NOP Publishes Handbook Updates and Responses to SOEFrequently Asked Questions

Today, the USDA published an updated version of the National Organic Program (NOP) Handbook. This public resource provides USDA-accredited certifiers and certified operations with guidance, instructions, and other policy documents that can help them comply with the USDA organic regulations.  

Several handbook documents have been updated or archived because they have been replaced by new regulations, such as the Strengthening Organic Enforcement(SOE) rule. In addition, USDA relocated general education resources from the handbook to more relevant locations on NOP’s website and in the Organic Integrity Learning Center.  

The 2024 NOP Program Handbook Update linked below includes a list of updated and archived documents, citations to the regulations that supersede them, and relocated documents with their new locations. These references can also be found on the NOP Handbook web page. 

On March 19, 2024, the Strengthening Organic Enforcement Final Rule implementation period ended.  Today, the National Organic Program posted responses to frequently asked questions on the AMS website.  It is designed for businesses, customs brokers, certifiers, and others working in organic trade.