As used in this act:
  (a) “Michigan organic standards” means those organic production and handling standards defined by this act, rules adopted under this act, or both, that are designed to combine organic production or handling practices and an audit trail that will ensure the integrity of organic products from the producer to the consumer.

Terms Used In Michigan Laws 286.907

  • Agricultural product: means any agricultural commodity or product, whether raw or processed, including any commodity or product derived from livestock that is marketed for human or livestock use or consumption. See Michigan Laws 286.903
  • Certifying agent: means an entity registered by the department that certifies production or handling operations or portions of production or handling operations as meeting the Michigan organic standards. See Michigan Laws 286.903
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Handler: means any person engaged in the business of handling agricultural products as organic products including producers who handle crops or livestock of their own production. See Michigan Laws 286.905
  • Handling operation: means any operation or portion of an operation that sells, transports, receives, or otherwise acquires agricultural products as organic products and processes, packages, or stores such organic products. See Michigan Laws 286.905
  • Ionizing radiation: means gamma-ray emissions from radioactive isotopes such as cobalt-60 or cesium-137; x-rays; electron beams; or any other radiation capable of altering a food's molecular structure, used for purposes that include, but are not limited to, controlling microbes, pathogens, parasites, and pests in food, preserving a food, or inhibiting physiological processes such as sprouting or ripening. See Michigan Laws 286.905
  • Labeling: means all labels and other written, printed, or graphic matter upon an article or any of its containers or wrappers or accompanying the article. See Michigan Laws 286.905
  • Livestock: means any cattle, sheep, goat, swine, poultry, captive cervidae, ratites, or equine animals used for food, fiber, feed, or other agricultural based consumer products, wild or domesticated game, or other nonplant life including fish or bees. See Michigan Laws 286.905
  • Organic: means a labeling term referring to an agricultural product produced in accordance with the standards described in this act, rules adopted under this act, or both. See Michigan Laws 286.907
  • Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
  • Person: means an individual, group of individuals, contractor, corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, cooperative, community supported agricultural entity, or any other legal entity. See Michigan Laws 286.907
  • Producer: means a person who engages in the business of growing or producing agricultural products. See Michigan Laws 286.907
  • Sewage sludge: means solid, semisolid, liquid, or ash residue generated during treatment of domestic or industrial sewage in a treatment works. See Michigan Laws 286.909
  • Synthetic: means a substance that is formulated or manufactured by a chemical process or by a process that chemically changes a substance extracted from naturally occurring plant, animal, or mineral sources except those substances created by naturally occurring biological processes. See Michigan Laws 286.909
  (b) “Organic” means a labeling term referring to an agricultural product produced in accordance with the standards described in this act, rules adopted under this act, or both.
  (c) “Organic advisory committee” means the committee created under section 25.
  (d) “Organic agriculture” means an agricultural management system that enhances biodiversity, biological cycles, and soil biological activity to produce healthy plants and animals and fosters human and environmental health. Organic agriculture does not include the use of synthetic chemicals, genetically modified organisms, sewage sludge, and ionizing radiation, or any combination of those substances.
  (e) “Organic plan” means a plan of management of an organic production or handling operation that has been agreed to by the producer or handler and the certifying agent and that includes written plans concerning all aspects of agricultural production and handling as described in this act, rules adopted under this act, or both.
  (f) “Organic product” means agricultural products including, but not limited to, crops, livestock, livestock products, or other agricultural products that are produced organically for human or livestock use or consumption. Organic products does not include personal care products.
  (g) “Person” means an individual, group of individuals, contractor, corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, cooperative, community supported agricultural entity, or any other legal entity.
  (h) “Processing” means processes that include, but are not limited to, cooking, baking, heating, drying, mixing, grinding, churning, separating, extracting, cutting, fermenting, eviscerating, preserving, dehydrating, freezing, or other manufacturing process and includes the packaging, canning, jarring, or otherwise enclosing of food in a container.
  (i) “Producer” means a person who engages in the business of growing or producing agricultural products.
  (j) “Prohibited substance” means a substance whose use in any aspect of organic production or handling is prohibited or not provided for under this act, rules adopted under this act, or both.