Technical Bulletin No.14 - BioGro

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BioGro New Zealand Technical Bulletin Issue 14 | November 2010BioGro Change of AddressAs from the 17th November 2010, BioGro will be located at Level 5, 156-158 Victoria Street, Wellington. Our PO Box number andphone numbers will stay the same.BioGro Technical CommitteesBioGro is forming Technical Committees for the main organic production sectors including kiwifruit, pipfruit, dairy, sheep and beef,viticulture and winemaking, cropping, processing, aquaculture, input supply, compost supply, health and body care, retail, wholesale,and export. The Technical Committees include representatives from those sectors, and provide input into:• Managing export regulations and standards;• Ongoing review and development of the BioGro Standards - both existing and new areas of the standards, and best organicpractices in New Zealand;• Communications with BioGro certified producers, sector groups, and other stakeholders of key issues, changes, anddevelopments in organic standards, regulations, and markets.The Livestock and Dairy Technical Committee is operating and its members are Glenn Mead (sheep and beef), John Vosper (dairy),Joy McLeod (poultry, livestock auditor), Viv Cruickshank (dairy auditor), and Seager Mason (BioGro Technical Director). Thiscommittee is currently dealing with the following issues:• Meat export requirements;• Feed rules for C0 and C1 conversion dairy farms;• Poultry housing requirements;• Review of the BioGro livestock and dairy standards;• Input approvals.Certified producers and stakeholders in the livestock and dairy sectors are free to contact any members of this Technical Committee atany time to raise issues or provide constructive input for the committee.Directory of BioGro Certified Inputs for Producers 2010/2011The new Directory for 2010 / 2011 has been issued to all certified producers and lists all the BioGro certified inputs from 1/8/10 to31/7/11 by both active/main ingredient and supplier. The previous directory (2009 / 2010) should no longer be used.The Directory is very useful for certified producers to look for suitable BioGro certified inputs and to record their check on currentcertification when inputs are purchased and used. This is an alternative to checking the BioGro website list or obtaining a copy of thecurrent BioGro certificate.The Directory is available from the BioGro office – BioGro licensees first copy free and extra copies $17.50, BioGro members allcopies $15.50, non-members all copies $52.00, all prices are exclusive of GST.New products certified after August 2010 will be included into updates that will be published as needed.2 of 14
BioGro New Zealand Technical Bulletin Issue 14 | November 2010Certification requirementsNotification of breachesPlease note that all certified producers are required to inform us of breaches of the standards, refer BioGro Organic Standards Module3 Section 7.4. Over the last year we have had several cases of applications of prohibited materials onto certified properties, and ofresidues of prohibited materials being detected either here in New Zealand or overseas in certified products. If you become aware of abreach of the standards including the above relating to your property or products, then you must inform us immediately so that we canwork with you to resolve that, including where necessary informing markets.Inputs – all sectorsInputs list in your Organic Management Plan (OMP) and their approvalOverseas market access requirements have meant a change to the way that inputs in your Organic Management Plan are approved byBioGro. All inputs to your property whether they are restricted or permitted must now be listed and approved by BioGro before use.The most efficient way to do this is to list all inputs you intend to or may need to use over the coming year at your renewal - avoidingthe need to seek approvals later. A spreadsheet entitled OMP Inputs Approval Form is available on the BioGro website to use for this.Restricted inputs may still carry conditions for use or require extra justification but otherwise the approval process is the same forpermitted and restricted inputs. Approval by BioGro of your OMP inputs list will provide you with the assurance that the inputs youintend to use are compliant with all markets your products will or may access.Adding to your approved Inputs list in your current OMPIf during the year you need to use a permitted or restricted input that is not listed in your current OMP then you need to have itapproved and added to your OMP before you use it. You can do this:• By email to your auditor or the BioGro office, or• By completing an OMP Inputs Approval Form available on the website, or from the office or your auditor, or• By completing a “Change to OMP” form available on the website, or from the office or your auditor.Send your application to the email address approvals@biogro.co.nz to ensure your application is prioritised.Using the Inputs approved in your current OMPOnce you have approval of your current OMP inputs list then you can use those listed inputs over the coming year without any furtherneed to contact your auditor or the office. Before using an input check again that the product has current BioGro certification (from theInputs Directory or BioGro website) or it has been assessed and you have current written approval from BioGro. Your auditor will verifythe inputs you have used at your annual audit.Customised mixesSome certified Input Suppliers have “Customised Mixes” on their certificate. In order to have this on their certificate they must have aclear written procedure, approved by BioGro, that they follow to make mixes including who takes responsibility and signs off on anymixes made, and evidence of staff training and awareness which covers this. The customised mixes can only contain ingredients whichhave current BioGro certification or written approval, the formulation must be agreed with the BioGro licensee who it is being made for,and it must be listed in that licensee’s current OMP. If the customised mix contains any restricted ingredients then BioGro’s approvalfor this must also be included in the current OMP.Use of Inputs not on the BioGro website list or in the BioGro Input Directory (including livestock treatments)There may be inputs that you would like to use which do not have current BioGro certification. This may be because:• certification has been discontinued, or• certification has not yet been renewed, or• a particular input is not available from a certified supplier in your area, or• a particular input or a livestock treatment is not yet available as a certified product, or• you would like to trial a new type of input product.3 of 14
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Technical Bulletin No.14 - BioGro

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