---
kind: "section"
citation: "7 U.S.C. § 6514"
title: "7"
title_heading: "Agriculture"
number: "6514"
heading: "Accreditation program"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/7/6514"
units:
  - "Chapter 94 — Organic Certification"
---

# §6514. Accreditation program

- (a) **In general—** The [Secretary](/usc/7/6502.md?p=20) shall establish and implement a program to accredit a [governing State official](/usc/7/6502.md?p=7), and any private [person](/usc/7/6502.md?p=16), that meets the requirements of this section as a [certifying agent](/usc/7/6502.md?p=3-A) for the purpose of certifying a farm or [handling operation](/usc/7/6502.md?p=10) as a [certified organic farm](/usc/7/6502.md?p=4) or [handling operation](/usc/7/6502.md?p=10).
- (b) **Requirements—** To be accredited as a [certifying agent](/usc/7/6502.md?p=3-A) under this section, a [governing State official](/usc/7/6502.md?p=7) or private [person](/usc/7/6502.md?p=16) shall—
  - (1) prepare and submit, to the [Secretary](/usc/7/6502.md?p=20), an application for such accreditation;
  - (2) have sufficient expertise in organic farming and handling techniques as determined by the [Secretary](/usc/7/6502.md?p=20); and
  - (3) comply with the requirements of this section and [section 6515 of this title](/usc/7/6515.md).
- (c) **Additional documentation and verification—** The [Secretary](/usc/7/6502.md?p=20), acting through the Deputy Administrator of the national organic program established under this chapter, has the authority, and shall grant a [certifying agent](/usc/7/6502.md?p=3-A) the authority, to require [producers](/usc/7/6502.md?p=19) and [handlers](/usc/7/6502.md?p=9) to provide additional documentation or verification before granting a certification under [section 6503 of this title](/usc/7/6503.md), in the case of a compliance risk with respect to meeting the national standards for organic production established under [section 6504 of this title](/usc/7/6504.md), as determined by the [Secretary](/usc/7/6502.md?p=20) or the [certifying agent](/usc/7/6502.md?p=3-A).
- (d) **Accreditation of foreign organic certification program—**
  - (1) **In general—** For an [agricultural product](/usc/7/6502.md?p=1) being imported into the United States to be represented as [organically produced](/usc/7/6502.md?p=15), the [Secretary](/usc/7/6502.md?p=20) shall require the [agricultural product](/usc/7/6502.md?p=1) to be accompanied by a complete and valid national organic import certificate, which shall be available as an electronic record.
  - (2) **Tracking system—**
    - (A) **In general—** The [Secretary](/usc/7/6502.md?p=20) shall establish a system to track national organic import certificates.
    - (B) **Integration—** In establishing the system under [subparagraph (A)](#d-2-A), the [Secretary](/usc/7/6502.md?p=20) may integrate the system into any existing information tracking systems for imports of [agricultural products](/usc/7/6502.md?p=1).
- (e) **Duration of accreditation—** An accreditation made under this section—
  - (1) subject to [paragraph (2)](#e-2), shall be for a period of not more than 5 years, as determined appropriate by the [Secretary](/usc/7/6502.md?p=20);
  - (2) in the case of a [certifying agent](/usc/7/6502.md?p=3-A) operating in a foreign country, shall be for a period of time that is consistent with the certification of a domestic [certifying agent](/usc/7/6502.md?p=3-A), as determined appropriate by the [Secretary](/usc/7/6502.md?p=20); and
  - (3) may be renewed.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 101–624, title XXI, § 2115, Nov. 28, 1990, 104 Stat. 3944; Pub. L. 115–334, title X, § 10104(c), Dec. 20, 2018, 132 Stat. 4900.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Amendments

2018—Subsecs. (c) to (e). Pub. L. 115–334 added subsecs. (c) to (e) and struck out former subsec. (c). Prior to amendment, text of subsec. (c) read as follows: “An accreditation made under this section shall be for a period of not to exceed 5 years, as determined appropriate by the Secretary, and may be renewed.”