Feb 14, 2019

USDA to publish proposed rule on national list of allowed substances

On Feb. 15, 2019, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will publish a proposed rule in the Federal Register to amend the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances for crops and handling based on April 2018 recommendations from the National Organic Standards Board.

This proposed rule would allow:

• Elemental sulfur to be used as a slug or snail bait to reduce crop losses.
• Polyoxin D zinc salt to control fungal diseases when other organic fungicides have been found to be less effective.
• Magnesium chloride to be reclassified from a synthetic to a non-synthetic substance, requiring handlers to ensure that the product complies with the non-synthetic classification by obtaining details about the source of the magnesium chloride and its full manufacturing process.

The USDA welcomes comments on the proposed amendments. The 60-day comment period will close on April 16, 2019.

More information on the National List, including how and why substances are added or removed from it, is available on The National List page.