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E-News Service : April 2007
Welcome to
the April, 2007 issue of the email update service provided by the IOAS and
prepared specifically for regulatory authorities and related bodies active
in the oversight of the organic food and farming sector. The mailing is now
going to over 500 professionals in this sector. Its purpose is to provide
regular, clear and concise information about the IOAS, its work and the
wider organic regulatory world. Please pass it on to any colleagues you
think may be interested or request that it be sent direct to your desktop.
There is no charge, the distribution list is anonymous and unsubscribing can
be done at any time just by responding to authorities@ioas.org
Ecoland of Germany
signed their IFOAM accreditation contract at the BioFach trade fair in
Nuremberg, Germany in February and became the thirty sixth accredited body
under IOAS surveillance. Ecoland are based in Schwäbisch Hall in
Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The contact for general enquiries is Marcus
Wewer on info@ecoland.de
Smallholder groups
- although the USDA have not issued a formal, written notice on the topic,
certifiers at a NOP training meeting were informed in January that products
certified based upon internal control systems which delegate control tasks
in part to the operator organisation would not be accepted under the NOP.
The decision appears to have emerged from an appeal case ruling of October
2006 that was dealt with by USDA and only recently (March 15, 2007)
published on the NOP web site at http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/Compliance/AppealsSummaries/Sept05-Mar07.pdf
Based on an appeal by a Mexican group against their certifying agent, the
ruling was reported as finding 'the certifying agent's policies and
procedures for the certification of community grower groups were deemed
inconsistent with the NOP and had been implemented prematurely prior to
evaluation by the NOP' and concluded that the 'use of an internal inspection
system as a proxy for mandatory on-site inspections of each production unit
by the certifying agent is not permitted.'
At a recent meeting at the
end of March 2007, the National Organic Standards Board discussed
recommendations that the NOP implement rule changes to: 1. amend the
definition of 'non-agricultural substance' for more consistent application;
2. allow for the production of organic aquatic species; 3. consideration of
new materials in crop production and processing. For details of the status
of decision making on new materials, see http://www.ams.usda.gov/nosb/MeetingAgendas/March07/InstructionsForReviewingMaterialsRecs03_07.html
EU - Revision of New
Approach - On 14 february 2007, the European Commission adopted its
proposals for a Council and European Parliament Regulation and Decision
within the framework of the revision of the new approach and which is now
currently under consideration by the European Parliament and the Council of
Ministers. The Commission Proposal organises accreditation at the national
and European levels; irrespective of the different sectors of activity in
which accreditation is used. The proposal 'insists on the public authority
nature of accreditation in order for it to be the last level of public
authority control, and sets the framework for the recognition of the
existing organisation European co-operation for Accreditation (EA) so as to
ensure the proper functioning of a rigorous peer evaluation.' The proposal
also introduces market surveillance and intervention measures and relies on
customs authorities for controlling products from third countries. The
proposal specifically mentions that these new arrangements will cover
organic products. See http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/newapproach/review_en.htm
IFOAM have just
released for comment the first draft version of a fundamental element of the
revised Organic Guarantee System – the IFOAM Benchmark for Standards,
which is a document resulting from the revision of the IFOAM Basic Standards
(IBS)'. The 'Benchmark Standards' are 'something different from organic
standards that function directly for producers and processors. Instead the
IBS is a baseline and a benchmark – the means to measure if organic
standards meet the principles and objectives of organic agriculture and to
identify those that do. As a consequence, all standards that meet the
benchmark are eligible to be included into the Family of Organic Standards.
The document is available at http://www.ifoam.org/about_ifoam/standards/OGS_Revision/IBS_Revision_Draft_20070416.doc
IOAS training -
further courses on 'Assessment of organic certification bodies' are planned
for 2007. The first course (in English) will be held at the Research Station
for Organic Agriculture (FiBL) in Frick, Switzerland on 17-20th September
followed by an optional study tour of organic enterprises arranged by FiBL.
A further course is being planned in Spanish in South or Central America and
is likely to take place in November 2007. Contact IOAS at training@ioas.org
for more information and application forms.
The Training Manual developed for
the IOAS trainings on assessment of organic certification bodies has been
published and is now available for downloading from the IFOAM web site. The
Manual attempts to provide a comprehensive introduction to all relevant
fields related to the assessment of organic certification bodies. It is not
a guide for inspectors of organic farms and factories, although some of the
information may well be of interest. The Training Manual addresses trainers
and resource persons who are engaged in training activities on assessment
and accreditation. It can be used to facilitate trainings for assessors and
accreditation staff and their trainers but will also be of interest to
personnel working in government authorities with responsibility for
regulation and oversight of the organic sector in their country, to those
with emerging organic sectors and also to certification bodies themselves.
Go to: http://shop.ifoam.org/bookstore/index.php?cPath=64_68
The ISEAL
Alliance is seeking an auditor to complete a set of two audits of
accreditation bodies for compliance with ISO/IEC 17011:2004. The audits will
each consist of a document review and office site visit and will take place
in three separate pieces, tentatively set for May, July and November. For
more information please contact Patrick Mallet at patrick@isealalliance.org
The call for tenders with full application details is available at: www.isealalliance.org/index.cfmfuseaction=document.showDocumentByID&nodeID=1&DocumentID=296
The IOAS wishes to
appoint an additional full-time staff member as Client Manager to
work as part of the current team. Persons that meet the attached job
requirements should send a letter of application with their curriculum vitae
to Susan Hepper at hepper@ioas.org
by May 8th.
A second Organic
Marketing Forum will take place on the 14th and 15th of May 2007 in
Warsaw, Poland. The deadline for registration is the 26th of April 2007.
See more details and registration forms at www.ekoconnect.org
Call for comments -
IOAS invite comments on the performance (relevant to accreditation norms) of
the following certification bodies, about to or are, currently undergoing
evaluation or re-evaluation: Biokontroll of Hungary, CCOF of USA, IMC of
Italy, Soil Association Certification of UK (all against IFOAM Norms) and
Agrior of Israel, Organska Kontrola, Bosnia & Herzegovina, OCIA of USA,
TanCert of Tanzania and UgoCert of Uganda (against IFOAM and ISO65).
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