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E-News Service : February 2008
Welcome
to the February, 2008 issue of the E-NEWS 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. There is no charge, the distribution list is
anonymous and unsubscribing can be done at any time just by responding to
crucefix@ioas.org
The IOAS
is pleased to announce two new
applications for accreditation. One is from
Ecocert-Afrisco (Pty) Ltd based
in South Africa which has applied for accreditation against IFOAM Norms,
ISO/IEC Guide 65 and EU equivalence. The second application is from
CONU
– the Center for Environment-Friendly Agricultural Product Certification
based in Guangju, South Korea which has applied for accreditation against
IFOAM Norms. The contact persons are Diana Callear (afrisco@global.co.za)
and Oksoo Han (oshan@chonam.ac.kr)
respectively. Welcome to both organisations.
Under
the Canadian Organic Regime (COR),
due to be fully implemented towards the end of 2008, the Canadian Food
Inspection Agency (CFIA) is currently conducting a review of the IOAS in
response to our application to be an approved accreditation agent. The site
visit is due in March. The initial list of approved accreditation agents is
due to be published in April after which certification bodies will be
invited to apply. The IOAS have prepared a question and answer document on
the COR for certification bodies which is now posted on our web site at
www.ioas.org/corqa.htm
On
November 16, 2007 the European Commission
published draft
detailed import rules
which, once finalised, will eventually be brought under a separate
regulation. The rules provide a clearer idea on the various compliance and
equivalence routes for product entry into Europe. In December and January
the Commission has been further consulting with sector experts. It is
anticipated that the final regulation will be published around July 2008.
The IOAS has prepared a question and answer document on the new import rules
for certification bodies which is now posted on our web site at
www.ioas.org/euroeq.htm
The IOAS
will, as usual, be attending BioFach,
Nuremberg in Gemany on February 21-24, 2008 and invite any
certifiers to come and talk with us about how the IOAS can assist them in
preparing themselves for the above-mentioned changes in Canada and Europe.
You may make an appointment by emailing Susan Hepper on
info@ioas.org or just come by our display in Hall 1, stand 341.
The
recent meeting of the Standing Committee on Organic Farming has approved a
new logo for use on organic products in
Europe. To view the logo go to the IOAS
web site.
In the
USA the debate on smallholder group
certification continues. The November 2007 meeting of the
National Organic Standards Board in the USA recommended a
broadening of the concept of grower groups to include other types of
multi-site operations like handlers and retailers and producer groups in
developed countries. The USDA NOP will consider the recommendation further
in 2008. The public comments on the topic have been added to the NOP web
site (view
here) and opinions are split down the middle.
At the 7th
meeting of the International
Task force on Harmonisation in Bali, Indonesia on 27-30 November
the International Requirements for Organic Certification Bodies (IROCB) were
further discussed and final issues resolved. In order to bring the IROCB to
the attention of governments the meeting proposed ITF should advocate to the
ISO CASCO group working on revision of ISO65 and to Codex Alimentarius to
consider the document. Meanwhile IFOAM will house the document after the ITF
disbands in 2008 until a more permanent home can be found. View latest draft
of IROCB document
here.
IOAS is
proposing to offer the following training
during 2008:
‘Management of Organic Certification’ and ‘Assessment of Organic
Certification Bodies’ on Sept 24-26 and Sept 29 – Oct 2 respectively at FiBL,
Frick, Switzerland. A second course on ‘Management of Organic Certification’
is also proposed in November 19-21 for a location in South East Asia to be
decided. Please check for details and registration forms on the IOAS
web site.
Following the appointment of Angela Jackson in July 2007 and due to
continued expansion, the IOAS is again wanting to
appoint a further Client Manager
to join our team. Please visit our web site for
details. The closing date for applications is February 20, 2008.
During
2007, and after consultation, the IOAS has fully adopted the International
Accreditation Forum (IAF) guidelines on ISO/IEC Guide 65. One of the
requirements for IOAS accredited certifiers against ISO65 is the need for
operator certificates to bear the name or
logo of the IOAS. Certifiers have until December 31, 2008 to
implement this change. The measure is aimed at bringing greater clarity on
whether an operation or product is within the scope of accreditation.
The logos of the following certifiers
IFOAM
Accredited programmes have changed in the last year: AsureQuality, New
Zealand, CCOF, USA, LETIS, Argentina, WSDA, USA. Please visit the IOAS web
site
www.ioas.org/acbs.htm to see up to date details of each IOAS accredited
certification body and the logo that relates to the accredited programme.
Only products or certificates bearing the relevant programme logo or name
are assured as under IOAS suveillance.
Comments
on the performance and compliance with relevant norms are invited on the
following certification bodies which are undergoing, or about to undergo,
assessment or reassessment: TECPAR, Brasil (IFOAM), Ecoinspect, Rumania
(ISO65), WSDA, USA (IFOAM & ISO65), Naturland, Germany (IFOAM), OIA,
Argentina (IFOAM), JONA, Japan (IFOAM & ISO65), BIOS, Italy (IFOAM), BIO-GRO,
New Zealand (IFOAM), ACT, Thailand (IFOAM & ISO65), Bioagricert, Italy (IFOAM),
Ecocert-Afrisco, S.Africa (IFOAM and ISO65), CONU, S.Korea (IFOAM)
Complaints
are also invited on the work of both IOAS and accredited certification
bodies. Complaints should be submitted in writing, providing as much detail
as possible on the issue. The IOAS complaints policies can be found
here.
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