Changes to the general principles and management standards

Definitions

New added

• Beak treatment (infrared, non-invasive) 
• Beak trimming (hot blade removal) 
• Compromised animal (aligned with transport regulations) 
• Disbudding (separate from dehorning) 
• Environmental enrichment (livestock) 
• Derived from biological or mineral sources (new clarity on inputs) 
• Grazing season 
• Hydroponic production (explicitly defined; not eligible for organic) 
• Mushroom mycelium and mushroom spawn 
• Radiation (ionizing vs non-ionizing distinction) 

Clarified or expanded

• Agricultural products/ingredients: 
  
  • Now clarifies when products lose “agricultural” status due to processing 
• Commercially available: 
  
  • Tightened to prevent misuse for highly processed ingredients 
• Derivative:  
  
  • Replaced/clarified to reduce confusion with “derived from” 
• Planting stock: 
  
  • Now explicitly excludes soil (unpotted material) 
• Perennial crop: 
  
  • Clarified wording 
• Sewage sludge: 
  • Updated to distinguish from treated wastewater

Technical concepts

• Explicit inclusion of: 
  
  • Gene editing (e.g., CRISPR) under genetic engineering (still prohibited) 
• Clarifies:  
  
  • What counts as synthetic vs natural substances 

Organic Plan & Record-Keeping

Organic plan updates

• Must be: 
  
  • Updated at least annually AND whenever changes occur 
• Must include: 
  
  • Record-keeping system description 

Record-keeping

• New requirement for: 
  
  • Detailed traceability (inputs, production, and sales) 
• Records must include: 
  
  • Inputs, production, storage, transport, sales 
• Must track: 
  
  • Origin, quantity, and movement of all products and inputs 

New requirements

• Identification system to distinguish: 
  
  • Organic vs non-organic products 
• Risk management plan for: 
  
  • Preventing GE contamination 
• Record retention: 
  
  • Minimum 5 years 

Imports & intermediaries

• Must document: 
  
  • All intermediaries
• Must maintain: 
• Import/export documentation 

Crop Production

Transition rules

• 36-month transition clarified: 
  
  • Starts when GE crop growth is terminated 
• Must implement: 
  
  • GE risk management plan post-transition 

Parallel & split production

• Stricter:  
  
  • Separation and identification requirements 
• New allowance: 
  
  • Temporary non-organic production under strict conditions + approval 
• Penalty:  
  • Up to 5 years loss of organic eligibility if rules not followed

Environmental protections

• Buffer zones: 
  
  • Minimum 8 m 
• New requirement: 
  
  • Protection from GE cross-pollination 
• Expanded:  
  
  • Required biodiversity and ecosystem measures 

New environmental requirements

• Must actively: 
  
  • Promote biodiversity (more explicit and expanded list) 
• Must NOT: 
  
  • Allow accumulation of inorganic waste

Materials

• Treated wood: 
  
  • Generally prohibited for new installations 
• Exceptions:  
  
  • Perimeter fencing (with restrictions) 
• Reuse:  
  • Allowed if pre-existing and no crop contact

Seeds & Planting Stock

Clarifications & restructuring

• Clear separation of: 
  
  • Seeds vs seedlings vs planting stock vs transplants 
• Improved rules for: 
  
  • Perennial crops vs annual crops 

New allowances

• Non-organic seed from: 
  
  • On-farm buffer zones or transitional land may be used without proving commercial unavailability 

Stricter requirements

• Must use organic seed unless: 
  
  • Not commercially available (documented search required) 
• Treatment rules clarified: 
  
  • Only permitted substances allowed (with regulatory exceptions) 

Perennial planting stock changes

• If non-organic: 
  
  • Must be managed organically for ≥12 months before harvest (in most cases) 
• New nuance: 
  
  • Untreated, soilless planting stock may produce organic crops within 12 months 

Transplants

• New clarity: 
  
  • Organic status depends on: 
    
    • Type (seedling vs planting stock) 
    • Time to harvest 

Genetic Engineering

• New explicit requirements: 
  
  • Risk management plan required 
  • Measures include: 
    
    • Buffer zones 
    • Isolation distances 
    • Testing  
• Clarifies:  
  
  • Gene editing = genetic engineering (prohibited) 

Radiation

• New distinction: 
  
  • Ionizing radiation → prohibited 
  • Non-ionizing → allowed in some cases

Changes to the Permitted Substances Lists

Structural changes

• Clarified that organic management practices must be the primary approach, with inputs used only when necessary 
• Stronger emphasis on soil building as the foundation of organic production 
• Improved alignment with general principles and management standards 
• More explicit annotations and testable criteria added to prevent fraud and ensure compliance 
• Increased use of quantitative limits

Major changes – Crop inputs

New substances added

• Brewers’ grains and solubles 
• Distillers’ grains and solubles 
• Chitosan 
• Cobalt (micronutrient) 
• Coir (coconut fibre) as its own listing 
• Condensed molasses fermentation solubles (vinasse) 
• Frass (insect by-product fertilizer) 
• Microbial extracts (separated from living organisms) 
• Microbial fertilizers
• Hydrolyzed proteins (plant origin) 
• Hydrolyzed proteins (animal origin) 
• Ozonated water 

Substances removed or restructured

• Amino acids replaced with: 
  • Hydrolyzed proteins (plant) 
  • Hydrolyzed proteins (animal) 
• “Biological organisms” listing removed as redundant 
• General “Micronutrients” listing replaced by individual micronutrient entries 
• “Manure, composted” and “Manure, non-organic” removed as redundant 

Renamed / clarified listings

• Animal manure split into: 
  • Animal manure, unprocessed 
  • Animal manure, dried 
• Aquatic plants split into: 
  • Extracts vs plant material 
• Separate listings created where previously grouped together

Stricter restrictions & prohibitions

• Sodium hydroxide removed as extractant for aquatic plant extracts 
• Sodium nitrate explicitly prohibited in mined minerals 
• Acid treatment of phosphate rock prohibited (no solubilizing) 
• Petroleum-based dust suppressants prohibited
• Ionizing radiation remains prohibited, but clarified distinction with non-ionizing 

New measurable criteria (anti-fraud / compliance)

• Nutrient limits added for: 
  • Aquatic plant extracts (N, P, K caps) 
  • Fermentation by-products 
  • Hydrolyzed proteins 
• Heavy metal limits reinforced across inputs 
• Requirement for testing or documentation where contamination risk exists 

Micronutrient changes

• Standardized format across nutrients
• Clearer: 
  • Allowed forms 
  • Prohibited forms 
  • Requirement to prove deficiency before use
• Restrictions on: 
  • Amino acid chelates 
  • Nitrate and ammonium forms 

Compost & soil amendments

• Expanded and clarified: 
  • Acceptable compost feedstocks 
  • Testing requirements for contamination 
• Added stricter rules for: 
  • Pathogen control 
  • Heavy metals 
• Clearer differentiation: 
  • On-farm vs off-farm compost 

Microbial products restructuring

• Split into three distinct categories: 
  • Living microorganisms 
  • Microbial extracts 
  • Microbial fertilizers 
• Tighter controls on: 
  • Growth substrates 
  • Residual materials 
  • Contaminants 

Formulants

• Clarified that formulants: 
  • Are allowed only for functional roles, not as active nutrients 
• Restricted to: 
  • PMRA List 4A / 4B
• Prevents misuse of formulants as fertilizers 

Production philosophy changes

• Reinforces: 
  • Preventative practices first (soil health, management) 
  • Inputs are secondary tools only 
• More explicit link between: 
  • Organic principles 
  • Allowed substances