One of the leading organic certification agencies in Europe, LACON GmbH, has decided to withdraw from certification in third countries, including India, temporarily in view of the changes in the European Union’s Organic Farming Regulation.
In a statement issued on Thursday from its headquarters Offenburg in Germany, LACON, which has an Indian subsidiary LACON Quality Certification (India), said it was withdrawing from certification in third countries as the conditions for “organic regulations” were changing.
Forced to change course
LACON, which has over 30 years of experience in the organic sector, said it was being forced to “change course and withdraw” from the certification, as a result.
In particular, it found fault with the EU publication of regulation 2021/2325 issued last month, saying “the principles and requirements are increasingly unclear and decisions are becoming arbitrary”.
In the regulation issued last month, the European Union said organic products imported by member countries should not only ensure they are processed properly but should also be free from any chemical residues.
Focus on residue-free
LACON said the focus on residue-free as an organic characteristic for products from a third country was a “political move away from the process certification”.
“We necessarily see ourselves compelled to withdraw from the international organic business for the time being. This, (is) until the conditions regarding the new certification system (compliance) in third-country are clarified and the requirements are on a solid firm basis. We deeply regret this situation,” it said.
A trade analyst said the latest EU regulation on organic products called for process and product integrity. “By withdrawing from the organic certification in third countries, Lacon does not want to vouch for the product integrity,” the analyst said.
Till now, all organic consignments had to be certified for process rather than the product. The certification agencies supervise the process through which an organic product is made and clear them for shipments.
However, with tests in Europe showing the presence of pesticide or other chemical residues, the EU has decided to tighten the regulations, which required any organic products imported by member countries to be totally free of residues.
India is among the countries whose organic products have come under increased scrutiny from the EU. Last month, the EU decided to blacklist five certifying bodies from January 1 this year for clearing or ratifying exports of organic products as they failed to meet the norms for ethylene oxide (ETO) residue in consignments, mainly sesame (til/gingelly).
On India’s part, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, which is the supervising body, has banned five certifying bodies for failing to meet the regulatory standards.
Won’t affect India
The analyst said LACON’s withdrawal from third countries will not affect organic shipments from India as there are other agencies that can take care of the certification processes.
In the statement, LACON told its clients: “... we would like to be honest at this point, let common sense prevail and act preventively so that our well-known quality and your certification are not at risk. We are aware that this decision will also affect you in the short term. We will, therefore, do what we can to support you during this challenging time, such as switch to another certification body.”
However, the certification firm assured to bounce back once the “storm” settles down.
LACON is accredited by National Accreditation Body, Government of India, as per National Program for Organic Production (NPOP). It also offers organic certification as per USDA-NOP standards for products destined for export to the US. The firm is also listed as an equivalent certification body by European Union for the purpose of equivalence.