Organic products: Recognition of control bodies
- Organic production
Summary
Under the new organic regime of the European Union (EU), from 1 January 2025 control authorities and control bodies must be listed under Regulation 2021/1378 as officially approved (recognised) to conduct controls and certification of organic products in non-EU countries.
In October 2025, the EU added the following four control bodies to the list of approved control authorities/control bodies (Regulation 2025/2138):
- AfriCert Limited
- Organic T&C, L.L.C.
- Q-Check Private Company
- SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE PROMOTION SOCIETY (SAPS)
In addition, for certain control bodies that are already approved, the Regulation expands the scope of recognition of the product categories and non-EU countries in which they are permitted to operate.
In total, 56 control authorities/control bodies are currently listed. Detailed steps to access an updated list of these bodies are provided in the Recommended Actions below.
EU approves four additional organic control authorities/bodies
Sixth amendment: Commission Implementing Regulation 2025/2138
Fifth, fourth, third, second, and first amendments: Commission Implementing Regulations 2024/3121, 2024/2794, 2024/2140, 2024/1748 amending Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1378 as regards the recognition of certain control bodies in accordance with Article 46 of Regulation (EU) 2018/848 of the European Parliament and of the Council as competent to carry out controls and issue organic certificates in third countries for the purpose of imports of organic products into the Union
Update
Under the new organic regime of the European Union (EU), from 1 January 2025 control authorities and control bodies must be listed under Regulation 2021/1378 as officially approved (recognised) to conduct controls and certification of organic products in non-EU countries.
In October 2025, the EU added the following four control bodies to the list of approved control authorities/control bodies (Regulation 2025/2138):
- AfriCert Limited
- Organic T&C, L.L.C.
- Q-Check Private Company
- SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE PROMOTION SOCIETY (SAPS)
In addition, for certain control bodies that are already approved, the Regulation expands the scope of recognition of the product categories and non-EU countries in which they are permitted to operate.
In total, 56 control authorities/control bodies are currently listed. Detailed steps to access an updated list of these bodies are provided in the Recommended Actions below.
Impacted Products
Organic products
What is changing?
To certify organic products for export, control authorities and control bodies in non-EU countries must be approved (recognised) by the EU as being able to carry out the necessary controls to certify that products comply with EU organic production rules.
The EU maintains a list of approved control authorities and control bodies which is regularly updated to include new authorities/bodies that have demonstrated their competence to carry out controls.
The recognised bodies are listed under Implementing Regulation 2021/1378.
The list has been updated six times.
First amendment
In June 2024, Regulation 2024/1748 listed the following 17 control authorities or control bodies:
- bio.inspecta AG
- Caucascert LLC
- CCPB Srl
- CERES Certification of Environmental Standards GmbH
- CERTIMEX, Certificadora Mexicana de Productos y Procesos Ecologicos S.C.
- Control Union Certifications B.V.
- Ecocert SAS
- ECOGLOBE LLC
- FOOD SAFETY S.A.
- IMO Control Private Limited
- Kiwa BCS Öko-Garantie GmbH
- Mayacert S.A.
- Organic Control System LLC Subotica
- Organic Standard LLC
- Servicio de Certificación CAAE S.L.U.
- Southern Cross Certified Australia Pty Ltd
- Tse-Xin Organic Certification Corporation.
Second amendment
In August 2024, an additional 15 control authorities or control bodies were listed under Regulation (EU) 2024/2140:
- A CERT European Organization for Certification S.A.
- ACT Organic Company Limited
- Agricert – Certificação de Produtos Alimentares Lda
- Balkan Biocert Macedonia DOOEL Skopje (removed from the list in May 2025)
- Beijing Continental Hengtong Certification Co. Ltd
- CERTIFICADORA BIOTROPICO S.A.S.
- COMPANY OF ORGANIC AGRICULTURE IN PALESTINE
- Ecovivendi d.o.o. Belgrade
- ETKO EKOLOJİK TARIM KONTROL ORGANİZASYONU LİMİTED ŞİRKETİ
- IBD Certificações Ltda
- LACON QUALITY CERTIFICATION PRIVATE LIMITED
- Metrocert S.C.
- Oregon Tilth Inc
- Organizacion Internacional Agropecuaria S.A.
- Organska Kontrola d.o.o. Sarajevo
Third amendment
In November 2024, an additional 12 control authorities and control bodies were listed under Regulation 2024/2794:
- ACO CERTIFICATION LIMITED
- CTR ULUSLARARASI BELGELENDIRME VE DENETIM LTD. ŞTİ.
- DQS POLSKA SPÓŁKA Z OGRANICZONĄ ODPOWIEDZIALNOŚCIĄ
- Florida Certified Organic Growers and Consumers, Inc. (FOG), DBA as Quality Certification Services (QCS)
- IMOCERT Latinoamérica Ltda.
- INDOCERT
- ONECERT INTERNATIONAL PRIVATE LIMITED
- Organic Crop Improvement Association International Inc
- Organic Food Development and Certification Center of China
- Organización Internacional Agropecuaria S.A
- ORSER KONTROL VE SERTIFIKASYON ANONIM IIRKETI
- SRS Certification GmbH
The Regulation also amends the categories of products and specific non-EU countries that the listed control body Ecocert SAS may control.
Fourth amendment
In December 2024, an additional six control authorities and control bodies were listed under Regulation 2024/3121:
- Başak Ekolojik Ürünler Kontrol ve Sertifikasyon Hizmetleri Ticaret Limited Şirketi
- Bioagricert s.r.l. Unipersonale
- DQS POLSKA SPÓŁKA Z OGRANICZONĄ ODPOWIEDZIALNOŚCIĄ
- GCL International Ltd
- Japan Organic and Natural Foods Association
- Sertifikācijas un testēšanas centrs.
Fifth amendment
In May 2025, an additional three control bodies were listed under Regulation 2025/882:
- Bio Latina Certificadora
- Primus Auditing Operations Mexico
- PT BIOCert Indonesia.
Sixth amendment
In October 2025, four additional control bodies were listed under Regulation 2025/2138:
- AfriCert Limited
- Organic T&C, L.L.C.
- Q-Check Private Company
- SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE PROMOTION SOCIETY (SAPS)
In addition, this new Regulation expands the scope of recognition of the following control bodies to include certain product categories and non-EU countries:
- Florida Certified Organic Growers and Consumers, Inc. (FOG)
- DBA as Quality Certification Services (QCS)
- IMOCERT Latinoamérica Ltda.
- Kiwa BCS Öko-Garantie GmbH
- Organic Control System LLC Subotica
- ORSER KONTROL VE SERTİFİKASYON ANONİM ȘİRKETİ
- Southern Cross Certified Australia Pty Ltd.
Details on the category of products that each control authority or control body may control, and the non-EU countries where they may carry out controls, are given in the Annexes of the Regulations.
Why?
From 1 January 2025, only control authorities and control bodies that are officially recognised by the EU to conduct compliance audits are able to issue organic certificates in non-EU countries.
To be recognised by the EU, control authorities and control bodies must submit a request for recognition under Art. 46 of Regulation 2018/848, and must meet the required conditions.
Timeline
The four most recently approved control bodies under Regulation 2025/2138 are recognised from 25 October 2025.
Recommended Actions
It is critically important for organic food operators in non-EU countries to monitor the recognition process, and to liaise closely with their control authorities and control bodies.
The EU regularly produces consolidated versions of the list of control authorities and control bodies. For the latest available version, visit Regulation 2021/1378 and click on “Current consolidated version”. Operators must ensure they use the most up-to-date version.
Background
The EU Organic Regulation 2018/848 brought in a fundamental change from an equivalence regime to a compliance regime, with a 3-year transition period after it was applied on 1 January 2022 (see New EU Organic Regulation explained). Under this Regulation, control authorities and control bodies in non-EU countries must be approved (recognised) by the EU as being able to carry out the necessary controls to certify that products comply with EU organic production rules.
The EU Organic Regulation is the basic Act that lays down the EU rules on organic production and labelling of organic products. It revises and strengthens the controls system, trade regime, and production rules that had been in place since 2007. It brought in a fundamental change to the regulatory approach, moving from the principle of equivalence to the principle of compliance. The earlier Regulation (EC) 834/2007 recognised that organic goods could be produced in ways that were different, but equivalent in terms of their outcome and alignment with organic principles. Under the new Organic Regulation, this changes to a system of compliance: producers in non-EU countries that do not have equivalence recognised in a trade agreement with the EU, or are not recognised as an equivalent country under Regulation 834/2007, will have to conform with the same set of rules as those in the EU. For further information see New EU Organic Regulation explained.
Resources
Commission Regulation 2018/848 on organic production and labelling of organic products
Commission Regulation 2021/1378 laying down certain rules concerning the certificate issued to operators, groups of operators and exporters in third countries involved in the imports of organic and in-conversion products into the Union and establishing the list of recognised control authorities and control bodies
Commission Regulation 2021/1698 with procedural requirements for the recognition of control authorities and control bodies that are competent to carry out controls on operators and groups of operators certified organic and on organic products in third countries
Sources
Sixth amendment: Commission Implementing Regulation 2025/2138
Fifth, fourth, third, second, and first amendments: Commission Implementing Regulations 2024/3121, 2024/2794, 2024/2140, 2024/1748 as regards the recognition of certain control bodies as competent to carry out controls and issue organic certificates in third countries for the purpose of imports of organic products into the Union
Disclaimer: Under no circumstances shall COLEAD be liable for any loss, damage, liability or expense incurred or suffered that is claimed to have resulted from the use of information available on this website or any link to external sites. The use of the website is at the user’s sole risk and responsibility. This information platform was created and maintained with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents do not, however, reflect the views of the European Union.
EU approves four additional organic control authorities/bodies
Sixth amendment: Commission Implementing Regulation 2025/2138
Fifth, fourth, third, second, and first amendments: Commission Implementing Regulations 2024/3121, 2024/2794, 2024/2140, 2024/1748 as regards the recognition of certain control bodies as competent to carry out controls and issue organic certificates in third countries for the purpose of imports of organic products into the Union
What is changing and why?
From 1 January 2025, control authorities and control bodies must be listed under Regulation 2021/1378 as being officially approved (recognised) to conduct organic controls and certification in non-EU countries under the new European Union (EU) organic regime, which is based on compliance. Since June 2024, six Regulations list a total of 56 organic control authorities and control bodies as officially approved.
In October 2025, the EU added the following four control bodies to the list of approved control authorities/control bodies (Regulation 2025/2138):
- AfriCert Limited
- Organic T&C, L.L.C.
- Q-Check Private Company
- SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE PROMOTION SOCIETY (SAPS)
In addition, for certain control bodies that are already approved, the Regulation expands the scope of recognition of the product categories and non-EU countries in which they are permitted to operate. These are:
- Florida Certified Organic Growers and Consumers, Inc. (FOG)
- DBA as Quality Certification Services (QCS)
- IMOCERT Latinoamérica Ltda.
- Kiwa BCS Öko-Garantie GmbH
- Organic Control System LLC Subotica
- ORSER KONTROL VE SERTİFİKASYON ANONİM ȘİRKETİ
- Southern Cross Certified Australia Pty Ltd.
Actions
Control authorities and control bodies must be recognised under the compliance regime from 1 January 2025. It is important for organic food operators in non-EU countries to follow the recognition process, and to liaise closely with their control authorities and control bodies.
The EU regularly produces consolidated versions of the list of control authorities and control bodies. For the latest available version, visit Regulation 2021/1378 and click on “Current consolidated version”. Operators must ensure they use the most up-to-date version.
Timeline
The four most recently approved control bodies under Regulation 2025/2138 are recognised from 25 October 2025.
The list of control authorities and control bodies is expected to be revised on a regular basis, adding further control bodies that have been recognised.
Disclaimer: Under no circumstances shall COLEAD be liable for any loss, damage, liability or expense incurred or suffered that is claimed to have resulted from the use of information available on this website or any link to external sites. The use of the website is at the user’s sole risk and responsibility. This information platform was created and maintained with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents do not, however, reflect the views of the European Union.