Frequently Asked Questions1. How does organic production developed worldwide? Please download World of Organic Agriculture 2013 to find more information about organic production worldwide. 2. Are organic foods safer than conventional foods? That is, are people less likely to experience contaminant-related health problems by buying only organic foods; and is production of organic foods safer? Organic foods clearly have much lower levels of synthetic agricultural chemical residues such as artificial pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and veterinary drugs (eg, antibiotics and growth hor-mones). Yet it is important to realise that organic foods may still have some residues from inci-dental soil and environmental contamination, even if the concentrations of these residues are very low. 3. What are the most important organic regulations/standards? http://organicstandard.com.ua/en/services/standards 4. Are «Genetically Modified Organisms» allowed in Organic Farming? Organic foods are not allowed to contain GM ingredients. Although there are a percentage of non-organic ingredients allowed in foods labelled organic, even these non-organic ingredients are not allowed to contain GMOs. 5. What kind of inputs are allowed in organic farming (inputs idem permitted agents)? Any substances (inputs, permitted agents) used in an organic system for soil fertilization and conditioning, pest and disease control, for the health of livestock and quality of the animal products, or for preparation, preservation and storage of the food product should comply with the relevant national organic regulations (or international if certification according international standards).
6. Who may I ask to fill in the application form (farmer profile)? The OS inspector can help you in filling in the application form. However we recommend you to contact your consultant or BIOLan Association to assist you in the preparation of the inspector. This helps you and the inspector to be more efficient during the inspection! 7. What does "Conversion Period" mean?
EU regulation
Annex I A, 1.1. The principles laid down in Article 6(1)(a), (b) and (d) and set out in particular in this Annex must normally have been applied on the parcels during a conversion period of at least two years before sowing, or, in the case of grassland, at least two years before its exploitation as feedingstuff from organic farming, or, in the case of perennial crops other than grassland, at least three years before the first harvest of products as referred to in Article 1(1)(a). The conversion period shall commence at the earliest on the date on which the producer notified his activity in accordance with Article 8 and submitted his holding to the inspection system provided for in Ar-ticle 9.
However, the inspection authority or body may decide, in agreement with the competent authority, to recognise retroactively as being part of the conversion period any previous period in which:
NOP
§ 205.202 Land requirements.
Any field or farm parcel from which harvested crops are intended to be sold, labelled, or repre-sented as «100 percent organic,» «organic,» or «made with organic (specified ingredients)» must:
§ 205.103 Recordkeeping by certified operations.
JAS 8. What is meant by «Inspection» and «Certification»? Inspection means the examination of a production, a service, a process or a plant. During an inspection the conformity with specific requirements or general requirements is determined, e.g. EU Regulation, BIOLan Standard, etc. The certification is the decision based on the inspection and done by another person than the inspector. OS is a product certification body and accredited according to ISO/IEC Guide 65 (General requirements for bodies operating products certification systems). 9. How long does it take to get certificate after inspection? The certification decision takes approximately 3 months after inspection (if all required documents were presented). It is important that the operator is well prepared for an inspection. Call us and ask for the list with the documents to be provided! This economises time and energy for you, the inspector and the certifier! 10. What organizations in Ukraine can help me to sell my organic certified products on the domestic and/ or international market? Organic Standard is an Inspection and Certification body and is not able to help you in selling your organic products! Get in contact with one of the following organisations. They all have experience in selling organic products and have a strong network within Ukraine and abroad: BIOLan Association, Organic Federation of Ukraine, Club of Organic Agriculture, Organic Era etc. 11. What does including into the European Union’s list mean to the Organic Standard’s clients? On the 6th of December, 2011 European Commission has published the official document, which consists List of the control bodies, conducting their activity beyond the EU borders. It means that, since the 1st of July, 2012, for operators, certified by these companies, included Organic Standard, it will be enough to draw up only export (transaction) certificate to export their goods (document that is issued by the certification body and must accompany every lot of goods for export). Before, in order to import some products on the territory of EU, the importer had to issue respective license from the legal authorities – so-called import authorization. 12. What exactly are «organic foodstuff»? Although minor variations in standards exist across countries, the term 'organic food' is usually taken to mean a food that has been produced without artificial fertilisers and that has not been subject to treatment with synthetic pesticides or growth promoters of any type, including hor-mones and antibiotics. Although vaccines may be used in animals grown for organic food production, the use of veterinary drugs is generally avoided or minimised except for genuine remedial care, in which case such meat animals may be withdrawn from certification.
|
