EU and US strike organic certification deal

The partnership between the world’s two largest organic product producers will begin on 1 June 2012 and is expected to establish a strong foundation from which to promote organic agriculture, benefiting the growing organic industry and supporting jobs and businesses on a global scale. The organics sector in the US and EU is valued at roughly ?0 billion combined, and rising every year.

Previously, growers and companies wanting to trade products on both sides of the Atlantic had to obtain separate certifications to two standards, which meant a double set of fees, inspections, and paperwork. This partnership eliminates significant barriers, especially for small and medium-sized organic producers.

Formal letters creating the partnership were signed on February 15, 2012, in Nuremberg, Germany, by Dacian Ciolos, European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development; Kathleen Merrigan, U.S. Agriculture Deputy Secretary; and Ambassador Isi Siddiqui, U.S. Trade Representative Chief Agricultural Negotiator. The signing took place at the BioFach World Organic Fair, the largest trade show for organic products in the world.

“This agreement comes with a double added value,” said EU Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Dacian Ciolos. “On the one hand, organic farmers and food producers will benefit from easier access, with less bureaucracy and less costs, to both the U.S. and the EU markets, strengthening the competitiveness of this sector. In addition, it improves transparency on organic standards, and enhances consumers' confidence and recognition of our organic food and products. This partnership marks an important step, taking EU-U.S. agricultural trade relations to a new level of cooperation.”

“This partnership connects organic farmers and companies on both sides of the Atlantic with a wide range of new market opportunities,” added US Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan. “This partnership will open new markets for American farmers and ranchers, create more opportunities for small businesses, and result in good jobs for Americans who package, ship, and market organic products.”

Leading up to the agreement, both parties conducted thorough on-site audits to ensure that their programs' regulations, quality control measures, certification requirements, and labelling practices were compatible.

All products traded under the partnership must be shipped with an organic export certificate. This document will show the production location, identify the organization that certified the organic product, verify that prohibited substances and methods were not used, certify that the terms of the partnership were met, and allow traded products to be tracked.

Under the terms of the agreement, the US and the EU will continue to have regular discussions and will review each other's programs periodically to verify that the terms of the partnership are being met. The relevant parties will also begin to work on a series of cooperation initiatives to promote organic production and tackle important topics such as animal welfare and other issues. Both programs will share technical information and best practices on an ongoing basis to further enhance the integrity of organic crops and livestock production systems.

Currently, the agreement only covers products exported from and certified in the United States or the European Union.