WASHINGTON DC (December 2, 2019) — The National Organic Program updated NOP 2040: Instruction on Organic Certification of Industrial Hemp. The updated instruction applies to all USDA-accredited certifying agents and replaces the August 2016 version of NOP 2040.

The revised policy allows hemp produced in the United States under the US Domestic Hemp Production Program to be certified as organic under the USDA organic regulations.

USDA accredited certifiers and farms should direct questions about the status of their State or Tribal hemp program to State and Tribal officials. For imported hemp, existing regulations and guidelines continue to govern whether products may be certified as organic.

For all NOP guidance, instructions and policies, access the NOP Handbook.

National List Sunset Dates Published

NOP published an updated version of the National List Sunset Dates, NOP 5611, effective November 22, 2019. The updates reflect the next scheduled review for several materials on the National List that were recently reviewed and renewed by recommendation of the National Organic Standards Board, a Federal advisory committee.