The US House Committee on Agriculture approved an amendment to the draft of the farm bill that aims to reduce the regulatory burden for smaller domestic organic operations.
The Risk-Based Oversight for Integrity Act was amended into the US house farm bill draft by a voice vote late Wednesday after being introduced by Representative Tony Wied (R-Wisconsin). The vote came as part of a broader markup by the committee on the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, better known as the farm bill, which was introduced last month.
The amendment instructs the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to focus organic oversight on high-risk operations and reduce the burden on "low-risk domestic operations", Wied said.
"Right now, the USDA applies the same uniform oversight requirements to every certified organic operation, regardless of whether the operation poses any real risk to organic integrity," Wied said while introducing the amendment. "When compliance costs are equally burdensome for all operations, regardless of risk level, it's American farmers who pay the price."
Current organic regulations require annual on-site inspections for all certified organic operations, regardless of their past compliance history. This act would reduce on-site inspections to as few as once every three years for US-based operations with a documented record of compliance. These operations would still require annual virtual inspections. Certifiers will continue to inspect all foreign certified organic operations on-site each year.
The bill would require the USDA to complete a 12-month study on the feasibility and impacts of risk-based oversight. The USDA would consider input from organic farmers, processors, certifiers, consumers, and the National Organic Standard Board.
Risk-based oversight "is a regulatory approach that prioritizes the allocation of resources and oversight activities based on the level of risk associated with different organic operations," said Gwendolyn Wyard, founding partner at organic consultancy Strengthening Organic Systems.
The Risk-Based Oversight for Integrity Act may also be introduced into the US House as a standalone bill in the future, market contacts said.
The Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 passed the committee by a 34-17 vote. The bill will proceed to the house floor for a vote or further amendments.
Other organic discussion
The committee also approved funding for grants related to organic transition and discussed potential further support for the organic sector.
The committee approved an amendment providing $7.5mn for education, extension, and research grants to support the transition from non-organic to organic production systems through the Transition to Organic Partnership Program.
The funding is meant to boost organic supplies and reduce the cost of organic food for consumers by supporting farmers through organic transition. Strong organic supplies and the cheaper organic food will help "the American people to be healthier, and for American agriculture to be more environmentally friendly." said Eugene Vindman (D-Oregon) who introduced the amendment.
The draft farm bill does not include the Domestic Organic Investment Act. The exclusion of the act — which would fund grants supporting improvements to organic storage, processing, and distribution — "comes up short" said Andrea Salinas (D-Oregon). But this act may be added to the farm bill later.
