Food Safety and Technology December 2013 FST-56 The Allowed* Use of Commercial Fertilizers, Pesticides, and Synthetic Substances on U.S. Farms Under the USDA National Organic Program W hen consumers hear the phrase “organic” produce, many assume that the farmer who grew the produce did not use pesticides or fertilizers. This is not usually the case. For example, organic farmers are required by law to use cultural practices such as cultivar selection, crop rotation, and physical barriers as the primary tools for pest management. When these methods fail, however, they are allowed to use pesticides, including some synthetically formulated compounds. Non-synthetic and synthetic fertilizers can be also be used to improve soil fertility, plant health, or both, on organic farms. The purpose of this fact sheet is to provide accurate information about those parts of the law that allow the use of fertilizers and pesticides within the organic produce program of the U.S. That law is the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA), enacted under Title 21 of the 1990 Farm Bill. The OFPA was the act passed by Congress that authorized the USDA to develop the organic regulations contained in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 7 CFR Part 205. Conventional farmers don’t have the same regulation of their production practices as organic farmers. However, they still must follow regulations concerning pesticide use, worker safety, and protection of the environment. Organic farmers willingly choose to follow speciic rules in order to grow and sell a specialty product with a particular, and growing, market niche. Conventional farmers, on the other hand, may legally use both conventional and organic substances as long as their application meets relevant federal and State regulations. Some split operations use both organic and conventional farming techniques in different areas of the same farm. Regardless of the production method, no farmer can sell any product contaminated by biological, chemical, or physical adulterants, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FD&C). As a farmer or consumer, it is important to know the facts behind marketing claims made by organic farmers, packers, and processors and those who sell organic products. These claims must be veriiable and based on rules of the USDA National Organic Program (NOP). The National Organic Program When then U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman announced the NOP inal rule on December 20, 2000, he stated, “Let me be clear about one other thing. The organic logo is a marketing tool. It is not a statement about food safety. Nor is ‘organic’ a value judgment about nutrition or quality. USDA is not in the business of choosing sides, of stating preferences for one kind of This official USDA-AMS logo is a marketing signal to consumers. It is backed by federal law and enforced by the USDA. Farmers using this symbol must closely follow the rules of the National Organic Program (NOP). The NOP is a marketing program, not a nutrition nor a food safety program, such as Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs). James Hollyer 1 ; Fred Brooks 1 ; Lindsay Fernandez-Salvador 2 ; Luisa Castro 1 ; Donna Meyer 1 ; Ted Radovich 3 ; Steve Russo 4 1 Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences, UH-Manoa; 2 Organic Materials Review Institute; 3 Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences, UH-Manoa; 4 Pesticides Branch, Hawaii Department of Agriculture *Words in quotes are used in accordance with USDA’s speciic deinitions and usage.