As Barley Snyder follows the evolution of the Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices Final Rule, the Agricultural Marketing Service of the USDA recently announced the effective date of the rule has been delayed to May 19 — sixty days after the original effective date.

This change was made in accordance with the Trump administration’s regulatory freeze to allow new officials time to review policy from the previous administration before implementation.

According to a White House memo issued January 20, if there are no questions of law, fact or policy raised by a delayed regulation, it will go into effect unchanged on May 19.

The new administration has encouraged agencies to open a further notice and comment rulemaking period if any regulation raises those questions of law, fact or policy. That would give organic livestock and poultry producers affected by the rule another opportunity to comment. Updates on the status of the Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices Final Rule will be made available as necessary.

If you have any questions on what this delay could mean to your business, contact the Food & Agribusiness Group at Barley Snyder with any questions.

*This legal update was co-authored by EmmaRose Boyle. EmmaRose is a law student currently attending Vermont Law School and working in an externship program at Barley Snyder.