Organic Farmer February / March 2020

maintain or improve, so approaches should
be non-lethal. Predator management strategies
include a combination of physical
barriers, (housing, fencing, daytime cover
and night shelter); deterrents (“predator
eyes” lights, motion sensor sprinklers), and
management (regular presence of humans,
and well-trained guard animals).
Organic poultry are required to have
appropriate, clean, dry bedding, whether
in housing or nest boxes. If the bedding
material used is an agricultural crop that
may be consumed, it must be certified
organic. When forest products such as
wood shavings are used, they need not be
certified organic, but must consist only of
plant products that are not treated with any
prohibited materials.
Manure management is an important part
of managing an organic livestock operation.
Regulations state, “The producer
of an organic livestock operation must
manage manure in a manner that does not
contribute to contamination of crops, soil,
or water by plant nutrients, heavy metals,
or pathogenic organisms and optimizes
recycling of nutrients and must manage
pastures and other outdoor access areas in
a manner that does not put soil or water
quality at risk.” While hydrated lime is
allowed as an external pest control, it is
not permitted for cauterizing or to deodorize
animal wastes.
Each type of poultry production system
can and should become more transparently
represented for the benefit of poultry
producers, consumers, poultry themselves,
and the environments in which
they are raised. This process takes time,
persistence, producer capacity, consumer
awareness, political will, and clear legal
definitions for marketing terms. NCAT is
working, together with our project partners
and many farmers from whom we continue
to gain key insights, to develop reliable
information and make it accessible.
The National Center for Appropriate
Technology (NCAT) is a private nonprofit
organization founded in 1976. Its programs
deal with sustainable and renewable
energy, energy conservation, resource-efficient
housing, sustainable community
development, and sustainable agriculture.
ATTRA is a program developed and
Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices
The Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices (OLPP) final rule came about from a decades-long effort,
with significant public comment, to develop more specific and quantitative regulatory language to
resolve current ambiguities and provide for consistent interpretation and enforcement of a uniform
federal standard. The National Organic Program (NOP) Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices final
rule was published in the Federal Register (82 FR 7042) on January 19, 2017. Although its current status
is “withdrawn,” producers and the public can still read the OLPP final rule in order to understand the
reasoning behind the changes and to inform their own production practices and purchasing decisions.
Look up: A Rule by the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) 03/13/2018 to find links to all past
documents published in the process of developing these regulations. Before its implementation was
delayed and finally withdrawn, the USDA’s AMS published justification and the compelling need for this
new regulation.
What does this rule do?
This rule sets production standards for organic livestock and poultry, including transport and slaughter.
This action assures consumers that organically produced products meet a consistent standard by
resolving the current ambiguity about outdoor access for poultry. It also establishes clear standards for
raising, transporting, and slaughtering organic animals and birds. This rule will provide for effective
compliance and enforcement, as well as fair competition among organic livestock producers.
Why is the rule necessary?
A lack of clarity in organic livestock and poultry standards has led to inconsistent practices among
organic producers. For example, as a result of ambiguous standards for what constitutes “outdoor access”
for poultry, there are currently two very different organic egg production systems in the United States:
operations whose outdoor space consists of an enclosed porch with a roof, mesh walls and cement floor,
and operations that provide birds with access to pasture. Both production systems are currently able to
utilize the organic seal and capture a premium from consumers.”
What are the key components of the final rule?
1. The final rule addresses the following key points:
2. Requires that producers provide animals with daily access to the outdoors and that outdoor areas
include vegetation and/or soil. Additionally, exit doors must be distributed to ensure animals have
ready access to the outdoors. It does not allow enclosed porches to be considered outdoors or to meet
the requirement for outdoor access.
3. Specifies the amount of space required indoors for chicken broilers and layers, prohibits forced
molting, restricts the use of artificial light, limits the amount of ammonia in the air indoors, and
requires perching space for laying chickens indoors.
4. Describes when producers can confine animals indoors temporarily and codifies flexibility for
producers to confine animals when their health, safety or well-being could be jeopardized.
5. Adds humane handling requirements for transporting livestock and poultry to sale or slaughter, and
clarifies humane slaughter requirements.
6. Prohibits several kinds of physical alteration, like de-beaking chickens or docking cows’ tails.
7. Provides a phased implementation plan, allowing producers reasonable time to implement the rule.
Changes relevant to poultry production include addition of several terms, revision of livestock care and
production practices standard, and addition of two new sections on avian living conditions and transport
and slaughter.
managed by NCAT. The majority of funding for ATTRA is through a cooperative
agreement with the USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service. We are committed
to providing high value, practical science-based information and technical assistance
to farmers, ranchers, Extension agents, educators, and others involved in
organic and sustainable agriculture in the United States.
For more information on organic poultry practices and other sustainable agriculture
resources visit attra.ncat.org.
Comments about this article? We want to hear from you. Feel free to email us
at article@jcsmarketinginc.com
February/March 2020
www.organicfarmermag.com
11