A misunderstanding about how Canadian certification agencies operate is
temporarily blocking organic trade with Europe.
Last week the Dutch ministry of agriculture refused a shipment of
organic fenugreek from Canada. Canadian government officials initially
thought it was an isolated incident that could be cleared up quickly
through diplomatic channels. But it appears the problem runs deeper.
Another incident has surfaced involving a shipment of an unspecified
organic product from British Columbia. It was refused last week by
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authorities in the United Kingdom.
The Western Producer has obtained a document written by the deputy
secretary of the U.K. Register of Organic Food Standards that sheds
light on why these shipments are being declined.
It advises European Union members that organic shipments inspected or
certified by agencies accredited throughout the United States’ new
National Organic Program, or NOP, will not be authorized.
That’s because the Europeans have not had time to review the new U.S.
national standards to see if they are equivalent to theirs.
They want to ensure that products inspected under that system were
grown under production rules and under an inspection system similar to
what they employ.
“Although we will make every effort to expedite the reassessment of
equivalency, importers should be aware that it will take some time. We
may need to ask for further information from you and your inspection
body,” stated the document.
The European stance has created a dilemma for Canadian organic
producers and exporters. Some of the biggest certification bodies
operating in this country have been accredited through the NOP program.
“Canada got caught in the loop,” said Gilbert Parent, Agriculture
Canada’s national organic specialist.
He said the Europeans are failing to recognize that some Canadian
certification agencies are accredited to many different standards,
including American and European standards.
“It’s all a question of misunderstanding,” said Parent.
One of those agencies with multiple accreditations is OCPP/Pro-Cert
Canada Inc., the outfit that certified the shipment of fenugreek
destined for Holland.
“There is no reason to throw OCPP/Pro in with the NOP accredited
agencies,” said general manager Wally Hamm.
He said the Dutch overlooked the fact that the shipment was certified
to both American and European standards and certificates were issued
for each certification.
“Thank God we did that,” said Hamm, who plans to contact European
officials this week to explain his position.
Hamm expects the problem surrounding the fenugreek shipment to be
resolved through diplomatic channels quickly, but he wonders what an
incident like this signals.
Organic certifiers around the world were supposed to have access to the
European market as long as they complied with local import requirements
up until Dec. 31, 2005. Hamm said there now appears to be a
deterioration in that policy.
A senior trade policy analyst with Agriculture Canada is similarly
perplexed by the European action. Marie-France Huot said it is strange
that Canada wasn’t notified by its trading partners about the apparent
problems with the shipments.
She has been in contact with Canadian diplomats in the Netherlands,
Belgium and the United Kingdom trying to resolve the issue. They plan
to explain to the Europeans this week that many Canadian agencies
certify to European standards in addition to the NOP.