The United States facilitates trade with many other trading partners. This opens new markets and provides diversity for consumers.
The National Organic Program works with the Foreign Agricultural Service and Office of the United States Trade Representative to establish international trade arrangements for organic products. The most common type of organic trade arrangement is an organic equivalency arrangement.
Trade opportunities for USDA organic operations vary by an operation’s physical location.
How Does USDA Assess Organic Equivalency with other Countries?
Exporting U.S. Organic Products to:
Canada | European Union | Taiwan | Japan | Korea | Switzerland | United Kingdom
Overview: Exporting Organic Products from the U.S.
Importing Foreign Organic Products from:
Canada | European Union | Taiwan | India | Israel | Japan | New Zealand | Korea | Switzerland | Mexico | United Kingdom
Overview: Importing Organic Products to the U.S.
Notice to Trade: USDA Reminds Organic Importers of Requirements
Trade Documentation
- Exporting USDA organic products to Taiwan + Japan | eTDE export certificate
- Exporting USDA organic products to the EU and Switzerland
- Electronic Organic Import Certificate
- Importing EU + Japan organic products to the U.S. | Instructions
- NAQS Import Certificate of Organic Processed Foods for Korea (pdf) | Q&As for Korea- U.S. Equivalence Arrangement (pdf) | eTDE export certificate
- Export certificates using eTDE - Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and Mexico | eTDE Fact Sheet
- TRAde Control and Expert System (TRACES):
Compliance & Enforcement
The National Organic Program is committed to protecting organic integrity through the following activities:
- Audits of certifying agents to ensure appropriate monitoring of organic products
- Annual on-site inspections of approximately 30,000 organic operations by certifying agents
- Residue testing program to verify that prohibited pesticides aren’t being applied to organic crops
- Compliance and enforcement activities, including suspending or revoking organic certificates for regulatory non-compliance
- Issue-based investigations (e.g. country- or commodity-specific)