USDA Announces Public Meeting of NOSB

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Agricultural Marketing Service
has announced an October 22-24, 2013, public meeting of the National
Organic Standards Board (NOSB) in Louisville, Kentucky. The meeting will
address “several petitions pertaining to changes to the National List of
Allowed and Prohibited Substances, including several substances for use in
aquaculture, streptomycin for use to control fire blight in pears and apples,
and glycerin,” in addition to featuring updates from the NOSB subcommittees
on Compliance, Accreditation, and Certification; Crops; Handling; Livestock;
Materials; Policy Development; and Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO).
In particular, the GMO Ad-Hoc Subcommittee will discuss how to ensure and
enforce the genetic purity of seed used in organic crop production. NOSB will
accept written public comments on the meeting agenda and registrations for
oral public comments by October 1, 2013. See Federal Register and NOSB Press
Release, September 5, 2013.