Organic works because consumers believe the USDA Organic seal means something real. That trust is not incidental. It is the foundation of a voluntary, market-based system that allows farmers, ranchers, brands, retailers, and supply chains to invest in organic production and benefit from doing so.
That is why the Organic Trade Association and a broad group of organic stakeholders are urging USDA to retain animal welfare and preserve the Organic Livestock and Poultry Standards (OLPS) as a critical component of the National Organic Standards.
For organic animal agriculture, animal welfare is not an ancillary issue. In addition to being the right thing to do, maintaining strict animal welfare standards is directly tied to consumer expectations, brand integrity, and marketplace value. When consumers choose organic eggs, dairy, meat, poultry, or products made with organic animal ingredients, they expect the USDA Organic seal to represent a meaningful and consistent standard they can trust.
OTA consumer research reinforces that point. Among consumers who regularly purchase organic products, 67.4 percent say organic products protect animal welfare. Among Millennials, a key organic consumer segment with high importance and willingness to pay for organic, 60.6 percent say organic protects animal welfare – regardless of their organic purchasing frequency or income.
Those expectations matter because they help make the organic market grow. Forecast to reach $100 billion by 2030, the U.S. organic sector reached $76.6 billion in 2025, growing 6.8 percent year over year, a pace double that of the total comparable marketplace. Within that market, organic dairy and eggs reached $9.6 billion, growing 12.8 percent, while organic meat, poultry, and seafood reached $3.1 billion, growing 22.5 percent. Organic eggs alone grew 22.4 percent in 2025.
Producers are also investing in organic animal agriculture. OTA’s analysis of the USDA National Organic Program Organic Integrity Database shows certified organic layer operations increased from 1,457 in 2023 to 1,701 in 2025, a 17 percent increase. Certified organic broiler operations increased from 474 to 533 over the same period, a 12 percent increase. This significant growth occurred after the Organic Livestock and Poultry Standards were published, a key indicator of the positive impact of the regulations on the organic sector.
A rollback of OLPS would not be viewed by the marketplace as a narrow technical change. It would be understood as a retreat from a core expectation tied to the production of organic livestock products. That risk extends beyond any single sector. It would affect dairy, eggs, broilers, beef, retailers, and brands using organic animal ingredients. Ultimately, every business that depends on the strength and credibility of the USDA Organic seal would be impacted.
USDA’s own analysis has recognized how high the stakes are. In issuing OLPS in 2023, USDA concluded that “inconsistent application of organic livestock standards contributed to consumer confusion, information asymmetry, market failure, unfair competition, and risk to the integrity of the organic label.” The purpose of OLPS is to provide greater consistency, support fair competition, and protect consumer confidence.
OTA recognizes that, as with any regulation, there may be opportunities over time to assess and ensure standards work well in practice for producers and the marketplace. However, fully rescinding OLPS is the wrong tool at the wrong time. A broad rollback would create uncertainty, invite confusion, and weaken producer value in an already thriving sector where trust and differentiation are essential to continued growth.
Organic consumers want standards that mean something. Protecting animal welfare in organic is not only about maintaining a regulation. It is about protecting the promise of the USDA Organic seal, maintaining the confidence of organic consumers, and realizing the market opportunity organic businesses have built from farm to marketplace.