Organic Community Welcomes the Release of New Animal Welfare Rules

Today, the National Organic Coalition is celebrating the long-awaited publication of a new regulation that will ensure high animal welfare standards for animals raised on organic farms, including a clear requirement for access to the outdoors for organic poultry production. The new rule, known as the ‘Organic Livestock and Poultry Standards Rule’, will level the playing field and ensure that all organic livestock products comply with baseline practices and principles for animal welfare and treatment. The new rules, which are available today, represent more than a decade of work to clarify and improve animal welfare standards in organic. They incorporate input from thousands of organic community members and industry participants, as well as recommendations from the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), a federal advisory board to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Operations will need to comply with much of the rule within one year, but the rule includes a longer implementation period for indoor and outdoor space requirements for broiler and layer operations. NOC had requested a shorter timeline for implementation.

“NOC applauds the USDA for their sustained work to complete the Organic Livestock and Poultry Standards rule,” said Abby, Executive Director at the National Organic Coalition. “The rule protects the health and well-being of organic livestock and is necessary to guarantee a fair marketplace for organic producers. Organic is designed to ensure that food is produced with the highest standards and in alignment with the expectations of consumers, who want animals raised with access to the outdoors in humane environments.”

Finalizing a rule to strengthen organic animal welfare standards in the organic certification program has been a top priority for the National Organic Coalition (NOC). Previously, we urged the Biden-Harris Administration to take immediate action to finalize organic animal welfare rules and submitted detailed comments on the proposed rule that was open for public comment in 2022. NOC also participated in a lawsuit led by Center for Food Safety challenging the 2018 withdrawal by the Trump Administration of the previous organic animal welfare rule that was finalized in 2017 (the ‘Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices rule’). As a result of this lawsuit, USDA reconsidered its previous position: that the agency did not have the authority to institute animal welfare regulations under the organic program.

Organic certification is voluntary – producers who certify to organic standards agree to strict requirements to protect the environment, human health, and animal welfare. These strict standards are responsible for the success of organic in the marketplace and consumers’ willingness to pay a premium for organic products. Consumers who choose to buy organic eggs, poultry, and meat expect organic farmers to raise their animals in the healthiest conditions possible – to provide access to the outdoors, space to move around, and freedom to exhibit their natural behaviors. And farmers and ranchers who choose to follow organic standards expect a level playing field. It wasn’t the case until today, with the release of a new organic animal welfare rule.

“Most organic livestock and poultry operations already adhere to high standards. But they are being undercut economically because of loopholes in the organic standards that allow a few operations to deny meaningful outdoor access to animals,” says Youngblood.