues to meet all required criteria. This review is called “sunset review.” or “sunset.”
A petition has been submitted to allow the use of cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) on raw organic poultry. CPC is a synthetic antimicrobial agent (pesticide) used as a processing aid for application onto poultry or poultry parts at conventional slaughter and processing plants, purportedly to reduce foodborne pathogens. CPC is a quaternary ammonium compound (quat or QAC). The class of QACs includes several toxic sanitizers and disinfectants as well as the highly toxic herbicides paraquat and diquat. CPC is highly toxic and poses a particular hazard to workers. CPC residues have been discovered on treated surfaces and poultry skin, exposing consumers to unlabeled pesticide residues. It is unnecessary in organic production and the petition should be denied.

A proposal has been submitted to limit the use of highly soluble nitrogen fertilizers in organic farming. This follows recommendations by the NOSB in Fall 2021, prohibiting the use of stripped ammonia and concentrated ammonia as fertilizers in organic crop production. In recognition of the fact that their high solubility makes them inconsistent with organic production, which “feeds the soil, not the plant,” the Crops Subcommittee proposes to generalize the prohibition unless use is restricted to no more than 20 percent of the crop’s total nitrogen requirement. USDA has stated that it will not implement the prohibition of stripped ammonia and concentrated ammonia unless this proposal passes. The NOSB should pass this proposal to protect organic integrity.

Use your voice to improve USDA Organic standards. The deadline for public comments is Friday, April 1 at 11:59PM Eastern Time. Submit your comment today.

For the full NOSB spring 2022 meeting agenda and proposals, click HERE.

Meetings: National Organic Standards Board

Regulations.gov Document ID AMS-NOP-21-0087-0001 (download PDF)

AgencyAMS

Comment PeriodMar 3, 2022 to Apr 1, 2022

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Meetings: National Organic Standards Board

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