IFOAM EU Group installed a new info page on the revision of the organic EC Regulation

IFOAM wants that procedures for transparent and formalised stakeholder involvement at all levels are established. Relevant documents should be accessible to the public with sufficient time for proper consultation and response. The authorities should report publicly on these consultations. The scope should extend to cover all products of organic agriculture, including textiles, cosmetics and managed wild animals. The objectives and principles of the new organic EU-regulation should be further developed in line with those decided by the independant organic sector.

Further propositions of the IFOAM EU group are:

The same level of protection of the term “organic”, as in the existing regulation, must be kept. Even inferring organic should be covered.

More centralised decision making

- The decision making structure must not transfer power away from member states to the Commission (article 31). The existing regulatory committee should remain.

More centralised certification

- The official food and feed controls (regulation 882/2004) fundamentally changes the framework and scope of the organic inspection system. At the very least, its special requirements must be specifically stated, and must be controlled, within the organic regulation. Also the proposal should use the terminology of Codex, not food control.

Restrictions on advertising claims

The new restrictions on the labelling and advertising organic products (article 20) must go!

Restrictions on private logos

There can be no interference with a private body’s right to control the issuing of its own logo (article 24.3).

GMOs must be excluded

The defacto 0.9% contamination level of organic products (from the GM labelling regulation) is not acceptable.

Flexibility

The criteria for flexibility should be clear and transparent, and must not distort trade. They should be incorporated in the regulation.

Positive lists

The lists of allowed inputs should be explicitly referenced. Decision criteria should be incorporated in the regulation, based on IFOAM criteria and the results of the EU-funded Organic Inputs Evaluation project.

Imports

Import authorisation should reflect Codex wording, which would allow acceptance on the basis of IFOAM accreditation.

www.ifoam.org/about_ifoam/around_world/eu_group/Revision_info_page.html