AB 404: Department of Food and Agriculture: reporting requirements: certified organic operations.

Existing law, the California Organic Food and Farming Act, requires the Secretary of Food and Agriculture, county agricultural commissioners, and the State Public Health Officer of the State Department of Public Health to enforce state and federal laws governing the production, labeling, and marketing of organic products, as specified. Existing federal law establishes the National Organic Program, which requires operations that produce or handle organic agricultural products to comply with federal organic standards and be certified by a certifying agent, as specified.

This bill would require the Department of Food and Agriculture, contingent upon an appropriation of funds in the annual Budget Act or another statute, to evaluate duplicative reporting requirements that affect certified organic operations, as specified. The bill would require the department, on or before one year after the date that the Legislature makes an appropriation for this purpose, to submit a report to the Legislature, including suggestions to amend or remove unnecessary reporting requirements in order to relieve regulatory burdens on certified organic operations.