The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Friday that it plans to withdraw rules adopted by the Obama administration that would have made it tougher for large-scale egg farms to earn organic certification.

The withdrawal would leave intact a loophole that allowed big factory farms to claim that a closed-in porch provides adequate outdoor access for tens of thousands of hens.

Smaller producers who provide open yards for egg-laying hens have complained that the loophole lets competitors reap the premium price of organic eggs without substantially changing their operations.

Livestock and poultry companies, however, complained that the rules went beyond the intent of the original law establishing organic certification, which covered only feed and medicine.

United Egg Producers, an industry advocacy group, said the withdrawal was the “one logical conclusion” for the USDA, because the agency's economic analysis suggested that the rule would have driven 45 percent of organic producers out of the market.