7 U.S.C. § 6503
Section 6503 · National organic production program
Amended 1 time on record
Applied in 10 court decisions — leading case 62 Cal. 4th 298 - Quesada v. Herb Thyme Farms, Inc. (2015)
Most recently applied in 370 F. Supp. 3d 98 - Organic Trade Ass'n v. U.S. Dep't of Agric. (February 2019)
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year.Markers show enactment, consequential amendments, and circuit splits over this section — watch for a citation surge after a change or a disagreement. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
The Secretary shall establish an organic certification program for producers and handlers of agricultural products that have been produced using organic methods as provided for in this chapter.
In establishing the program under subsection (a) of this section, the Secretary shall permit each State to implement a State organic certification program for producers and handlers of agricultural products that have been produced using organic methods as provided for in this chapter.
In developing the program under subsection (a) of this section, and the National List under section 6517 of this title, the Secretary shall consult with the National Organic Standards Board established under section 6518 of this title.
The Secretary shall implement the program established under subsection (a) of this section through certifying agents. Such certifying agents may certify a farm or handling operation that meets the requirements of this chapter and the requirements of the organic certification program of the State (if applicable) as an organically certified farm or handling operation.