Certification
16 important questions on Certification
Why organic certification?
Also, the need for universal production and processing standards; certification applied to all business involved in production, processing, packaging and/or distribution of food. Protection of quality through the product chain/marketing channel
What is the conceptual framework for certification?
- Desgin & implement principles
- Define and develop standards
- Establish certification institute
- Register the certification scheme and certification logo
- Control the certification instututes through international accreditation institutes
What are the international agencies for certification standards?
- IFOAM basic standards
- CODEX guidelines
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What is the certification process?
- Compliance with standards; modification of inputs and management
- Documentation; farm history, record keeping and soild and/or water testing
- Planning; production plan, resource use and management
- Survive the transition
- Get certified; application, inspection, certification
What are the side effects of certification/accreditation?
- Erosion of standards by increasing amendsments of 'appropriate chemical inputs'
- Trade barriers
- Provokes 'organic to the letter' at the costs of 'organic to the spirit'
What is a market?
Where are transaction subject to?
What are the key issues and challenges in certification?
- To protect consumers and the production status of organic producers
- Import discrimination where required standards may not fit the agro-ecological condition of the exporting country
- Multiple accreditation for 3 main organic markets
- different interpretation of the rules by different certifying agencies
- Lach of regognition by national regulations of multi-laterale private agreeemnts
- Avoid discrimination against small family based farms in favour of large multi-farm enterprises
- Avoid being lost in the certification jungle
What can be alternative approaces to certification?
- Internal control system
What are PGS (particapatory guarantee systems)?
What are the benefits of PGS?
-might vary in their methodology and approach, but the belief in the same core principles brings them together on a common platform
What are the costs of PGS?
- lack of independent certification
What are internal control systems?
What are the benefits of ICS?
-Empowerment of local growers
- Internalisation of organic standars
- Access by smallholders to profitable market outlets
- Facilitates capacity building and organisational development of local producers
- Provides a central local structure for implementation of training programs and innovation
- Strengthens communiations, community cohesion and local development
What are the challenges of ics?
- Requires some literacy by local growers
- Lack of local expertise, resource and organisational skills
- Etablishment of appropratioate administration and production records
- Dual role of inspectors and extensions agents
- Implementation of sanctions to non-compliance
- Social tensions for internal inspectors in local community
- Require trust within farmer groups
- Requires integrity of key administrators and inspectors
What is the ICS inspection proccess?
- Document review
- Interviews with cooperation staff and management
- Inspection of the processing facilities
- Interview with farmers
- Sample inspection of farms
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