H.R. 9423: Organic Imports Verification Act of 2026

This bill would require the U.S. Department of Agriculture, through the Agricultural Marketing Service, to do more monitoring of imported organic feedstuffs that arrive in bulk form. In plain terms, it sets up a system for the government to identify certain imported organic animal feed ingredients, test them for chemical residues, and report the results to Congress every year.

What products are covered

The bill focuses on organic feedstuffs that are:

• imported into the United States,
• shipped in bulk rather than in packaged goods, and
• covered by a National Organic Program import certificate.

It also allows the testing program to apply to other imported organic feedstuffs that meet those same bulk-shipment and certification conditions.

What USDA would have to do

The Secretary of Agriculture would have to create and regularly update risk-based protocols to decide which imported organic feedstuffs should be tested each year. Those protocols would also set the testing details, such as:

• how often testing happens,
• how much product is tested,
• what type of testing is used,
• who is responsible for doing the testing, and
• other needed parameters.

To develop these protocols, USDA would consult with the Department of Homeland Security and an existing interagency working group on organic imports.

Annual testing and reporting

Each year, USDA would create a confidential list of imported organic feedstuffs selected for residue testing. The list itself would not be made public. USDA would then carry out residue testing on every item on that annual list.

Within 180 days after the bill becomes law, and every year after that, USDA would have to send Congress a report covering the testing done during the previous year. The report would include:

• how often testing was done,
• what methods were used,
• the test results,
• the standards used to interpret those results, and
• any actions taken based on the results.

What happens if a shipment fails testing

If testing finds a detectable prohibited substance above the allowed level under the federal organic program, or under a state organic program that is equivalent, then that shipment would not be allowed to be sold as organic. It could not be sold, labeled, or represented as organically produced.

Relevant Companies

None found.