By Lily Hawkins, Policy Director

Federal Government Shutdown

The main focus in D.C. right now is the ongoing government shutdown. Congress failed to pass legislation to fund the government past September 30, and though a short term funding patch known as a Continuing Resolution (CR) passed in the House, it did not make it through the Senate when Democrats declined to support a bill that did not include key healthcare provisions.

While some essential services are still taking place, many federal programs are paused, with federal workers furloughed or working without pay until the shutdown is resolved. 

At this time there has been little movement towards resolution on a CR. It’s possible that legislators will feel pressured to find a solution by October 15, when many federal employees will be expecting their next paycheck. 

There are concerns that President Trump may use the shutdown to further reduce the federal workforce as he has threatened to do. OFA will be tracking the situation.

Background
Here is an overview of the stalled Appropriations bills so far. The House bill proposes deep cuts to several key agricultural programs, including:

• A 56% cut to the Value-Added Producer Grant program
• A 9% reduction in Conservation Technical Assistance
• A 16% cut to the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program—the USDA’s only farmer-driven research program

In contrast, the Senate bill largely maintains funding for the USDA and FDA, preserving some programs targeted for cuts in the House version. The two chambers must still pass their own version of other appropriations bills and come to an agreement on a final version by September 30 to avoid another stopgap measure to keep the government running.

Confirmation of Dudley Hoskins

On September 18 the Senate voted to confirm Dudley Hoskins as the new Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs. This is a key position for organic policy, since the NOP operates under USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. As chief of staff for AMS during President Trump’s first term, he engaged with the organic program, including the Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE) Rule.

Organic Import Verification Act

As OFA continues to advocate for organic in any upcoming Farm Bill, we are spending extra time right now supporting the Organic Imports Verification Act. This would promote organic integrity and a level playing field for domestic organic producers by requiring the USDA to test high-risk bulk imports of organic feedstuffs for residues of substances that are prohibited in organic production. The bill is sponsored by Senator Ricketts (R-NE) and Senator Smith (D-MN). 

Specifically, the bill would do the following:

1. Establish Risk-Based Protocol: The USDA Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security and the “organic agricultural product imports interagency working group,” shall develop and regularly update risk-based protocols for determining the high-risk status of organic feedstuffs. 
2. Establish an Annual List of High-Risk Organic Feedstuffs: Each year, the USDA Secretary, using the established risk-based protocol, shall create a confidential list of high-risk imported organic feedstuffs that will require additional residue testing that year.
3. Establish Parameters for Residue Testing: The USDA Secretary will create residue testing parameters for the established list of high-risk imported organic feedstuffs.  Parameters would outline necessary testing frequency, quantity to be tested, the type of testing, who is responsible for the testing, and other necessary parameters.
4. Require Annual Testing: Annually, the USDA Secretary will be required to conduct residue testing for each covered organic feedstuff.
5. Establish Corrective Action: If required residue testing indicates a prohibited substance over the permitted level for organic, the shipment of that organic feedstuff will be excluded from organic sale.
6. Require an Annual Report to Congress: The NOP would be required to present an annual report to Congress on the residue testing carried out during the year prior for each high-risk organic feedstuff and imported organic feedstuff shipped in bulk. The report would include information on the frequency of the applicable residue testing, residue testing methods used, testing results, standards used to analyze the test results, and any actions taken due to the residue testing.

While import fraud can appear across commodities in the organic sector, imported organic feedstuff commodities (like whole soybeans, soybean meal, corn, cracked corn, rape, rape meal, whole sunflowers, hulled sunflowers, sunflower oil, and sunflower meal) enter the U.S. market through high-risk (complex and opaque) supply chains. This bill would build off of the recently finalized Strengthening Organic Enforcement rule and provide the USDA with an additional tool to crack down on fraud.

Nearly 700 organic farmers, organizations, and consumers have signed a letter in support of the legislation. Click here to ask your Senator to co-sponsor the bill. If you would like to attend an advocacy meeting with your Senator about the bill, please contact OFA Policy Director Lily Hawkins at lily@organicfarmersassociation.org.