Saturday 25th of May 2013
2012 March
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Mounting the organic Great Wall |
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Written by Gunnar Rundgren
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Thursday, 15 March 2012 09:31 |
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TOS 131, MARCH 2012 - the full article is available for logged in subscribers.
In an effort to clean up the allegedly fraudulent organic food market in China, authorities have imposed draconian measures, such as the compulsory testing of all crops. The stricter Chinese organic regulation, already very demanding, makes it even more unlikely that products from outside China will be able to pass over the Organic Great Wall. The new version of the China National Organic Product Standard and the Rules on Organic Certification came into effect on 1 March 2012
Organic products sold in China must have the Chinese national organic product logo as well as a unique number and the name or logo of the certification body. Imported products must comply with the Chinese national organic standard and rules. However, it is expected that there might be some opportunity for bilateral equivalence negotiations.
Gunnar Rundgren
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USA and the EU are now partners |
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Written by Nuria Alonso and Eva Mattsson
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Thursday, 15 March 2012 09:15 |
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TOS 131, MARCH 2012 - the full article is available for logged in subscribers.
An historical partnership was signed in BioFach Nuremberg 2012 between the representatives of the USA and the EU Governments. The signatories of the letters that formally sealed the partnership were Kathleen Merrigan, USA Deputy Secretary of Agriculture; Dacian Cioloş, the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development; and US Ambassador, Isi Siddiqui, who is the US Trade Representative Chief Agricultural Negotiator.
The agreement, which will come into force on 1 June 2012, will make it possible for organic products certified in the EU or the USA to be sold in the other country/region without any further inspection or certification. The only condition is that labels of the exported products meet the labelling requirements of the importing country. The trade agreement is currently restricted to products produced or processed within the EU or the USA.
Nuria Alonso and Eva Mattsson
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EU wine rules published |
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Written by Eva Mattsson
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Thursday, 15 March 2012 09:14 |
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TOS 131, MARCH 2012 - the full article is available for logged in subscribers.
After a long and cumbersome process the EU has finally taken a decision on standards for organic wine. On 8 March the new wines rules were published in the EU Official Journal under the name of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 203/2012.
The main issues for discussion have been the sulphur content allowed in organic wine. In the end these levels were set at 100 mg per litre for red wine (150 mg/l for conventional) and 150 mg/l for white/rosé (200 mg/l for conventional), where the residual sugar is lower that 2g/litre.
The new legislation applies to all winemaking taking place after 31 July 2012. Wine produced before that date can be sold with the organic EU-logo if it can be proved that the production process fulfilled the requirements for wine processing in the new legislation. If it cannot be proved that the winemaking process fulfils the requirements of the new legislation, wine produced before 31 July can be sold as ‘wine made from organic grapes’ until stocks are exhausted, but it cannot bear the EU-logo.
Eva Mattsson
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