CCOF Certification Program Manual- DISINTEGRATED

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Because processing payment Noncompliances is costly toCCOF CS and takes away from the ability to provide serviceto other clients, all clients who receive a Notice ofNoncompliance and subsequent Notice of ProposedSuspension for non-payment will be charged an additional$75 per notice to cover administrative and other costs.Clients who wish to surrender their certification (withdraw)must notify CCOF CS in accordance with Section Two. Clientswho no longer wish to be certified, but who do not notifyCCOF CS that they wish to withdraw, will continue to beinvoiced fees. Clients that leave CCOF CS and do not payoutstanding invoices will have balances sent to collections.Collection PolicyClients are liable for all default payments and collection costsincluding reasonable attorneys' fees. CCOF CS will assign theaccount to a collection agency after 150 days from the dateof invoice.If a client pays the outstanding balance after the account issent to collection, CCOF CS will charge a collection penalty of35% of the amount of the invoice. CCOF CS charges thispenalty to offset the cost of sending the account tocollection.FEE REDUCTIONS, WAIVERS AND DEFERRALSThe Chief Certification Officer may grant waivers anddeferrals of $500 or less for any CCOF CS invoice (except inthe case of organic crops or products not sold as “organic”).Other deductions may include fee adjustments to ensuremarket competitiveness of the CCOF CS certificationprogram, such as use of the CCOF seal and/or transfer ofcertification to CCOF CS from another certification agency.The CCOF CS Management Committee must approve awaiver or reduction that exceeds $3,500. Requests for awaiver or deferral must be made in writing and submitted tothe Accounting Department, before the payment due date. Awaiver of Annual Fees will only be considered in cases ofcatastrophe or hardship. A waiver for crop failure can only beused once in any three-year period.Operations Currently Certified by Other CertifiersIf an operation is currently certified by another certifier andwishes to transfer to CCOF CS, the one-time Application feemay be waived. See the CCOF Certification Transfer form formore details. For operations who wish to transfer their USDANOP certification to CCOF and have retail labels that identifytheir existing certification agent and would face significantcosts or hardships due to the requirement to modify thecertifier name on their existing label stock or else dispose oflabels, CCOF may offer the following:• Up to 100% reduction in Certification fees for thefirst year of certification with CCOF• Up to 75% reduction in Certification fees for thesecond year of certification with CCOF• Up to 25% reduction in Certification fees for thethird year of certification with CCOF.Operations would still be responsible for inspection, Rushprogram, Expedited program or other optional fees. TheChief Certification Officer may negotiate certification feereductions to allow operations to maintain dual certificationwhile they use up retail labels listing the previous certifier.Operations granted fee reductions under this program mustagree that all new labels will carry the “Certified Organic byCCOF” statement and that all labels will identify CCOF as thecertifier within a specified period of time.Research, Charitable, & Education OperationsOperations that are exclusively used for public research andeducation may be exempt from paying the annualcertification fee upon request. These operations are notexempt from inspection fees.Volunteer ContributionsVolunteers of CCOF Inc. may be compensated with up to$150 in fee waivers. The volunteer contribution program isprovided for at the discretion of the Executive Director ofCCOF Inc.SECTION FOUR: ENFORCEMENT,ADVERSE ACTION, SANCTIONS & DUEPROCESSENFORCEMENTCCOF CS enjoys the reputation of a premier certificationagency because it has created and maintained a high-qualitycertification program to ensure that end consumers aredelivered products of the highest organic integrity. CCOF CStakes all allegations of violation of organic standards veryseriously and thoroughly investigates all substantive writtenreports of violation. However, no rules or laws canstrengthen the program more than the commitment of theoperators of the CCOF CS certified businesses to follow theproduction standards with care and honesty.CCOF CS handles issues related to violations of standardswith the highest priority. The marketplace acceptance andsuccess of third-party certification programs stronglyCCOF Certification Services Program Manual Page 18 of 27
depends on the consumers’ confidence in the authenticityand integrity underlying certified product label claims. Tothis end, CCOF CS implements quality certification servicesthat ensure compliance prior to granting certification andmonitors continued compliance of certified operations.CCOF CS’s enforcement procedures occur in various contextsand include the ability to take adverse action againstnoncompliant operations to protect consumer confidence inthe organic certification process. When an operation is foundto be out of compliance with the standards, CCOF CS willapply the certification sanctions described below.Enforcement procedures also include measures to ensuredue process to protect the rights of certification applicantsand certified operators by providing an opportunity torespond to noncompliance findings prior to adverse actiontaken by CCOF CS. This balance of adverse action and dueprocess ensures the certification process remains strict butfair.Complaints and InvestigationsCCOF CS investigates all complaints relating to organicintegrity or allegations of noncompliance to applicablestandards in a timely and efficient manner. CCOF CS mayreceive complaints about suspected violations of standardsfrom consumers, inspectors, farmers, distributors, brokers,government officials, or any other interested party. CCOF CSis committed to thoroughly investigating complaints that aresubmitted in writing and provide evidence that supports theallegations. When a complaint is received CCOF CS will takeappropriate action, document the action(s) taken and itseffectiveness, and when the complaint is resolved, adocumented resolution will be made. CCOF CS will notify theappropriate oversight authorities of all complianceproceedings and actions taken that result from a formalinvestigation. If an operation refuses to cooperate in aninvestigation, CCOF CS may deem this sufficient cause forissuance of a Notice of Noncompliance and potentiallyfurther adverse action.Monitoring the MarketplaceCCOF CS routinely surveys the retail marketplace to monitoruse of the CCOF name and seal and to evaluate product labelclaims for conformance with organic standards and the CCOFName and Seal Use Notification. If such monitoring finds thatthe CCOF name, seal or logo is being misused or thatproduct labels are noncompliant, CCOF CS will takeappropriate action, including issuing a Notice ofNoncompliance to the operations or reporting the finding tothe USDA Administrator, State Organic Program or otherauthority.Testing of Organic Products and InputsOperations seeking certification with CCOF CS must make allorganic products and inputs available for examination,sampling or testing by CCOF CS, or any governing official withregulatory authority associated with the applicable organicstandards.CCOF CS, or other governing officials, may require preharvestor postharvest testing of any input or product to besold, labeled, or represented as organic under the standardwhen there is reason to believe that the input or product hascome into contact with a prohibited substance or has beenproduced using excluded methods, such as geneticallyengineered organisms. Such tests must be conducted byappropriately designated representatives for CCOF CS atCCOF CS’s own expense or governing officials at the official'sexpense.If test results indicate a product or input contains pesticideresidues or environmental contaminants that exceed theFDA, EPA or other regulatory tolerances, CCOF CS willpromptly report such data to the Federal health agency andcomparable international authorities whose regulatorytolerance or action level has been exceeded.Under the USDA NOP, when residue testing detectsprohibited substances at levels above 5 percent of the EPAtolerance level, or the actual FDA action level, theagricultural product must not be sold, labeled or representedas organically produced. CCOF CS, the State organicprogram’s governing State official, or the USDAAdministrator may conduct an investigation of the certifiedoperation to determine the cause of the prohibitedsubstance’s presence.ADVERSE ACTIONS AND SANCTIONSIt is the responsibility of operations seeking organiccertification to understand and comply with all of theapplicable standards for certification. If operations do notunderstand the requirements for certification, they areencouraged to contact CCOF CS for clarification.Notices of Noncompliance, Proposed Suspension orRevocation, and Denial, Suspension and Revocationconcerning certification to the USDA are copied to the USDAAdministrator. Notices of Proposed Suspension orRevocation and notices of Denial concerning certification tothe USDA NOP for operations in California are copied to theCDFA State Organic Program administrator. The CanadianCCOF Certification Services Program Manual Page 19 of 27
Page 5 and 6: SECTION TWO: THE CERTIFICATION PROC
Page 7 and 8: • The inspector reviews the opera
Page 9 and 10: fee for each Notice of Noncomplianc
Page 11 and 12: If an operation wants to add new ac
Page 13 and 14: FEES THAT APPLY TO ALL CLIENTSAppli
Page 15 and 16: “organic” may be exempt from fe
Page 17: described in Section Two for an add
Page 21 and 22: E) The right to file an appeal.Susp
Page 23 and 24: comply with the regulations set for
Page 25 and 26: certification agency. All costs ass
Page 27: presented to the public or buyers o

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