Consolidation in Organic Agriculture - CCOF

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CERTIFICATION CORNERUPDATES ATHOME AND ABROADBy Brian McElroy, Certification Services ManagerCHANGES TO THE NOP RULEChanges to the NOP regulations wereprinted in the Federal Register on October 31and November 3, 2003. A summary of materialsadded to be allowed is listed here; this isonly a summary. If you are affected by aproduct listed here, you should read the fulltext of the amendment. To read the entirenotice go the USDA website www.ams.usda.gov/nop/TodaysNews.html for November13, 2003. The CCOF website will provide adirect link to the Federal Register Notice.Summary of Synthetic Substances allowed foruse in organic crop production (Section205.601):• Copper sulfate allowed for use as an algicidein aquatic rice systems and for thecontrol of tadpole shrimp. May only beused for tadpole shrimp once in 24months.• Ozone gas may be used as an irrigationsystem cleaner.•Peraceitic acid may be used as a disinfectant(equipment, seed and propagant plantmaterial) also for control of fire blight.•Pheremones, may be used as insect management.Also EPA List Three inters areallowed for use in passive pheromone dispensers.(NOTE! Listing still does notallow for use of puffers).I NTERNATIONAL T RADE U PDATES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CCOF Certification Services will require that an “import authorization” be in place priorto issuance of an “import certificate.” Each member state of the European Union has anestablished procedure and related documentation for the importation of product fromorganic agriculture. There has been some confusion in the past when producers obtained“import certificates” prior to the importer obtaining the required “import authorization.”The importer is responsible for obtaining the authorization but the exporter or CCOFproducer may obtain the import certificate. If the authorization is not in place prior toshipment, the product may be stuck on the dock at the port of entry.Giberellic Acid (GA) is allowed for use by CCOF International Standards. GA was previouslyprohibited by CCOF International due to the European Union regulations 2092/91prohibition. Since IFOAM allows the use of GA, CCOF has determined that GA will beallowed by CCOF International Standards, but that CCOF Certification Services willnotify producers that the product is prohibited in the European Union. CCOF CertificationServices will not issue European Union Export Certificates for product where GA hasbeen used.Factory Farmed Manure (FFM) is prohibited by European Union Regulations. There areno CCOF standards that prohibit the use of FFM; however, CCOF Manual Three providesan explanation of what CCOF considers to be FFM in Section 5.5.2 (D). Essentiallyyou should avoid manure from caged poultry or poultry where stocking density isgreater than 12 birds to the square meter, and from dairy animals treated with geneticallyengineered bovine growth hormones.CCOF inspectors collect information on manure sources for CCOF InternationalClients and this information is used to evidence CCOF client compliance to EU regulations.If you think that your product could be exported to the EU, then you should verifythat your manure source (including the manure in compost) is not from a factory farm.CCOF will accept a letter from your compost or manure provider regarding the source ofmanure to evidence compliance.Summary of Synthetic Substances allowed foruse in organic livestock production (Section205.603)• DL-Methionine may be used only in poultryproduction until October 21, 2005.•Trace minerals may be used for enrichmentor fortification only when FDA approved.Summary of Synthetic Substances allowed forin processed products (Section 205.605)• Agar-agar.• Carageenan.•Ethylene—allowed for degreeningof citrus.•Potasium hydroxide is prohibited—exceptfor use when peeling peaches for the IndividuallyQuick Frozen (IQF) process.•Tartaric acid.• Cellulose.• Animal Enzymes without lysomsyme.CSCUPDATES FROM THE NOVEMBER, 2003MEETING OF THE CCOF CERTIFICATIONSTANDARDS COMMITTEEThe CCOF Certification Standards Committeehas approved the following policystatement with regard to the use of brandname products on CCOF Certified OrganicOperations.Producers may use brand name productson the following lists:•Organic Materials Review Institute(OMRI) Brand Names List (omri.org)•Washington State Department of Agriculture(WSDA) Brand Name Materials List(http://agr.wa.gov/FoodAnimal/Organic/MaterialsLists.htm)Or, with the following labeling:• US EPA—pesticide products labeled“For Organic Production”(epa.gov/oppbppd1/biopesticides/regtools/organic-pr-notice.htm).Producers who use brand name productsnot listed in the OMRI Brand Names Listor the WSDA Brand Name Materials List,or not bearing the US EPA “For OrganicProduction” label, must provide full disclosureof all active and inert ingredients toPage 32CCOF Magazine
CCOF in order to verify compliance, or awritten statement from the manufacturerattesting that the inert ingredients are NOPallowed and/or on EPA List 4. Any products that containinert ingredient(s) not on the EPA List 4are prohibited under the National OrganicProgram sections 205.601(m)(1), and205.603(e)(1), unless specifically listed asallowed in NOP Section 205.600.Where a producer or CCOF CertificationServices discovers that a brand nameproduct has been used in good faith (allactive ingredients complied with theNational List) but an inert ingredient isdisclosed (with documented evidence) thatdoes not comply, the producer must ceaseand desist the use of the product. CCOFreserves the right to retain the land and/orcrop as certified organic if the infraction isconsidered to be a minor non-compliance.Remember! It is the producer’s responsibilityto determine if a material meets stateand federal requirements before use.Mark NorthFinancial AdvisorThe Zimmerman Group1700 Second Street, Suite 100Napa, CA 94558(707) 254-4408(800) 829-0194Winter 2003–2004 Page 33
Page 1 and 2: California Certified Organic Farmer
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Page 8 and 9: estrictions on corporate involvemen
Page 10 and 11: MEMBERSOrganic Farming: Proactive E
Page 12 and 13: MEMBERSFROM R U BBERB O OTS TOS C H
Page 15 and 16: PROGRAMSNRCS &ORGANIC FARMERSBy Jes
Page 17 and 18: VValley Center is the avocado capit
Page 19 and 20: what it’s supposed to, but at som
Page 21 and 22: EDUCATIONPhoto courtesy of Life Lab
Page 23 and 24: occur (e.g., rose mosaic). Parasiti
Page 25 and 26: public and conventional farmers on
Page 27: health, environmental and economic
Page 31 and 32: American Farmland Trust and the Uni
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Page 40 and 41: NATIONAL ORGANIC STANDARDS BOARDREP
Page 42 and 43: BRAND NAME OF PRODUCT SUPPLIER GENE
Page 45 and 46: CCOF CERTIFIED OPERATIONSAUGUST 16
Page 47 and 48: CALENDARJ ANUARY 21-24Ecological Fa

Consolidation in Organic Agriculture - CCOF

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