Petition to Bar Hydroponic Operations from Organic Certification

By Riëtte van Laack — The question of whether hydroponic operations are eligible for organic certification in the United States has been debated since 1995.  In most countries, such as Mexico and Canada, and regions, such as the EU, organic certification cannot be extended to crops not grown in soil.  However, in the United States, the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has historically taken the position that such operations are eligible for certification as long as they comply with the National Organic Program (NOP) regulations.  Now, organic hydroponic agriculture is facing a new challenge. Between 2001 and 2010, the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) Crops Committee repeatedly reevaluated the issue of “soil-less” growing systems, such as hydroponic systems.  In 2010, the NOSB once again assessed “soil-less” systems and concluded that they were inconsistent with organic status.  The NOSB recommended (by…

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