Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
IBS and for guidance in any new standard development or addition to an existing standard
(ISEAL Alliance 2004b).
As a non-governmental organisation, IFOAM is continually searching for ways to demon-
strate legitimacy and credibility that are generally taken for granted in governmental systems.
In terms of standards-setting processes, IFOAM is a member of the International Social and
Environmental Accreditation and Labelling (ISEAL) Alliance and as such, is required to imple-
ment the ISEAL Code of Good Practice for Setting Social and Environmental Standards that
was officially launched in April 2004. The Code includes procedural requirements such as the
inclusion of a complaints resolution mechanism, periods for comment, the publication of a
work program, the need to take into account comments received through at least two rounds
of comment submissions by interested parties, prompt publication of standards and periodic
revision. The Code also includes requirements for effectiveness, relevance and international
harmonisation as well as participation in the standards development process including the
need to proactively seek contributions from interested parties, paying particular attention to
the needs of disadvantaged groups such as developing countries and small and medium-sized
enterprises (ISEAL Alliance 2004a). Through such tools, ISEAL membership provides addi-
tional assurance of the integrity of the IFOAM standards setting processes to key stakeholders,
particularly government agencies.
The IBS are standards for standards, in that accredited certification bodies are required to
use them as the basis for their own certification standards. The IBS are divided into general
principles, standards that require compliance and recommendations. Over time, with experi-
ence in implementation, recommendations may be upgraded to standards. As such, there is an
inbuilt mechanism for incorporation of new learning.
The other internationally recognised standard is the Codex Guidelines. The Codex Alimen-
tarius Commission was created in 1961 by its two parent organisations, the Food and Agricul-
ture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO). As an
intergovernmental body, only member governments that have decision-making powers though
international organisations may participate as observers (Vaupel 2001). In 1999, Codex adopted
Guidelines for the Production, Processing, Labelling and Marketing of Organically Produced
Foods with additional sections concerning livestock and livestock products as well as bee-
keeping and bee products adopted in 2001. In accordance with general Codex objectives, these
guidelines were to facilitate the harmonisation of organic standards at the international level
and prevent misleading claims, as well as ensuring fair trade practices (Commins 2003).
As regards government regulations, the EEC Council Regulation 2092/91 on Organic Agri-
culture was first introduced in 1991, followed by the Japanese Agricultural Standard of Organic
Agricultural Products (JAS) in 2000. After receiving almost 300,000 mainly negative public
comments on its draft rule released in 2000, the National Organic Program Rule CFR Part 205
of the US Department of Agriculture was finally approved in 2002 with substantial revisions
(Grolink 2002). Several other government regulations have since been developed or are in the
drafting stages, most of which are based on international standards and the regulations of
those countries with key organic markets.
Conformity assessment processes (international erification
processes)
As with organic standards, there are significant overlaps between the private accreditation
program run by the IOAS using IBS and government conformity assessment systems. Given
the lack of a multilateral system for organic regulation among governments and a lack of coor-
dination between governments and the private regulatory system, the international trade of
