Certification body Control Union has blamed the challenge of collecting supply chain data from other certification bodies for a decision by the European Commission to withdraw its license as an organic certifier for imports from five countries.
The comments came after the EC last week said it has decided to withdraw the recognition of Control Union Certifications for all product categories from Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
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The move follows investigations on suspected irregularities in relation to several lots of products from these countries that had been certified by Control Union as being organic.
“Control Union Certifications did not provide timely and conclusive answers to the various requests for information,” the Commission says. “In addition, Control Union Certifications failed to demonstrate the traceability and organic status of those products.”
It adds that Control Union “issued a certificate of inspection (COI) for products that had previously been downgraded to conventional by the competent authorities of a Member State due to pesticide residues.”
Products imported into the European Union from a third country may be sold as organic if they are covered by a certificate of inspection issued by the competent authorities, control authorities or control bodies of a recognised third country or by a recognised control authority or control body.
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By GlobalDataHowever, Netherlands based Control Union Certifications (CUC) says the number of requests for auditing and certification is soaring in line with growth in the European organic sector. “There is a downside,” it adds, “as the success of organic also attracts dubious companies keen on getting a piece of the pie.”
CUC also admits it “found it difficult to collect in a conclusive manner and in a given timeframe supply chain data from other certification bodies which had certified the products involved.”
In the case cited by the EC, CUC says it issued a COI for the import of a batch of EU Organic certified sunflower seed from a Turkish supplier – but was unaware that Italy had decertified this shipment because it contained residue of a herbicide. “Consequently CUC immediately withdrew the COI after it was informed about this.”
Moving forward, CUC says it will “communicate transparently about additional measures taken, as well as about the progress of implementing these measures.”
It has also re-applied to become recognised as a control body for EU Organic in the five countries where it has lost its license.
Under its Action Plan for the Future of Organic Production in the European Union, the Commission has developed a system of electronic certification for imports of organic products as a module integrated into the electronic Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES).
In order to improve the functioning of the electronic certification system, it is appropriate to use the qualified electronic seal in TRACES for the endorsement of the certificates of inspection for the purposes of Commission Regulation.
