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What the Standards say about materials and inputs
All input materials used in organic production must comply with the NOP's National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances, §205.600-606 of the Standards.
The basic principle underlying the National List is: Natural materials are considered innocent unless proven guilty; synthetic materials are considered guilty unless proven innocent.
The National List is thus a list of exceptions, itemizing prohibited natural materials (the Standards refer to these as "nonsynthetic") and allowed synthetics. All synthetic substances must appear on the National List in order to be used in production. A wide variety of natural substances commonly used in organic farming do not appear on the list because they are understood to be nonsynthetic and are thus allowed.
Because the National List is not a comprehensive list of materials for use in organic crop and livestock systems, it is sometimes referred to as an "open" list. By contrast, some countries' organic programs maintain "closed positive lists," meaning everything allowed is listed.
Note too that the National List is actually made up of several lists, with allowed synthetics and prohibited naturals itemized separately for crop production (§205.601-602), livestock production §205.603-604) and processed food (§205.605-606).
Section 205.607 states that "any person may petition the National Organic Standards Board" (NOSB) to have a substance evaluated for inclusion or deletion from the list. Items on the National List are also required to be reviewed by the National Organic Standards Board every five years.
All inputs used or intended for use must be listed in your Organic System Plan, including the product, source and location used. The certification agent will review the plan and verify that all inputs and practices are in compliance.
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Is it allowed?The single best source of information on organic materials and brand-name products is the nonprofit Organic Materials Review Institute. Not all approved brand-name products are on the OMRI list, but you are more assured of an item's acceptability when it is present. Your certifier can also answer questions about what materials you can use. Always ask your certifier before using any new or questionable input.
OMRI Listed seal. (Photo: OMRI)
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