Rome, Italy
October 8, 2008
Organic farmers in developing
countries will have greater access to world markets, thanks to
two practical tools launched this week that seek to ease trade
in organic agricultural products.
The new tools, which are the outcome of six years of
collaborative work by FAO, the
UN Conference on Trade and
Development (UNCTAD), and the
International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements
(IFOAM), the umbrella organization for the organic sector
worldwide, will help streamline acceptance of products that are
traded internationally.
Equitool is a guide to help decision-makers assess whether an
organic production and processing standard applicable in one
region of the world is equivalent – that is, not identical but
equally valid – to another organic standard. This tool
facilitates trade while also safeguarding organic production
according to local socio-economic and agro-ecological
conditions.
The second tool, IROCB (International Requirements for Organic
Certification Bodies) is a minimum set of performance
requirements for organic certification bodies that will enable
import of products certified under foreign control systems.
The tools were approved at the final meeting of the
International Task Force on Harmonization and Equivalency in
Organic Agriculture (ITF) in Geneva. The task force, formed in
2003 by FAO, UNCTAD and IFOAM, comprises representatives of
governments, intergovernmental agencies, and key stakeholders
from the private sector, including certifiers and accreditors.
A growing market
Organic trade is expanding at the rate of 15-20 percent per
year, and more than 100 countries currently export certified
organic products. But international organic trade is hindered by
a multitude of standards, regulations, and conformity assessment
systems.
Over 400 public and private certification bodies now operate in
the global organic marketplace. Products certified as organic
under one system are not easily recognized as organic under
another. This causes major headaches and costs for organic
producers and exporters wishing to sell in different markets.
These barriers can put the economic, environmental, health and
social benefits of organic agriculture beyond the reach of many
producers, particularly resource-poor farmers in developing
countries. It also leaves consumers paying higher prices for a
more limited selection of products.
“The organic market is steadily expanding, new issues are
emerging and organic standards and certification procedures are
in constant development,” says FAO Assistant Director-General
Alexander Mueller.
“Rather than losing time, money and markets in this jungle of
standards and regulations, the ITF has laid the basis for
harmonious cooperation for those interested in facilitating the
growth of the organic sector, while maintaining the integrity of
the system,” Mueller adds.
Standards
The ITF advocates that organic trade should be based on
international standards and the principle of equivalence, and
that organic certification bodies worldwide should meet common
performance requirements.
There are currently two international standards for organic
agriculture – the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission
Guidelines for the Production, Processing, Labelling and
Marketing of Organically Produced Food and the IFOAM Basic
Standards. |
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