Bridges Trade BioRes • Volume 8 • Number 18 • 17th October 2008
New tools aim to boost trade in organic goods
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An international task force charged with removing barriers to trade in organic products has released two tools aimed at creating a worldwide standard for organic certification. The tools were launched on 7 October at the 8th meeting of the International Task Force on Harmonisation and Equivalency in Organic Agriculture (ITF) in Geneva.
The two tools establish guidelines that, if implemented, could help improve developing countries’ participation in the quickly expanding organic products trade. The ‘EquiTool’, the first of the two instruments, is a guide intended to help decision-makers assess the equivalency of one organic standard to another. With an array of organic certification bodies around the world – more than 400 public and private certification bodies are now in operation – establishing a means of equivalency could help improve market access. The second guide, the International Requirements of Organic Certification Bodies (IROCB), establishes a minimum set of performance requirements for organic certification bodies.
The ITF is a joint initiative of the UN Conference on Trade and Development, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), and the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM – the umbrella organisation of the organic sector worldwide). The task force was formed in 2003 to help remove the multitude of technical barriers restricting the flow of organic trade and to improve developing countries’ access to international markets.
At the meeting, ITF members drew attention to potential opportunities in the organic industry for farmers in developing countries. “The sector is growing rapidly and presents opportunity for producers. Organic agriculture is particularly well suited for smallholder farmers,” said UNCTAD Director General Supachai Panitchpakdi. “It preserves traditional knowledge and reduces dependence on external inputs.”
FAO Assistant Director-General Alexander Müller agreed with Supachai, underscoring the need for developing countries to get in on the ground floor of a market poised for growth. “The growth of organic agriculture presents a very good opportunity for farmers to participate in trade,” he said “Market demand is strong and consumers know that the quality of organic products is high and the production system is environmentally friendly.”
Currently, the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission Guidelines for the Production, Processing, Labelling and Marketing of Organically Produced Food and the IFOAM Basic Standards are the only two international standards for organic agriculture. Rather than creating a new global standard, the two new ITF initiatives aim to internationalise the world’s fragmented certification systems. For example, IROCB – based on ISO 65 (General Requirements for Bodies Operating Product Certification Systems) – will enable the recognition of organic certification bodies worldwide.
Additional resources
For further information on the ITF meeting and the ‘EquiTool’ and IROCB, visit http://www.unctad.org/trade_env/ITF-organic/material1.asp
“Easing organic agricultural trade,” MATANGI TONGO ONLINE, 13 October 2008; “New tools help developing nations mkt organic products abroad,” THE ECONOMIC TIMES, 12 October 2008; “IFOAM, UNCTAD and FAO Launch Tools for Uniting the Organic World,” GREEN PLANET, 11 October 2008; “Task Force Launches Two Tools to Facilitate Trade in Organic Products,” UNCTAD PRESS RELEASE, 7 October 2008.
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