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DRAFT GUIDELINES FOR THE PRODUCTION, PROCESSING, LABELLING AND MARKETING OF ORGANICALLY PRODUCED FOODS (AT STEP 7 OF THE PROCEDURE)

 

 

 

ANNEX 3: MINIMUM INSPECTION REQUIREMENTS AND PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES UNDER THE INSPECTION OR CERTIFICATION SYSTEM

 

1. Inspection measures are necessary across the whole of the food chain to verify product labelled according to Section 3 of these guidelines conforms to internationally agreed practices. The official or officially recognised certification body or authority and the competent authority should establish policies and procedures in accordance with these guidelines.

2.Access by the inspection body to all written and/or documentary records and to the establishment under the inspection scheme is essential. The operator under an inspection should also give access to the competent or designated authority and provide any necessary information for third party audit purposes.

 

A. Production units

3. Production should take place in a unit where the land parcels, production areas and storage facilities are clearly separate from those of any other unit which does not produce according to these guidelines; preparation and/or packaging workshops may form part of the unit, where its activity is limited to preparation and packaging of its own agricultural produce.

4. When the inspection arrangements are first implemented, the operator and the official or officially recognized certification body or authority should draw up and sign a document which includes:

5. Each year, before the date indicated by the certification body or authority, the operator should notify the official or officially recognised certification body or authority of its schedule of production of crop products, giving a breakdown by land parcel..

6. Written and/or documentary accounts should be kept which enable the official or officially recognised certification body or authority to trace the origin, nature and quantities of all raw materials bought, and the use of such materials; in addition, written and/or documentary accounts should be kept of the nature, quantities and consignees of all agricultural products sold. Quantities sold directly to the final consumer should preferably be accounted for a daily basis. When the unit itself processes agricultural products, its accounts must contain the information required in B2, third dash point of this Annex.

7. Storage, on the unit, of input substances, other than those whose use is with paragraph 4. l(b) of these guidelines is prohibited.

8. Apart from unannounced inspection visits, The official or officially recognised certification body or authority should ensure that make a full physical inspection is undertaken, at least once a year, of the unit. Samples for testing of products not listed in these guidelines may be taken where their use is suspected. An inspection resort should be drawn up after each visit. Additional occasional unannounced visits should also be undertaken according to need or at random.

9. The operator should give the certification body or authority, for inspection purposes, access to the storage and production premises and to the parcels of land, as well as to the accounts and relevant supporting documents. The operator should also provide the inspection body with any information deemed necessary for the purposes of the inspection.

10. Products referred to in Section 1 of these guidelines which are not in their packaging for the end consumer should be transported in a manner which wshould prevent contamination or substitution of the content with substances or product not compatible with these guidelines and the following information, without prejudice to any other indications required by law:

11. Where an operator runs several production units in the same area (parallel cropping), units in the area producing crop, crop products not covered by Section 1 should also be subject to the inspection arrangements as regards the dash points of paragraph 4 and paragraphs 6 and 7 above. Plants of indistinguisable varieties the same variety as those produced at the unit referred to in paragraph 3 above should not be produced at these units.

If derogations are allowed by the competent authority, the authority must specify the types of production and circumstances for which derogations are granted and the supplementary inspection requirements, such as unannounced site visits; extra inspections during harvest; additional documentary requirements; assesment of an operator's ability to prevent co-mingling, etc, which are to be implemented.

[The official or officially recognised certification body or authority may grant a derogation for a period determined by the certification body or authority or the competent authority, subject to supplementary inspection requirements imposed by the certification body or authority.

OR

The official or officially recognised certification body or authority may grant a derogation for a period in paticular cases such as perennial crop production, subject to the supplementary inspection requirements imposed by the certification body or authority.]

 

B. Preparation and packaging units

1. When the inspection arrangements are first implemented, tThe producer and/or operator and [inspection body] should draw up should provide:

This description and the measures concerned should be contained in an inspection report, signed by the responsible person of the unit and the certification body.

[An inspection report should be drawn up for each visit, signed by the responsible person of the unit and the inspector] covered in paragraph 4.

In addition, tThe report should include an undertaking by the operator to perform the operations in such a way as to comply with Section 4 of these guidelines and to accept, in the event of infringements, the implementation of measures as referred to in paragraph 6.9 of these guidelines and be countersigned by both parties.

 

2. Written accounts should be kept enabling the certification body or authority to trace:

3. Where products not referred to in Section 1 of these guidelines are also processed, packaged or stored in the unit concerned:

4. Apart from unannounced inspection visits, The official or officially recognised certification body or authority should ensure that make a full physical inspection, at least once a year, of the unit. Samples for testing of products not listed in these guidelines may be taken where their use is suspected. An inspection report must be drawn up after each visit countersigned by the person responsible for the unit inspected. Additional occasional unnanounced visits should also be undertaken according to need or at random.

5. The operator should give the official or officially recognised certification body or authority, for inspection purposes, access to the unit and to written accounts and relevant supporting documents. The operator should also provide the inspection body with any information necessary for the purposes of inspection.

6. The requirements in respect to the transport as laid down in paragraph A. 10 of this Annex are applicable.

7. On receipt of a product referred to in Section 1 of these Guidelines, the operator shall check:

 

C. Imports

1. Importing countries should establish appropriate inspection requirements for the inspection of importers and of imported organic products.

 

Codex Alimentarius Working Group, May 27th, 1998. (Draft copy)


Important Note

Text that appears in bold and underlined letters indicates new text relative to the last document of the "Codex Alimentarius Working Group".

Text that appears in red italics letters indicates eliminated text.

Text that appears in green will be discussed next year.


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