U.S. & Mexico Keep Organic Trade Open

Last week, Mexico agreed to extend the deadline for U.S. organic exports to be certified to its Organic Products Law. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack met with his counterpart, and they agreed to extend the compliance deadline to December 31, 2021. Through 2021, USDA-certified organic products may continue to be exported, but on January 1, 2022, organic products exported from the U.S. to Mexico must be certified to the Organic Products Law standard.

Secretary Vilsack said of the deadline extension, “This is another important step for American agriculture and for maintaining positive bilateral relations between the United States and Mexico, one of our most important export markets.”

Mexico’s Organic Products Law and regulations for organic production were implemented in April 2017. The regulations require all organic products sold in Mexico to be certified under the Mexican organic standards or to a standard that has been deemed equivalent under an organic equivalency arrangement.

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