Proposed changes in living conditions for broilers under the National Organic Program will have limited economic effects

In a recent paper, Vukina et al. [1] analyzed the economic effect of proposed changes in living conditions for laying hens under the USDA National organic Program (NOP), which is administered by the USDA, Agriculture Marketing Service. In addition to proposed changes in living conditions for laying hens, the NOP has proposed changes for organic broilers. With the potential changes in the requirements for living conditions for organic poultry, the NOP must consider the economic effects of these changes on each of the regulated products. As described in Vukina et al. [1], the current NOP regulations do not set specific stocking rates for either inside housing or the outside access areas for poultry. The NOP issued a general policy memo in October of 2002 affirming that outside access areas are required, but it did not specify size or other details. The NoP subsequently provided a memo regarding an exemption to outside access for purposes of biosecurity, as well as a decision that outside access could be provided in a fenced, roofed, and floored outside area (a “porch or veranda” attached to a poultry house). To obtain organic certification, poultry producers must submit to NOP an organic system plan (OSP) describing outside access. The oSP is subsequently reviewed by USDA-accredited © 2014 Poultry Science Association, Inc.