Community Garden Magazine Issue Eight April 2016 Community Garden Magazine Issue Eight April 2016 | Page 44
April 2016 National Organic Standards Board Meeting
The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), an advisory committee of organic
industry and stakeholder representatives, was established by the Organic Foods
Production Act. The NOSB recommends whether substances should be allowed or
prohibited in organic production or handling,
assists in developing standards for substances to be used in organic
production, and advises the Secretary ofAgriculture on other aspects of the organic regul
ations.
Twice a year, the NOSB meets to listen to public comments,
discuss specific items pertaining to organic agriculture, and vote
on recommendations for the National Organic Program(NOP) to consider.
These meetings are an important forum for public comment, and support transparency in
the standards development process.
The NOSB's next meeting will be held April 25 - 27, 2016 in Washington, DC. In addition
to receiving public comment at the face-to-face meeting, the NOSB will listen to
oral public comments via a webinar on April 19, 2016. The NOSB will address several
petitions pertaining to changes to the National
List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances, and begin its review of
2018 sunset substances. The agenda of topics, current proposals, and instructions about
how to participate are available on the NOSB meeting webpage.
IMPORTANT DATES:
April 19, 2016, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time – Oral Comment Webinar
To provide public comment at the webinar, you must sign up in advance. You may also
just listen to the webinar. You can find instructions on how to do either on the NOSB
meeting webpage.
April 25-27, 2016, Face-to-face meeting
Omni Shoreham Hotel
2500 Calvert Street, NW
Washington, DC 20008
Room reservation cutoff date: April 4, 2016
For room reservations, call 1-800-THE-OMNI (1-800-843-6664) or click here for online
reservations.
For additional information:
About the NOSB
Press Release
Federal Register Notice
Tentative Agenda
NOSB Subcommittee Proposals and Discuss