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Certification requirements
The requirements for organic plant production are defined in Article 11 of EU Regulation (EC) N° 834/2007 and Chapter 1 of Section II of EU Regulation (EC) N° 889/2008 and Chapter 2 of Section IV of the same Regulation. They can be summarized as follows:
- Soil fertility and plant protection shall be achieved by natural methods (cultivation of legumes, use of livestock manure and compost, crop rotation, selection of suitable varieties, appropriate mechnical cultivation methods and protection of natural enemies). Nutrient cycles shall be closed as much as possible.
- Only in case of need certain addtional farm inputs may be used. These few permitted inputs are listed in the Annexes of the Regulation: plant-protection (Annex I), fertilisers and soil conditioners (Annex II)
- Only organically produced seeds or propagation material may be used (certain exceptions apply in case these are not available)
- Genetically modified organisms or their derivates must not be used (critical may be e.g. seeds or farm inputs with micororganisms)
- The same crop variety may not be produced in organic and non-organic quality. If the farm still has non-organic crops the organic and the non-organic fields must be strictly separated. Any contamination of the organic fields must be avoided.
- A conversion period applies, i.e. the organic production rules must have been fulfilled for a certain period until a product can be certified as organic. The minimum conversion period is 36 months before harvest for perennial crops and 24 months prior to sowing for annual crops. If it can be proven that no unallowed inputs have been used even before begin of certification it may be possible to approve the previous cultivation as part of the conversion period.
- During harvesting and handling great care must be taken to keep the organic products separate and prevent any contamination
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