USDA Reorganization Raises Concerns for Organic Oversight

USDA has begun moving forward with a department-wide reorganization that would relocate roughly 2,600 of the 4,600 USDA employees currently based in the Washington, DC area to five regional hubs—Raleigh, NC; Kansas City, MO; Indianapolis, IN; Fort Collins, CO; and Salt Lake City, UT—by the end of 2026.

The process formally began in late February when USDA leadership announced plans to sell the USDA South Building, where National Organic Program (NOP) staff are currently located. USDA has not yet clarified which mission areas or agencies will be relocated, so it remains unclear how the NOP will be affected.

NOC has raised concerns that the reorganization could further destabilize the NOP and the critical role the NOP fulfills in overseeing organic certification. The NOP has already lost roughly one-third of its staff in the past year. Additional attrition could weaken oversight of organic standards and slow efforts to prevent fraud in organic supply chains. NOC has also emphasized the importance of maintaining coordination between the NOP and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which plays a key role in preventing fraudulent organic imports.

NOC will continue raising these concerns with USDA and Congress, including during our meeting with Under Secretary Dudley Hoskins at the upcoming NOC fly-in later this month.