U.S. CODE

U.S. Code

§ 6513. Organic plan

(a) In general

A producer or handler seeking certification under this chapter shall submit an organic plan to the certifying agent and the State organic certification program (if applicable), and such plan shall be reviewed by the certifying agent who shall determine if such plan meets the requirements of the programs.

(b) Crop production farm plan

(1) Soil fertility

An organic plan shall contain provisions designed to foster soil fertility, primarily through the management of the organic content of the soil through proper tillage, crop rotation, and manuring.

(2) Manuring

(A) Inclusion in organic plan

An organic plan shall contain terms and conditions that regulate the application of manure to crops.

(B) Application of manure

Such organic plan may provide for the application of raw manure only to—

(i) any green manure crop;

(ii) any perennial crop;

(iii) any crop not for human consumption; and

(iv) any crop for human consumption, if such crop is harvested after a reasonable period of time determined by the certifying agent to ensure the safety of such crop, after the most recent application of raw manure, but in no event shall such period be less than 60 days after such application.

Such organic plan shall prohibit raw manure from being applied to any crop in a way that significantly contributes to water contamination by nitrates or bacteria.

An organic livestock plan shall contain provisions designed to foster the organic production of livestock consistent with the purposes of this chapter.

(d) Mixed crop livestock production

An organic plan may encompass both the crop production and livestock production requirements in subsections (b) and (c) of this section if both activities are conducted by the same producer.

(e) Handling plan

An organic handling plan shall contain provisions designed to ensure that agricultural products that are sold or labeled as organically produced are produced and handled in a manner that is consistent with the purposes of this chapter.

(f) Management of wild crops

An organic plan for the harvesting of wild crops shall—

(1) designate the area from which the wild crop will be gathered or harvested;

(2) include a 3 year history of the management of the area showing that no prohibited substances have been applied;

(3) include a plan for the harvesting or gathering of the wild crops assuring that such harvesting or gathering will not be destructive to the environment and will sustain the growth and production of the wild crop; and

(4) include provisions that no prohibited substances will be applied by the producer.

(g) Limitation on content of plan

An organic plan shall not include any production or handling practices that are inconsistent with this chapter.

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