§ 6509. — Animal production practices and materials.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 7USC6509]
TITLE 7--AGRICULTURE
CHAPTER 94--ORGANIC CERTIFICATION
Sec. 6509. Animal production practices and materials
(a) In general
Any livestock that is to be slaughtered and sold or labeled as
organically produced shall be raised in accordance with this chapter.
(b) Breeder stock
Breeder stock may be purchased from any source if such stock is not
in the last third of gestation.
(c) Practices
For a farm to be certified under this chapter as an organic farm
with respect to the livestock produced by such farm, producers on such
farm--
(1) shall feed such livestock organically produced feed that
meets the requirements of this chapter;
(2) shall not use the following feed--
(A) plastic pellets for roughage;
(B) manure refeeding; or
(C) feed formulas containing urea; and
(3) shall not use growth promoters and hormones on such
livestock, whether implanted, ingested, or injected, including
antibiotics and synthetic trace elements used to stimulate growth or
production of such livestock.
(d) Health care
(1) Prohibited practices
For a farm to be certified under this chapter as an organic farm
with respect to the livestock produced by such farm, producers on
such farm shall not--
(A) use subtherapeutic doses of antibiotics;
(B) use synthetic internal parasiticides on a routine basis;
or
(C) administer medication, other than vaccinations, in the
absence of illness.
(2) Standards
The National Organic Standards Board shall recommend to the
Secretary standards in addition to those in paragraph (1) for the
care of livestock to ensure that such livestock is organically
produced.
(e) Additional guidelines
(1) Poultry
With the exception of day old poultry, all poultry from which
meat or eggs will be sold or labeled as organically produced shall
be raised and handled in accordance with this chapter prior to and
during the period in which such meat or eggs are sold.
(2) Dairy livestock
A dairy animal from which milk or milk products will be sold or
labeled as organically produced shall be raised and handled in
accordance with this chapter for not less than the 12-month period
immediately prior to the sale of such milk and milk products.
(f) Livestock identification
(1) In general
For a farm to be certified under this chapter as an organic farm
with respect to the livestock produced by such farm, producers on
such farm shall keep adequate records and maintain a detailed,
verifiable audit trail so that each animal (or in the case of
poultry, each flock) can be traced back to such farm.
(2) Records
In order to carry out paragraph (1), each producer shall keep
accurate records on each animal (or in the case of poultry, each
flock) including--
(A) amounts and sources of all medications administered; and
(B) all feeds and feed supplements bought and fed.
(g) Notice and public comment
The Secretary shall hold public hearings and shall develop detailed
regulations, with notice and public comment, to guide the implementation
of the standards for livestock products provided under this section.
(Pub. L. 101-624, title XXI, Sec. 2110, Nov. 28, 1990, 104 Stat. 3940;
Pub. L. 102-237, title X, Sec. 1001(2), Dec. 13, 1991, 105 Stat. 1893.)
Amendments
1991--Subsec. (d)(1)(B). Pub. L. 102-237, Sec. 1001(2)(A),
substituted ``parasiticides'' for ``paraciticides''.
Subsecs. (g), (h). Pub. L. 102-237, Sec. 1001(2)(B), redesignated
subsec. (h) as (g).
