The National Organic Standards Board has scheduled its spring meetings in April with discussion to include several products of import to the tree fruit industry — and the Northwest Horticultural Council is urging growers to comment.

Several products are up for sunset review, the five-year point when the board must review a substance on the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances to confirm that it continues to meet all required criteria. Those substances, and their approved uses, up for sunset review include:

—Ozone gas – Irrigation system, cleaner only.

—Peracetic acid – Disinfectant, fire blight.

—EPA List 3 Inerts – For use in passive pheromone dispensers only.

—Calcium hypochlorite (Chlorine) – Algaecide/sanitizer/disinfectant.

—Chlorine dioxide (Chlorine) – Algaecide/sanitizer/disinfectant.

—Hypochlorous acid (Chlorine) – Algaecide/sanitizer/disinfectant.

—Sodium Hypochlorite (Chlorine) – Algaecide/sanitizer/disinfectant.

—Magnesium oxide – For use to control the viscosity of clay suspension agent for humates.

In addition, the board will discuss the potential use of kasugamycin to control fire blight in organic apples and pears.

The NOSB 2021 spring meeting will take place virtually with public comment webinars on Tuesday, April 20 and Thursday, April 22 (noon to 5 p.m. EDT both days). Anyone interested in making oral comments must sign up in advance to do so. Registration is open and will close April 5. To register, visit www.ams.usda.gov/event/national-organic-standards-board-nosb-meeting-crystal-city-va-0#Form.

The deadline to submit written comments is 11:59 p.m. April 5. Written comments may be submitted via Regulations.gov at https://www.regulations.gov/search?filter=ams-nop-20-0089.

The board’s public meeting days will be April 28–30.

To track meetings and materials up for sunset review, growers can sign up for the National Organic Program’s email notification service, the Organic Insider, and watch for alerts from NHC and other industry groups.

Online:

To sign up for email notifications from the Organic Insider, go to: www.ams.usda.gov/reports/organic-insider

For more information about the National Organic Standards Board meetings, go to: www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/organic/nosb/meetings

—by Shannon Dininny