Organic Market Access and Trade Barriers

ecology
nr 5 // November 2011

farming
AND

THE
STORY
OF THE
GLOBAL
ORGANIC
MARKET
ACCESS

REDUCING
TRADE
BARRIERS
NIGERIA THE SLEEPING ORGANIC GIANT

BCS Öko-Garantie GmbH - the

BCS - the Number 1 - for worldwide certification of organic products
according to different standards.

BCS certifies more than 500.000 farmers and over 1.400 processors,
importers and exporters worldwide. Our services cover all vital agricultural
cultivations and the majority of all relevant processing industries.

Several market leaders are among the companies serviced by BCS.

organic certifier Number 1

We extend our services permanently to serve you best:
1-Stop-Shopping with the certifier Number 1: BCS

Please contact us with your requirements and wishes: info@bcs-oeko.de
or visit our website at: www.bcs-oeko.com

Yours sincerely, Peter Grosch, General Manager and
Feben Dufera Grosch, Coordination Africa

DECember 2011 // NR 5 Table
of Con
tents
economy & market organic&health

The
8 story of the Global 15 ntibiotics
A in agriculture:
Organic Market Access Organic practices lead the way in A
30 need for harmoniza-
project reducing their use. tion across Europe?
Reducing barriers to international By Peter Brul Certification of organic catering.
trade. By Diane Bowen. By Melanie Lukas, Carola Strassner
20 ix
S expert opinions on Country report Anne-Kristin Løes
reducing trade barriers 33 hich
W organic labels do
EF asked six experts if we can 16 igeria
N consumers prefer?
reduce trade barriers through equi- The sleeping organic giant of Africa. Consumer recognition and willing-
valence and at the same time main- By Mike Johnson ness to pay for different labels.
tain organic integrity in the markets. 36 he
T organic sector grows By Meike Janssen
By Diane Bowen Peter Brul in Korea 44 he
T ifoam family of
10,000+ organic farms. standards
By Gunnar Rungren global tool for multi-lateral
A
equivalence.
standards certification By Joëlle Katto-Andrighetto

24 apid
R progress in deve-
loping an Asian regional
organic standard. And more....
Asian regional standards. Editorial 5
By Jon Manhire News 6
events 27 uilding
B an ‘African- Column by
owned’ certification Gunnar Rundgren 7
12 apunzel
R supports “Futu- standard Calendar 51
re makers” East Africa’s regional standards.

One World Award. By Gila Kriegisch By Gunnar Rundgren

40 rganic
O World Congress
The IFOAM General Assembly.
By Denise Godinho

The Organic World
Congress in South Korea
attracted nearly 2000
participants from 76
countries exchanging
knowledge, research and
ideas. During the General
Assembly of IFOAM, a new
World Board was elected.
EF reports on both events.

introduction

Denise Godinho Peter Brul

Opening pathways for organic trade
For most organic operators seeking to get their Notwithstanding the challenges, much has
products onto international markets, the world been achieved. The GOMA Project (co-ordina-
of certification can be a daunting one. Where ted by IFOAM, FAO UNCTAD) has contribu-
there are no multilateral agreements, multiple ted to reducing trade barriers and, as the title
certification can often be the only option. This of its 2012 conference indicates, is working
increases the costs of accessing foreign mar- to help the flow of good organic products.
kets and hampers the expansion of organic IFOAM’s Family of Standards draws the line
production and consumption worldwide. between standards that are organic and those
At a time when the contribution of small-scale that, after assessment, are considered to not
farmers to the world’s food security is increa- meet organic standards. Participatory Guaran-
singly being recognized, the reduction of trade tee Systems (PGS) are slowly starting to be
barriers is crucial – to avoid these farmers accepted as a conformity assessment permit-
being excluded from potentially remunerative ted under organic regulations. Earlier this year
value chains. they were recognized by the Brazilian Govern-
The organic sector has always faced the dif- ment. IFOAM’s recently published policy
ficult task of keeping the delicate balance bet- briefing ‘How governments can support PGS’
ween providing reliable assurance systems with highlights how governments can promote the
formal rules that allow us to confidently classify growth of the organic sector thereby, creating
a product as organic, and – staying true to its jobs and improving livelihoods in the agricultu-
roots – facilitating the inclusion of small-scale ral sector.
organic farmers in strategies for accessing glo- There are few sectors that can pride themsel-
bal markets. ves on being as diverse the organic one. Yet
And never has the importance of preserving with this diversity comes responsibility: the res-
organic credibility and achieving consumer ponsibility to not leave behind - in the pursuit
loyalty, through a unified understanding of of profit – small scale farmers, the often mar-
the values of the organic sector been greater. ginalised backbone of the world’s food supply
Fraud, a multiplicty of eco-labels and standards system. We have a responsibility to continually
that settle for sub-optimal requirements – see- raise the bar and improve organic practices
mingly to fast-track ‘organic’ results – all call and to share the lessons we learn with others,
into question the viability of translating our four so that our successes can be multiplied.
principles – ecology, health, fairness and care – In the organic world this job is never done. But
into practice. we would not have it any other way.

ECOLOGY FARMING | 5-2011 5

// Building Confidence:
USDA NOP visits Chinese products including spirulina (algae), tea, quick
certification bodies and frozen vegetables, peanuts, soybeans, strawber-
authorities ries and other fruits and vegetables. Several sam-
ples of these products were collected, shipped
The USDA National Organic Program recently published a and subsequently tested for pesticide residues
report of its on-site assessment of four USDA accreditation and at the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service
certification bodies and of a meeting with officials from the Cer- (AMS) Field Laboratory Services in North Caro-
tification and Accreditation Administration of China (CNCA) that lina. NOP auditors also collected information
was held in November 2010. regarding the regulatory and research system
surrounding China’s growing organic industry.
The report, which was largely favourable, des- The report states that the auditors found “a well-
cribed assessments of the activities of the four educated and dedicated certifying agency staff
European-based, NOP accredited, certification managing an organic certification system in a
bodies operating in China (EcoCert S.A., BCS dynamic and complex environment”. The NOP
Öeko Garantie GMBH, Institute for Marketeco- auditors also noted that the accredited certify-
logy -IMO and Certification of Environmental ing agencies were competent, professional and
Standards - CERES). NOP auditors visited the committed to protecting organic integrity. They
Chinese branch offices of the four certifying noted that the certifying agencies carried out

News
agents and reviewed their certification and com- frequent inspections (both announced and unan-
pliance activities. Inspections of certified opera- nounced), had robust pesticide residue sampling
tions were conducted in the provinces of Fujian, programmes, competent inspectors, knowledge
Hunan and Shandong, regions that produce or of multiple organic standards and organisatio-
handle (i.e. process or export) a wide range of nal support and assistance from their parent

// UN Accepts IFOAM In anticipation of the Right2Know Wilhelm believes that consumers
Declaration to Label march from New York to Washington have the right to know whether the
Genetically Modified D.C. October 1 – 16, representa- food they buy is genetically altered.
Foods tives of the International Organic “20 percent of all manufactured foods
Agriculture (IFOAM) presented a in the US contains genetically modi-
Bonn/New York, special declaration to the United fied ingredients,” Wilhelm said. “We
r
October 1, 2011 Nations. The declaration requests that hope the Right2Know march will
the United Nations commit all of its raise consumer awareness and influ-
member nations to a world without ence US legislators to require that
genetically modified foods and to labels indicate whether the product
identify existing genetically modified contains GMOs.” The UN declaration
foods on product labels. The UN was signed by Katherine DiMatteo,
delegation included IFOAM repre- IFOAM president; Joseph William,
sentatives, Joseph Wilhelm, founder IFOAM member; and Bernward
of Rapunzel organic products and the Geier, NGO coordinator. It outlined
force behind “the march;” and his the critical issues facing consumers
employees.” Maria-Luisa Chavez wel- in the US and Europe. “Biased agri-
comed the delegation and accepted culture policies, research and deve-
the declaration on behalf of the UN. lopment agendas, and private sector
She will pass it on to the President strategies favor short-term individual
of the General Assembly – the main profits,” the declaration states. “This
deliberative, policymaking and repre- (behavior) is to the detriment of the
sentative organ of the United Nations. long-term sustainable use of natural

6 5-2011 | ECOLOGY FARMING

Gunnar Rundgren
Diversity is the driver
of organic evolution
companies in Europe. They also noted some
shortcomings, including approvals of incomplete
Co
Organic System Plans and inspection reports
and inadequate procedures for reviewing labels.
NOP issued notices of non-compliance for these
lumn
infractions, with the requirement that the certify-
ing agencies demonstrate that they have underta-
ken the appropriate corrective actions.

In Beijing, NOP auditors met with govern-
ment representatives from the China National In her closing speech for the IFOAM General Assembly, the President Kathe-
Accreditation Administration (CNCA), which rine di Matteo called upon the organic movement and IFOAM to spend less of its
is responsible for developing, promulgating and energy on standards and certification and more on market development, support to
implementing state laws, regulations and rules farmers and alike. I couldn’t agree more.
concerning certification and accreditation, inclu- It should be recognised that the development of standards and certification
ding organic accreditation. At the conclusion of has been very useful for the organic sector and there are parts of the world where
the meeting, the U.S. and Chinese announced this is a task that still needs priority. But we also have to realise that the whole
their intention to initiate and exchange visits guarantee system takes an enormous amount of resources and energy, from pro-
to learn more about the two countries’ organic ducers, from national organic movements and governments and from the interna-
standards. tional community: resources and energy which could be used for market develop-
ment or advising producers. The guarantee system ensures that each producer is
The full report of the visit is available from the NOP audited every year. But who will ensure that all producers get an advisory visit, or
Newsroom (July 2011) on the NOP website, www.ams.
usda.gov/nop. that producers are helped in their marketing efforts?
The World Fair Trade Organization says that, “the certification systems have
changed Fair Trade to such an extent that sales of products are the main measure
of success instead of the welfare of producers.” Unfortunately, this tendency is
not isolated to Fair Trade, but is also found within other social and environmental
labelling systems, including organic ones. The developments of guarantee systems
are almost uniquely driven by the actors who have a vested interest in them, such
resources for the benefit of all and as the standard-setters, certification bodies and accreditors; not by the constituents
is responsible for hunger, poverty, (consumers, producers and the trade) they are supposed to serve. There are dimi-
climate change, and the destruction of nishing returns on the ever-increasing demands and procedures. For many years
habitats and biodiversity.” Companies organic standards and certification systems have established credibility for the
leading production of genetically sector. Yet all the procedures added over the past decade have added little extra
modified foods include Monsanto credibility, while increasing the complexity and costs considerably. For sure, the
in the US and BASF and Novartis- standards and certification systems need development, but development should
Syngenta in Europe. Unless radical not always mean more procedures - it could also be the opposite: to get rid of
changes to curtail GMOs are adopted unproductive procedures.
worldwide and the subsidy for agri- Standardisation brings some benefits if it facilitates trade. Yet this is also
industry and monocultures is greatly somewhat contradictory to the values of the organic movement, which heralds
reduced, the future of organic farming diversity. There is surprisingly little understanding of this paradox within the
and healthy, natural foods will be organic sector. Those who believe that standardisation is the right tool for evolu-
threatened. IFOAM and its 750 mem- tion should read Darwin once more; diversity is the driver of evolution. Excessive
ber organizations in more than 110 standardisation, especially when standards are prescriptive and not goal oriented,
countries are dedicated to uniting and stymies development and will leave organic behind other, more flexible, concepts.
leading organic farmers and busines- It was apparent at the Organic World Congress how many other huge challen-
ses worldwide to work toward a safe ges the organic sector faces and that we need to be more outward looking instead
and natural food supply. of studying our navel. The challenge is to transfer the whole world’s food produc-
tion system into something that is truly sustainable or, as I prefer to say ‘regene-
More information under: rative’. To take on this challenge we need to be brave again, as the early organic
www.genfrei-gehen.de
www.right2knowmarch.org pioneers were. We need to have visions and we need to look ahead, far beyond
www.IFOAM. the narrow constraints of the certified organic market place.


MARKET
ACCES

CLEARING
PATHWAYS

Reducing barriers to international trade

the story of
the Global
Organic
Market
Access
project

economy market

IFOAM is working together with two United Nations agencies,
UNCTAD and FAO to harmonize organic standards. This unique project,
has drawn attention from academic researchers and others interested in
this novel form of international cooperation.

Diane Bowen

A problem
to tackle
Organic agriculture and trade offer a way
to strengthen agro-ecosystem services
and present social and economic oppor- tifications for each of those countries. If
tunities to people, especially those in I have more market opportunities I could
search of food security and ways out of truly support my family.” Even for those
poverty. One of the main challenges for producers and traders with sufficient
the continued development of organic resources to obtain multiple certifications,
agriculture is that trade pathways have these requirements constitute an additio-
become clogged with multiple organic nal cost, akin to an extra tax on organic
standards and technical regulations. products sold in these countries often trade, which conventional products are
Products that conform with one set of need to comply with the requirements of not subject to.
organic standards and certification requi- these private systems.
rements may also need to comply with Joining forces to find solutions
other organic standards and requirements The different requirements of both Ten years ago, IFOAM, the United Nations
in order to be traded internationally. As governmental and private sectors creates Conference on Trade and Development
examples, the US, Japan, Argentina, an obstacle to trade, which constrains (UNCTAD) and the United Nations Food
China, India, Brazil, and soon, South organic market development and denies and Agriculture Organization (FAO) dis-
Korea, all require imported organic pro- market access to many, including hund- covered that they had common concerns
ducts to be approved by certification reds of thousands of small-scale produ- about the problem, arising from some-
bodies directly under their government’s cers in developing countries. According what different considerations. For IFOAM
control system to ensure compliance with to Charles Kimani, a vegetable producer the situation, which was rapidly worsening
national standards. In addition, markets in in Kenya, without these obstacles “I could as new standards and regulations came
some countries are greatly influenced by sell my organic products in more coun- into force, threatened the expansion of
private standards and certification, and tries without having to get different cer- organic agriculture and IFOAM’s mission


of expanding organic agriculture world- countries – including government orga- vide norms-based, international common
wide. UNCTAD, which promotes the inte- nic regulators and standardizing bodies, denominators which can serve as core
gration of developing countries into the accreditation and certification bodies, references for assessing the equivalence
world economy, saw that opportunities for traders, national organic movements and of production/processing standards and
poor producers to gain access to lucrative meta-organizations. In all the participants certification requirements among different
value chains were being compromised. came from 29 governments, eight inter- countries and even private organic gua-
FAO, which sees organic agriculture as a governmental/international organizations rantee systems. “Use of these tools will
pathway for increasing food security, rural and 25 private sector/civil society orga- lead us to more efficient and multilateral
development, sustainable livelihoods and nizations. The ITF studied the problem, equivalence assessments,” notes Sophia
environmental integrity, saw that these looked at models for solutions from other Twarog, long-time UNCTAD member of
market access challenges were sup- sectors and recommended solutions. At both the ITF and GOMA Steering Com-
pressing opportunities for agriculture to the end of 2008 the ITF issued six recom- mittees.
achieve these goals. mendations for harmonization, equiva-
lence and other forms of cooperation. One reason for the many successes of
In 2002 these organizations organized a Most of these were related to government the ITF was the high level of coopera-
conference on the subject, which came processes, although the involvement of tion between its members. The ITF, its
to be known as the Harmonization Confe- the private sector was also stressed, objectives and processes, attracted
international attention, including being the
subject of an academic dissertation on

More standards
meta-governance and standard setting
from the University of Utrecht, the Net-
multiplies the task of herlands. This document concluded: “By
achieving equivalence combining a relationship building aspect
of the process with an enhancement of
the understanding of and importance
attached to the harmonization and equi-
rence. Held just after BioFach in Nurem- due to its strong representation in the valence agenda, the ITF has truly resulted
berg, the conference drew two hundred Task Force. The ITF also went beyond in a paradigm shift”…. “Not only are
speakers and participants from govern- its original mandate and developed two people who co perated in the Task Force
o
ment and intergovernmental agencies and practical tools to assist in the assessment more likely to also collaborate outside of
the private sector. Participants urged the of the equivalence of organic standards the framework provided by the ITF (but)
three organizations to organize a public- and performance requirements for cer- the atmosphere has changed more widely
private international task force to further tification (the organic equivalent of ISO- across large parts of the worldwide orga-
explore the situation and recommend 65). The International Requirements for nic regulatory community.”
solutions. The International Task Force on Organic Certification Bodies (IROCB) and
Harmonization and Equivalence in Organic the Guide for the Assessment of Organic Implementing the tools
Agriculture, was born, thanks to financial Standards and Technical Regulations (also and recommendations: GOMA
support from the Swedish International known as EquiTool), were launched by Although the partners were very satisfied
Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), executives of IFOAM, UNCTAD and FAO with the results of the ITF, particularly the
the Government of Switzerland, and later, at the 8th and final ITF meeting. Generi- tools, they realized that the ITF project
the Norwegian Agency for Development cally, these are called the ITF tools. After was like a company with a research and
Cooperation (Norad). The Task Force (ITF), some revision of EquiTool in 2011 adding development programme and a manufac-
worked from 2003 until 2008, bringing an annex called the Common Objectives turing process, but lacking any marketing.
together once a year, key private sector and Requirements of Organic Standards This was due to the limited timeframe
actors from developed and developing (COROS), both of these tools now proof the project. So in 2009 the partners


economy market

obtained support from Norad for a follow- ter input, has enabled ACAO to restart
up project, called Global Organic Market a stalled development process. It has
Access (GOMA), to assist countries and/ already made considerable progress on
or regions to implement the tools, the developing a text for a common orga-
recommendations and to foster and nic regulation. This regulation includes
spread the message of harmonization, standards for organic production and pro-
equivalence and cooperation. Norad cessing, for organic certification bodies,
generously agreed to the project before it force has now been established. These control and enforcement mechanisms and
(or GOMA’s partners) knew exactly which activities are paving the way for potenti- import requirements. The next step in the
countries and/or regions would become ally establishing a Multilateral Agreement process will be the elaboration of indivi-
involved in the project, although towards (MLA) within the region for mutual recog- dual country versions for notification to
the end of ITF’s existence it had conduc- nition of participants’ systems of regula- the WTO. The WTO notification process
ted workshops in Central America and ting organic labelling and other forms of includes an international comment period.
Asia and identified prospective projects in cooperation. This will include countries Barring major objections from the WTO
those regions. that do not (yet) regulate organic label- application, the harmonized regulation
ling and trade. If the MLA comes into should be ready for implementation in all
Designing an Asian framework being, Asian countries could be setting six countries by early 2012.
for cooperation on organic labelling the pace for a more efficient multilate-
and trade ral regional trade system – not only in Facilitating and assisting elsewhere
Because there had been high partici- the organic sector, but in general. The GOMA is also involved in promoting the
pation from Asia in the ITF, GOMA set innovation shown by the organic sector recognition of the East African Organic
out to explore if ITF might be implemen- in developing a cooperative model has Production Standard by the European
ted there. It organized two workshops, caught the attention of the Trade and Union. This will enable East African pro-
one in Nonthaburi, Thailand and the Agriculture Directorate of the Organization ducers to export to this important market
other in Shanghai, China, linked with of Economic Cooperation and Develop- by complying with a standard that is
other organic events in these locations. ment (OECD), whose ITF representative regionally appropriate and understanda-
These workshops were well-attended informally commented to the ITF Steering ble to them. (This initiative is explained in
and recommended setting up a GOMA Committee, “you (ITF) are our heroes!” another article in this issue). Projects for
Asia Working Group with the aim of training governments to implement the
establishing a Framework for Organic Complete harmonization in Central tools for equivalence assessments are
Labelling and Trade within Asia (to cover America and the Dominican Republic also underway in Canada, The Philippines
East, South-east and South Asia). The All five Central American countries (Costa and Indonesia. New requests for informa-
Working Group first met in Mumbai in Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, tion, training and technical assistance on
December 2010, and one of its main deci- Nicaragua and Panama), plus the Domi- harmonization, regional cooperation and
sions was to develop an Asia Regional nican Republic are developing a harmo- equivalence have been received from the
Organic Standard (AROS) to serve as an nized regional organic regulation with South American and African continents,
instrument/tool for establishing regional the support of GOMA and the Instituto although these cannot be acted upon
equivalence – a regional interpretation of Interamericano de Cooperación Agricul- now, as the GOMA project is scheduled to
EquiTool (see related article in this issue). tura (IICA). GOMA is providing financial end in May, 2012. At that time, the part-
The Working Group also decided to use and some technical support to the project ners will be able to report that much has
IROCB for assessing the equivalence with a focus on facilitating stakeholder been achieved and more opportunities for
of countries’ certification requirements involvement, while IICA is managing the harmonization and equivalence are on the
and to establish a task force to look at project’s operations (meetings, accounting horizon.
aspects of governmental supervision of and communications). GOMA financial
Contact the GOMA project at
certification and enforcement. This task support and its encouragements for bet- www.goma-organic.org


Gila Kriegisch

ONE WORLD
AWARD 2012:

RAPUNZEL
SUPPORTS
“FUTURE
MAKERS”

Events

OWA
Laureates
Rachel
Angola and
Hans Herren.
Both work
on the
‘push-pull’
method for
combating Events

corn pests.

The German organic food manufacturer Rapunzel and the international
umbrella organization for organic agriculture (IFOAM) are opening the
call for nominations for the 3rd international “One World Award“. We
welcome nominations for innovative ideas, projects and/or individuals
that contribute towards protecting the climate and the environment and
promote social responsibility. The nominations should incorporate the
three pillars of sustainability: ecology, economy and the social aspect.

Joseph Wilhelm, German organic food pioneer and owner of Nominated individuals and projects should integrate the three
RAPUNZEL Naturkost GmbH, was inspired to establish a new areas of sustainability (ecology, economy and social commit-
international award to support those whose actions reflect the ment) and should have made extraordinary achievements. In the
reality that we all live in one world. The One World Award (OWA) first selection round, the OWA jury will screen all the nominati-
honours and supports individuals and projects who give globa- ons and select five finalists. Each of these finalists will receive a
lization a positive dimension. OWA laureates show what is pos- 2,000 Euro cash award. In the second selection phase, the jury
sible and what needs to be done in order to make our world a chooses the One World Award Laureate from the five finalists.
better and fairer place. Joseph Wilhelm describes his motivation The OWA Laureate is presented with a coveted OWA statue and
for establishing the OWA. a cheque for 25,000 Euro.
“This award was not only inspired by our company philosophy
but it is also a matter that is near to my heart. I see the OWA ini- In addition to the One World Award, RAPUNZEL and IFOAM also
tiative as a counter balance to the day-to-day examples of injus- present a “Lifetime Achievement Award” – to honour outstanding
tice, unfairness and conflicts in our world and I hope that it sends pioneers and/or individuals who have dedicated their life to the
out positive signals to encourage, inspire and motivate people. development and support of the organic movement. The Lifetime
The only continuity in life is change” Achievement Award winner is presented with a One World Award


Trust
in
Quality.
World-
Save time - combine our certification services
. organic (EC, NOP, JAS, private labels)
. fair trade social accountability
. natural textiles
. fisheries aquaculture
. forestry, timber paper

wide.
. wild collection
. cosmetics
. good practices food safety
. off-farm inputs verification
. traceability analysis

With innovations one step ahead
We build bridges between regional suppliers . Fair For Life - Fair Trade Social Responsibility
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and discerning consumers across . AquaGAP - Sustainable Aquaculture
many languages, cultures and expectations. . GOTS Positive List System
. FairWild - Harvest trade of wild plants

A highly experienced international body
for quality assurance of sustainable products.

www.imo.ch
IMO Head Office Weststrasse 51 CH – 8570 Weinfelden Switzerland Phone: +41 (0) 71 626 0 626 Fax: +41 (0) 71 626 0 623 imo@imo.ch

The OWA is meant as
a counter balance to the
day-to-day examples of
injustice and and conflicts
in our world

statue. Nominations for either award should be submitted before positive social repercussions. These projects include Hand In
December 31, 2011. The application form should be completed Hand, the Genfrei Gehen (GMO-free marches) and the One World
in English. Award. For more information visit www.rapunzel.de

Details: The OWA Laureates 2010
IFOAM has assumed patronage for the One World Award. The The second OWA was awarded in 2010. The award ceremony
OWA Jury includes Joseph Wilhelm, the two Right Livelihood took place during Rapunzel’s One World Festival in Legau. The
Award Laureates, Dr. Vandana Shiva from India and Tewolde OWA Laureates in 2010 were Hans Herren from Biovision and
Egzeabher from Ethiopia, as well as IFOAM Vice-President Rachel Angola. Hans Herren founded the Biovision Foundation in
Roberto Ugas from Peru. Switzerland in 1998. This foundation aims to improve the living
conditions of African people. The foundation’s work includes
More information about the nomination process and the nomina- malaria prophylaxis, the formation of an information network for
tion details and other information is available at www.one-world- small peasants and the dissemination of the “push-pull” method
award.com. Here you can find full details about nomination for combating corn pests. Rachel Angola is responsible for the
criteria and a list of all previous finalists and laureates. You can “push-pull” support group in her village Yenga in Kenya. This
use this list to evaluate the chances of your nomination being self-help group also promotes innovative, agricultural methods to
successful or simply for inspiration. Self-nominations are not other farmers.
permitted. The One World Lifetime Achievement Award“ went to the orga-
nic pioneer Bhaskar H. Save from India for his life’s work as an
Background information: ambassador of organic farming.
For more than 35 years, the organic food manufacturer Rapunzel For more details visit gila.kriegisch@rapunzel.de
has been leading the way in implementing projects around the
Nominations for the 2012 One World Award are open until December 31,
globe that protect the climate and the environment and have 2011. Find out more at www.one-world-award.de


The sleeping organic giant
of Africa

Nigeria
mike Johnson

The global sales of organic products reached $50 billion
in 2009 with most sales and consumers in the United
States and the European Union. The major organic
producers and exporters are Asia, Latin America and
Australasia. Very little organic produce comes from the
African continent.

W
ith 212,304 hectares, Uganda age life expectancy of about 47 years. Local market development
has the most organic land The Olusegun Obasanjo Center for The local organic market is informal and
in Africa. The value of its Organic Research and Development growing, with visible opportunities in the
exported organic products in 2008 was (OOCORD), a local NGO dedicated to near future. Most organic production
estimated to be around $30 million. The the development of research and know- and activities are done in the central and
equivalent figures in Nigeria are negligible. ledge exchange on sustainable, organic south western parts of Nigeria, generally
In 2009, there were only 8,202 hectares agricultural systems has decided that it by agricultural universities and research
of organic land in Nigeria (Olugbenga, is high time for Nigeria, a potential agri- institutes. The farm sizes of these insti-
2011), despite Nigeria being four times cultural giant in Africa to wake up from tutions vary from 1 to 4 hectares of land
larger than Uganda in terms of area and her slumber and provide sufficient (orga- that is either in transition or non-certified.
population. nic) food and incomes for its 155 million The farms are managed by the university
inhabitants. This led OOCORD to consult lecturers and students. The products cul-
Before the advent of the petroleum indus- the Agro Eco - Louis Bolk Institute in the tivated include amaranths, chorchorus,
try in Nigeria in the 1960s, the agricultural Netherlands. celosia, turmeric, ginger, lemongrass,
sector flourished. It contributed about citrus fruits, tomatoes, okra, maize, plan-
60% of GDP, and provided sufficient and The two parties discussed how progress tain, fluted pumpkins and palm kernel.
healthy food for local and export markets. could be made and came up with a stra- These products are sold on the university
The wealth generated by agriculture was tegy, the first phase of which included campuses. Another influential player in
used in the construction of massive buil- information provision, training and the the local market of organic agriculture in
dings, such as Cocoa House and Univer- development of local and international Nigeria is Dara / Eurobridge Ltd, the only
sity College Hospital in Ibadan, which are markets. The trainings would provide certified organic producer in Nigeria. Their
still used today. But the agricultural sector producers and exporters with the relevant certified products are lemon grass, hibis-
now contributes about 32% of GDP. A information on organic agriculture and also cus, rice and ginger. Lemon grass, which
proportionate decline of 50%, resulting in the criteria and expectations of importers is processed into tea sold under the
insufficient food in a nation with an aver- in the international market. brand name ‘Dara Dara’ ( meaning ‘good


Country report

good’) is the core product. At present the and less turgid, and are known as products with
company only targets the local market. “IBILE” (which means local or traditional the most export potential
During our visit to Nigeria, it was noticed in Yoruba language). Those from conven- that would fulfil the criteria
that there could be a demand for several tional cultivation are bulky and very turgid, and demands of the European Union and
local, organically produced products, and are know as “AGRIC” which denotes North American markets. This list was
including local rice (ofada rice), ama- the use of conventional agricultural inputs drawn up using eight key criteria. One of
ranths, chorchorus, celosia, turmeric, these was the ability to produce and sup-
ginger, lemon grass, citrus fruits, tomato, The majority ply without jeopardising local food secu-
okra, maize, plantain, and palm kernel. of Nigerian rity, as we did not want a situation where
These products form part of the staple
farmers are products are exported and the local
diet of Nigerians and existing (organic)
producers are unable to meet the supply. smallholder population left hungry. The next step was
the compilation of agricultural products
farmers found from the 36 States and the Federal
Local consumers do appreciate organic who use Republics Capital, which produced a long
products, saying that they taste bet-
traditional list of products cultivated in Nigeria. This
ter. Some even went further saying that
“organic” list was scanned to eliminate products

methods
organic foods are are nutritious foods and unsuitable for export such as cassava,
assist in the management of non-commu- indigenous goat, kola nuts, etc.
nicable diseases such as diabetes, cancer (pesticides and fertilizers). This awareness
and hypertension. suggests a ready market in Nigeria if local What does the giant have to offer???
organic products were being cultivated Nigeria is blessed with a diverse climate
Consumers could even distinguish pro- and available. and vegetation, that enables year-round
ducts that are cultivated in an organic production of many different crops. Agri-
manner from those cultivated in a conven- International market development culture in Nigeria is still a major branch of
tional manner. Those that are cultivated For the international market, we were set the economy. The agricultural sector pro-
organically are of a natural size, colour the assignment of selecting 10 organic vides employment for 70% of the popula-


Before the
advent of the
petroleum
industry in
Nigeria, the
agricultural
sector
flourished
tion. The majority of Nigerian farmers are with international organic standards.
smallholders using traditional methods, Nigeria also has an image problem with
such as crop rotations, shifting cultiva- religious violence in the northern and
tion, animal manure and natural pest central parts and frequent kidnappings
control. As such their farming methods in the southern part of the country. This
of farming could be classified as organic could be an obstacle to convincing
by default. However, organic production investors or importers in the EU and
extends beyond cultivation. It is a pro- USA to do business with exporters of
cess that goes through the entire supply organic products from Nigeria. Finally
chain. Properly organized organic farming Nigeria will have to compete on the
is still at the infant stages in Nigeria and export market with countries like India,
although small, the organic sector is Uganda, Ghana and Tunisia, who are
motivated and committed. experienced, organized certified coun-
tries with established customers.
The strings and pegs that would hinder
Nigeria’s ‘organic awakening’ Reasons for the giant to wake up
The majority of the farmers lack of There is an increase in global demand
experience on active good agricultural for organic produce. Global sales of
practices. Their systems may be organic organic products continues to expand.
by default, but for export, producers are There is also an increasing local interest
expected to produce according to inter- in organic produce. The universities
national standards and keep records. could outsource to farmers who could
For smallholder farmers it is difficult to then produce on a larger scale to meet
achieve product uniformity, certification demand. Finally there is local awa-
and to organize themselves for the export reness about the benefits of organic
market. There is just one local certified foods and consumers believe organic
organic producer and two certified produ- products are wholesome foods.
cers and exporters in Nigeria. This does In all it is likely that Nigeria will become
not give the country a competitive pre- increasingly involved in organic agri-
sence in the international market. There culture as farmers have nothing to lose
is also a lack of coordination between but stand to gain financially, increase
organizations and institutions involved in food sufficiency and build a healthy and
organic agriculture and a gap in the flows prosperous nation. The African giant is
of information and technologies between waking up.
them. There is no Nigerian certification
body to regulate and ensure compliance Mike Johnson (m.johnson@louisbolk.nl)


6
Expert
opinions
on reducing
trade barriers
EF asked six experts if we can reduce
Diane Bowen Peter Brul

trade barriers through equivalence
AND at the same time maintain organic
integrity in the markets.

In the US, the Deputy Secretary of Agriculture recently declared that the
National Organic Program is in the “age of enforcement.” Fraud prevention dis-
cussions and initiatives have emerged in Europe and North America, aimed at both
domestic and international trade. Major import markets remain suspicious of exports
from emerging countries and regions. Fraud scandals have the potential to shake con-
sumer confidence, which could harm organic markets and credibility and set back orga-
nic production/consumption.

Yet, at the same time, regulations and the attendant bureaucracies are choking organic
trade, creating an additional ‘tax’ on the best agricultural products by placing many
requirements on organic food that are not placed on other agricultural products. The
requirements for market access can be prohibitive, especially for producers from deve-
loping countries. They are not good for consumers either, as they reduces the diversity
of available products. The effect of these supply and demand restraint are to hold back
the expansion of organic agriculture. An “age of equivalence” is needed to remove bar-
riers to trade in organic products. Countries should find ways to cooperate and mutually
recognise that organic standards and conformity assessment measures accomplish the
same or very similar objectives, rather than seeking to impose their own criteria.


economy market

Xingji Xiao, Director of the ment of the importing countries are responsible for
Organic Food Development supervision of organic integrity; people should not
just solely blame the producers if any fraud is found.
and Certification Center of At the same time, exporting countries are looking to
China (OFDC China). produce organic products at a lower cost by employ-
ing standards and management systems that are
Setting different standards or higher cer- more suitable to local situations.
tification requirements is, perhaps, not
the right way to eliminate fraud. As long Both developed and developing countries have a
as there are significant gaps between organic and shared aim of reducing cheating and increasing trade.
Xingji
Xiao conventional products, ineffective supervision from Standards equivalence, including equivalence recog-
certification bodies and governments and insufficient nition and supervision management, is a useful tool
public awareness and involvement of the public with to promote international trade. Countries and CBs
organic products, there is always the possibility for from different countries must cooperate more and
people attempting deliberate fraud. exchange more information, so as to increase the
transparency of certification, public awareness and
All exported organic products are certified by control participation. In Asia we are establishing a mecha-
bodies (CBs) that are accredited by the importing nism for cooperation among countries and CbBs and
countries: most of the CBs are transnational compa- to improve exchanges among the supervisory autho-
nies based in those countries. The CBs and govern- rities of all the countries involved in organic trade.

Beate Huber, Head of the – and the organic standards in these coun-
International Division of the tries should address these issues.
Research Institute of Organic
If exports to the EU only need to com-
Agriculture (FiBL) and member ply with the EU regulation then this will
of the “Anti-Fraud Initiative”. not happen. Standards are also written
in a local context and should reflect the values and Beate
There is a perception that compliance provides expectations of local producers and consumers.
Huber
more security for safeguarding organic integrity. Yet These different values make the situation very com-
the opposite is true . Organic integrity needs local plicated. The mutual recognition of standards on
ownership and locally adapted solutions. Standards the basis of equivalence needs to be based on the
are always written in a local context, for example: understanding of the need for common objectives
the EU regulation on organic agriculture does not and agreement that there are different ways to reach
tackle water quality or the issue of burning crop resi- these objectives. This requires a well-managed and
dues since these are regulated through the general transparent process and dialogue among the sta-
legal framework. In other countries the general legal keholders – whether at the local or the international
framework does not adequately cover these issues level.


Dr David
Crucefix

Dr David Crucefix, Executive have been waiting
Director (Business), Inter over 10 years on one
waiting list) and can
national Organic Accreditation be hijacked by vested
Service. interests.
Equivalence agreements can help to reduce the At the moment there are already around 100 sets of
existing layers of bureaucracy. This is clear and is national regulations. Where is this leading? Is each
already happening. Equivalence does not however country going to seek equivalence with each other?
imply less rigour or new openings for fraud. There are a number of good equivalence approaches
In fact equivalence has the potential to reduce con- and options but the regulators have failed to pick up
fusion and enables an inspector to focus on one set and run with IFOAM’s Accreditation (despite its track
of requirements rather than juggling 3 or 4 and not record and being highly respected) as one of those
having the time to focus on key issues of integrity. equivalent approaches. This continues to be a great
The problem of our equivalence approach is that it missed opportunity and the IOAS would be happy to
is difficult in practice (the IOAS has had plenty of work with any regulators in adding this to their tool
experience of this), can take forever (some countries box.

Laura Montenegro, Technical since 2009. In 2011 Canadian products were decla-
Director and President of red as equivalent to EU ones, but this does not make
ARGENCERT S.A., certifier in US and EU products equivalent to each other. Austra-
Argentina. lia accepts the imports of organic products produced
under standards and conformity assessment systems
Even though over 70 countries have organic regula- with “equal reliability”. Chile is considering amending
tions, there are few agreements about harmonization its law to accept imports of processed products using
for equivalence. transactional certificates from ‘regulated’ countries.
Here are some examples of the current situation:
Argentina has had equivalence with the EU for Overall, markets should ensure that equivalence
exports since 1992. But Argentina does not recog- based on adherence to principles and clear objecti-
nize the standards of any other countries for imports, ves, rather than arguing about irrelevant details that Laura
which is needed to make products available that are do not compromise the integrity of the end product. Montenegro
not produced in our country. In January 2011 Brazil The conventional market players are
implemented a law which included a stipulation that the only ones gaining from the orga-
certifiers of products labelled as “organic” in Brazil nic sector’s incoherence and narrow
are required to be accredited by the national accre- mindedness. Equivalence is the only
ditation body rather than any other member of the way to increase trade and facilitate the
International Accreditation Federation (IAF). Canada growth of international trade in organic
has had an agreement of equivalence with the USA products.


economy market

Volkert Engelsman, Founder and We should implement fast lane import authorisation

CEO of Eosta, a major importer procedures to avoid complex red tape practices that
hinder global trade and constitute a significant trade
and export of organic fruit and barrier. The lack of any ‘polluter pays’ standard for
vegetables. conventional agriculture probably forms the most
serious trade barrier for organic farming as it creates
It is important to convince govern- an uneven playing field (with true cost
ments to harmonise regulations accounting in organic farming and the
on the basis of a minimum global externalisation of ecological costs in
standard (using IFOAM’s Family of conventional farming). But this issue
Standards as a key reference) and to is probably beyond our sphere of
mutually recognise the equivalence influence.
of locally justified adjustments.

Volkert
Engelsman

Johann Zueblin, Migros super- the mutual recognition of standards. Why not use the
markets in Switzerland. Deputy IFOAM standard as THE international reference for all
Head of Issue Management and organic standards? Each standard could be assessed
for its equivalence against the common understan-
Sustainability. ding of the reference. This benchmarking could pro-
vide a result that could be expressed as being higher,
Organic producers take their reference from local equal to, or below the reference. The benchmarked
standards, label programmes and very often natio- standard would then be free to communicate the
nal legislation. Standards try to be different without result to costumers, official bodies and stakeholders.
adding real value. They do so this to differentiate This system could be applied
themselves and to increase their market share. This worldwide without any dis-
behaviour leads to complex production and certifi- crimination. Such a process
cation systems as well as supply chains. IFOAM as would increase transparency
an international body has defined a standard, which and trust. The key to success
we could call the “reference standard for organic would be the equivalence of
production”. the process. The Global Social
Compliance Program has
I strongly recommend that the organic community already developed one (See
develops and starts to use a system that allows for www.gscp.net.com.)

Johann
Zueblin


MARKET
ACCESS

Jon Manhire

Asian regional standards

RAPID PROGRESS
IN DEVELOPING AN
ASIAN REGIONAL
ORGANIC STANDARD
The Global Organic Market Access (GOMA) project is a joint project
involving FAO, IFOAM and UNCTAD that was established in 2009 to
promote and foster equivalence and harmonization of organic standards and
technical regulations. GOMA organized a Working Group for Co-operation on
Organic Labelling and Trade for Asia (South, South-East and East Asia) which
decided to develop the Asia Regional Organic Standards (AROS).

The large number and critical Strong linkages between local

Organic Issues importance of small farms for sup-
plying most of the region’s food
food production and local, nation-
al and regional cultures.
in Asia requirements. Many of these
small farms also keep livestock, The importance of rice produc-
The key criterion for developing regional such as chickens and pigs. tion and consumption in most
organic standards is to ensure that they countries in the region.
are tailored to reflect local conditions and The long history of practicing
issues. Though there is a great diver- agriculture in the region and the A tropical climate (over most of
sity within the region in terms of climate, subsequent evolution of farming the region) and the evolution of
crops produced, farming traditions and systems adapted to local condi- farming systems which are adapt-
systems, there are also some common tions, resources and societal ed to tropical climatic conditions.v
features. needs.


T
standards certification
he aim is to create a reference for have been based on the use of natural,
equivalence of government organic biological, renewable and regenerative
standards in the region as part of resources. Soil fertility is primarily main-
a framework for cooperation on organic tained through recycling organic matter.
labelling and trade in the region. It was Pests, diseases, and weeds are managed
also anticipated that AROS could also be primarily through cultural practices. Food
adapted to serve as the national standard processing is typically simple using biolo-
for some individual countries in the region gical, mechanical, and physical methods.
that do not yet have a standard. However Possibly as a result of this alignment
it is not the intention for AROS to replace between traditional and organic farming
any existing national organic standards. systems the understanding and subse-
quent development of organic farming in
Traditional approaches to farming in the the region has been comparatively strong.
Asian region are strongly aligned with the Governments and non-governmental
values and objectives of organic farming. groups see that the increased adoption
Like organic production systems they of organic production will bring a range of

The GOMA Working Group
has established a sub-project to
the requirements of the
•
Codex Alimentarius Organic
The AROS
develop AROS and establish the Guidelines and the IFOAM development
principles that should guide its Basic standards version 2005 process
development.
the EquiTool – especially
•
The standard should be develo- Annex 2 – Common Objectives
ped through a highly inclusive pro- and Related Requirements for
cess, with in-country consultation Organic Standards – (COROS).
facilitated by participating govern-
ments and stakeholders. The development process will
be overseen by the Asia Organic
The standard development will Standards Drafting Group, a sub-
take into consideration: group of the Working Group.

an earlier technical compara-
•
tive study prepared by GOMA

benefits to their countries in addition to
enhancing trading opportunities.

While the organic sector is a very dif-
ferent level of development (from the
early stages of development to the highly
regulated) in different Asian countries, it
is now an accepted concept and a grow
ing market trend in the region. Exports
remain a dominant feature of the sector’s
development in the majority of countries,
but local markets have emerged and are
gaining ground.


The Drafting Group (DG) consists of repre- worked well together in the development
sentatives of government, industry and process, sharing ideas and experiences
non-government organizations from coun- to ensure that AROS effectively reflects
tries throughout the region. It has so far regional conditions and practices. The
held two workshops, the first in the Philip- first draft of AROS was prepared at the
pines and the second in Laos, preceded March 2011 workshop held in the Philip-
and followed up by extensive in-country pines. Following feedback a second draft
consultations facilitated by the DG mem- was developed at the Laos workshop in
bers after each workshop. The DG mem- Vientiane in June 2011. Some key deci-
bers have a wide range of knowledge and sions were made at this workshop by the
experience with organic production in the DG and only a few outstanding issues still
region and in the development of organic need to be addressed. These decisions
standards and regulations. They have covered a number of key issues.

Conversion period: it was decided that the mini- after discussing the issue again, the group changed
mum conversion period for this region should be 12 the language to permit highly restricted use that
months for annual crops and 18 months for peren- excludes application on any leafy, tuber or root
nial ones. Although conversion periods are typically crops, plus measures to control pathogens.
longer in temperate climates, this standard is being
developed for a region that is primarily tropical and Lists of inputs: the indicative lists of inputs for
sub-tropical, where chemicals break down faster. organic production were modified to include plant-
It was agreed that these shorter conversion peri- derived substances that are used in the region.
ods provide a sufficient time period for the organic These included permitting the use of tea-seed meal
system to become established without financially and fishtail palm extracts as biological substances
penalizing the farmer. that can be used to protect crops.

Seeds and planting materials: there is some flexi- The comment period on the second draft ended
bility in the standard that allows for the use of non- on the 1st of November and includes inputs from a
organic seed when organic or untreated seeds are consultation workshop held at the Organic World
unavailable. Although there is an aspiration to use Congress on 30th September.
organic seed, such markets are not yet well develo- March - Philippine Drafting Group Workshop
ped in this region.

Hydroponic production: discussions revealed dif-
ferences in certification practices and opinions over
hydroponic production –even when it otherwise
meets the requirements of organic production. The
draft prohibition on this type of production was left
intact, subject to further discussion and inputs.

Use of human excrement as a fertility amendment: Jon Manhire works for the
the first draft prohibited the use of human excre- AgriBusiness Group, New
Zealand and was involved in
ment on any crops for human consumption, but the development of AROS.



MARKET
ACCESS
East Africa’s regional standards

BUILDING
AN ‘AFRICAN-
OWNED’
CERTIFICATION
STANDARD

kilimanjaro

Gunnar Rundgren

Organic agriculture has developed rapidly in East Africa and can now
claim around half a million certified farmers. The sector is now pressing
ahead for the European Union to approve the Organic Standard of
the East African Community. Two projects involving IFOAM, FAO,
UNCTAD and the region’s national organic movements are providing
much needed support for this process.

E
ast Africa is leading the deve- and Regional Cooperation for Organic
lopment of organic agriculture Standards and Certification in East Afri-
in Africa. In total, half a million can (OSEA - implemented by IFOAM and
farmers and some 150 companies are the national organic movements of East
involved in certified organic production. Africa), are assisting stakeholders and
There are almost certainly even more the East African Community in getting
organic farmers who are uncertified and the European Commission to recog-
outside the organic market place. Organic nize EAOPS as an equivalent standard.
exports have been growing rapidly in the This will facilitate the export of organic
last decade. For instance, Ugandan orga- products from East Africa into the EU.
nic exports have risen from $4.6 million in The strategy has been for one or more
2002 to $36 million in 2010, a growth of certification bodies to include EAOPS as
more than 700%. Domestic markets are has been widely adopted by producers part of their application for the Commis-
also growing fast in most of the countries, in the region and it is now time to seek sion’s approval as equivalent certification
albeit from a very low level, and there are recognition of the standard by trading bodies. The first applications were sub-
an increasing number of organic outlets. partners further afield, particularly in the mitted in 2009 and the EU is expected
European Union (EU). Following changes to approve the first group of certifica-
A regional standard to the EU import rules in 2008 (Regulation tion bodies soon. Several certification
The East African Organic Products (EC) 1235/2008), it is now easier to get bodies that are active in East Africa are
Standard (EAOPS) was developed bet- such recognition, even though there is no involved in this first round of submissions.
ween 2005 and 2007 by public and pri- specific option in the Regulation for the Approvals are based on proof that the
vate stakeholders from Uganda, Tanzania, approval of a foreign standard. Standards certification bodies are competent and
Kenya, Burundi and Rwanda. It was are only recognized as part of the process use standards that are equivalent to the
ultimately approved by the East African of approving a country or certification EU standard. A certification body can be
Community, the region’s intergovernmen- body. In East Africa, the approval of cer- approved for certifying several equivalent
tal organization. It is adapted to the con- tification bodies is the most appropriate standards. It is thus possible for those
ditions of East Africa and is intended to avenue, as Diane Bowen from the GOMA approved in the first round to submit a
provide a platform for the development of project explains below. renewed application based on EAOPS.
local and regional markets. Producers fol-
lowing the standard can use the East Afri- In search of EU recognition Representatives of the two projects and
can Organic Mark, if they are certified by Two international projects, Global Organic the organic movements in East Africa
a third-party certification body or a Parti- Market Access (GOMA - directed by a held a meeting with the European Com-
cipatory Guarantee System. The standard partnership of FAO, IFOAM and UNCTAD) mission in Brussels in June. At the same



time a workshop on organic agriculture EAOPS for admission to the IFOAM Fami-
Seeking
international
in Africa was organised involving repre- ly of Standards, which was verified at the
sentatives from the European and the IFOAM General Assembly in Korea.
African Unions. These events provided recognition
a further opportunity for GOMA’s repre- Diane Bowen says “The IOAS assessment for East
sentatives and other advocates from East shows that, by and large, EAOPS is equi-
Africa’s
Africa to explain the standard and call
for its recognition for imports into the
valent to the EU regulation, but there are a
few problem issues. None of these issues regional
EU. Moses Muwanga, from the National are at a level that would imply any imme- organic
Organic Agricultural Movement of Uganda diate change to the standard. Instead, the standard
and an IFOAM Board member, outlined stakeholders plan to issue certification
the standard. GOMA’s Project Manager, guidance to strengthen the implementation applicants. The OSEA project is also provi-
Diane Bowen, made a presentation on the of the standard”. Once the guidance and ding financial support to local organic cer-
role of international equivalence and how the response to the IOAS are ready, one or tification bodies in Tanzania and Uganda
EOAPS complies with these requirements. more certification bodies will submit their to assist them to maintain their accredita-
Sophia Twarog, from UNCTAD and a applications for approval to the EU, based tion status, a prerequisite for EU approval.
member of GOMA’s Steering Committee, Training of local certification bodies has
appealed to the workshop participants to been conducted and will continue. Simple
find a way forward for EAOPS. guides and explanations of the standards
have been developed to facilitate the
Internationally recognised uptake of EAOPS in the region. “We see
GOMA has commissioned International these efforts as something that can lift the
Organic Accreditation Services Inc. (IOAS) organic sector to a new level” says Gama
to assess the equivalence of EAOPS with Jordan, head of the Tanzania Organic Agri-
the EU regulation. EAOPS has also been culture Movements. He continues: “these
assessed against COROS (Common practical efforts are important components
Objectives and Requirements of Orga- in the implementation of the National
nic Standards, also known as IFOAM’s Organic Agriculture Action Plan, which
Standards Requirements). The COROS was approved last year.”
assessment concluded that the EAOPS
-Information about OSEA and the East African
fulfils the requirements, with some minor on EAOPS. Three certification bodies Organic Products Standard is available at:
http://www.ifoam.org/partners/projects/osea.html
variations. On the basis of this assess- operating in East Africa have expressed
-Information about the GOMA project can be found
ment IFOAM evaluated the eligibility of interest in being among this first round of at: http://www.goma-organic.org/


Certification of
organic catering

a need for
harmonization
across Europe?


The consumption of organic food is increasing and people often pay
significant premium prices for organic products. Between 1995 and 2007,
another remarkable trend occurred: while the average European Union
household expenditure on food consumption (adjusted for inflation) was
15%, the spending on catering services increased by 25%. From 2008
onwards total household expenditure and expenditure on catering services
stayed more or less in line with general economic developments.

Melanie Lukas, Carola Strassner Anne-Kristin Løes

The catering sector is attracting increa- any future harmonization process. It was
sing attention at the pan-European level conceived as an explorative pilot study, to
and one emerging question is that of the analyze and give an oversight of the cur-
certification of organic establishments. rent situation.
The European (EU) Council Regulation
No. 834/2007 on organic production and Prospects of harmonization
labelling of organic products obliges the A further web based questionnaire of
European Commission to report to the EU experts in the field was undertaken which
Council on the scope of the Regulation received a response rate of 25%, with
before the end of 2011, and to make clear replies coming from experts from fourteen
reference to ‘organic food prepared by EU member states and one non-member
mass caterers’. The council Regulation, country. These countries have developed
which came into effect on January 1st very different approaches to certifying
2009, governs these topics in all member food in serving outlets. The procedures mass organic catering. When asked about
states. However, member states are still for the certification of organic food served the satisfaction level with the present situ-
allowed to adopt national rules or private in out-of-home settings were reviewed ation in Europe for organic mass catering
standards for the out-of-home market, and analyzed in the first four of these certification, the majority of respondents
since the regulation does not cover such countries. Germany was included as a was ‘unsatisfied’ or ‘a little bit unsatisfied’
operations. reference country since it has legally regu- (Figure 1).
lated this area. The study provides first Furthermore, respondents would very
The study into ‘innovative Public Orga- insights into how certification procedures much welcome a harmonized certification
nic food Procurement for Youth’ (iPOPY, for the organic out-of-home market might scheme for the organic mass catering
2007-2010) was one of eight research be harmonized and adapted to general sector (Figure 2). A large majority con-
projects conducted as part of the CORE European conditions. Another aim was to sidered that the EU-wide harmonization
Organic I programme. This investigated find out if certification body officials and of organic certification in mass catering
the strategies and instruments used within other professionals working in this field would have mainly positive impacts. Only
a number of European countries (Italy, are satisfied with the current situation, and five respondents feared negative impacts.
Denmark, Finland, Norway and Germany), their experientially-based viewpoints about When asked to consider the most impor-
to increase the consumption of organic the issues that should be considered in tant drivers of such a harmonization


Organic Market Access and Trade Barriers

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