(Washington, D.C., April 25, 2017) – Sonny Perdue was sworn in as the 31st U.S. Secretary of Agriculture by fellow Georgian and Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Clarence Thomas in a brief ceremony today at the Supreme Court building.  The U.S. Senate confirmed Secretary Perdue by a vote of 87-to-11 on Monday evening.  After Secretary Perdue took the oath of office, he addressed employees at the U.S.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced new data indicating the organic industry continues to grow domestically and globally, with 24,650 certified organic operations in the United States, and 37,032 around the world.

The 2016 count of U.S. certified organic farms and businesses reflects a 13 percent increase between the end of 2015 and 2016, continuing the trend of double digit growth in the organic sector.

The European Union (EU) is implementing a new system of electronic certificates of inspection for imports of organic products from the United States (and other third countries) in the Trade Control & Expert System (TRACES) – the EU’s existing electronic system for tracking movements of food products across the EU.

On March 21, 2017, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service published a notice in the Federal Register announcing the renewal of 187 substances on the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (National List) to conclude the 2017 Sunset Review. The new sunset date for these substances is March 15, 2022. These substances are used in organic crop and livestock production and organic handling/processing.