The National Organic Program regulations specify requirements for livestock products to be sold, labeled or represented as organic. Organic management of livestock includes:
- requiring organically produced livestock feed and forage,
- prohibiting the use of antibiotics and hormones,
- maintaining specific living conditions including access to pasture for ruminants and access to the outside, direct sunlight, fresh air, and freedom of movement for all livestock, and
- practicing preventive health care to minimize occurrence and spread of diseases and parasites.
Organic livestock producers must also develop an organic system plan, maintain production records, and undergo annual on-site inspections to verify compliance with the organic regulations.
All animal agriculture systems, whether organic or conventional, must consider the dry matter demand and nutritional requirements of the class of animal for its given stage of life. One key difference with organic animal agriculture systems is that all ruminant systems must be pasture-based (i.e., actively grazing on a daily basis during the grazing season and have access to the outdoors and not be confined during the non-grazing season). Many conventional livestock systems are also pasture-based but are not required to be pasturebased.