“China-EU Organic Product Certification Seminar held in Shanghai

    On 25 May, the China-EU Organic Product Certification Seminar, jointly hosted by cnca and the Delegation of the European Union to China, and organised by the Shanghai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau and the EU-China Trade Project, was held in Shanghai. Wang Daning, Deputy Director of cnca, attended the meeting. Gu Shaoping, Director of the Registration Department of cnca, and Beaumont, Director of Organic Farming Regulation and International Affairs at the Directorate-General for Agriculture of the European Commission, delivered opening remarks on behalf of the Chinese and European sides respectively. Dong Chao, Deputy Director-General of the Shanghai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, attended and addressed the meeting. More than 100 representatives from certification bodies and certified organisations participated in the meeting.
    The European Union is one of the important producing and consuming regions for organic products. Strengthening communication and mutual trust between China and Europe regarding organic product certification is of positive significance to the development of the organic industry and the improvement of the ecological environment in both regions. To facilitate China-EU organic trade, the two sides have held multiple consultations and reached a consensus on certain issues. This seminar has established a communication platform to promote understanding between China and Europe, which will further enhance mutual understanding and trust, and play a positive role in China-EU organic trade and sustainable development.
    In recent years, the production and consumption of organic products in our country has shown a rapid and increasing trend. Dong Chao, deputy director of the Shanghai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, stated in his speech that regarding the entry verification of imported organic products, the bureau has taken the following measures: first, implementing verification management on every batch of imported organic products; second, supervising and managing the import organic product certification activities of certification bodies; third, conducting market law enforcement inspections on the compliance of imported organic products; fourth, establishing an early warning mechanism for imported organic products through platforms such as the “12365” quality complaint hotline. According to statistics, over the half-year period from November 2011 to April 2012, the Shanghai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau intercepted a total of 73 batches of imported goods that failed to obtain Chinese organic product certification yet were labelled as “organic” or “ORGANIC” on their product labels and packaging, weighing 51.79 tonnes and valued at 112,100 US dollars; all of these underwent label rectification, returned for shipment, or were destroyed. At the same time, a large number of organic products from our country have also been kept out of other countries' borders due to failing to obtain the accreditation of foreign official authorities.
    During the seminar, representatives from cnca, the China Certification accreditation Association, the China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment, and the Shanghai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau delivered presentations on various themes, including the supervision and administration of China's organic product certification, industry self-discipline among certification bodies and personnel management systems, accreditation constraints for organic product certification bodies, and the supervision of imported organic products. EU officials also outlined EU organic product regulations, supervision, and practices. This seminar was a key event of the 6th China International Organic Food Expo.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11382/