Wins for Organic in Recently passed spending legislation

Organic Gets Boost in 2018 Appropriations Bill

On March 23, a Fiscal Year 2018 Omnibus Appropriations bill was finally passed. The bill includes some significant funding increases for organic programs, including a $3 million boost in funding for the National Organic Program and funding increases for key organic research and education programs, including the Organic Transitions Program and the SARE program. 

NOC thanks the House and Senate Appropriations Committees for their leadership in securing these key funding increases for organic. The increase in funding for the NOP recognizes the need to enhance enforcement procedures to safeguard the integrity of the organic label.

Funding levels for key programs in the FY 2018 Omnibus Appropriations bill are as follows:

• The National Organic Program funding was increased from $9 million to $12 million, with language focusing on organic import enforcement.
• The Organic Transition Program was increased from $4 million to $5 million.  
• SARE was increased from $27 million to $35 million.
• The Farm Safety Outreach Program was increased from $5 million to $7 million.  
• The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, USDA’s flagship competitive grants program, was increased from $375 million to $400 million.

During our last two fly-ins, in June of 2017 and March of 2018, members of the National Organic Coalition have been strongly advocating for funding increases for organic through the appropriations process. We are encouraged by increases in funding that we believe will translate into real gains for organic agriculture in the coming years.