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THE LATEST ON EU AGRI-FOOD POLICIES IMPACTING LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES

Organic products: controls of high-risk products

Published by AGRINFO on
Revised
Organic production / Organic production

Summary

The European Commission has informed the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (WTO TBT) Committee that it will establish a list of high-risk organic products on the basis of cases of continued non-compliance (G/TBT/N/EU/1073). Under current rules, 100% of consignments of high-risk organic products to be exported from non-EU countries must be sampled and controlled by an organic control authority or control body, and 100% of consignments must also undergo identity and physical checks by EU Member States on import.

Recognising the burden this places on operators and authorities, and that lower rates of physical checks can also be effective, the European Commission now proposes to introduce greater flexibility, allowing the share of consignments tested to be lower than 100%.

The WTO consultation is open until 3 September 2024. This follows an EU consultation undertaken by the Commission (Have your say) which ended on 16 July 2024.