“China-EU Organic Product Certification Seminar” held in Shanghai

    On May 25, the “China-EU Organic Product Certification Seminar” was held in Shanghai, jointly hosted by the Certification and Accreditation Administration of the People's Republic of China (CNCA) and the Delegation of the European Union to China, and organized by the Shanghai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau and the EU-China Trade Project. Wang Daning, Deputy Director of the CNCA, attended the meeting. Gu Shaoping, Director of the Registration Department of the CNCA, and Beaumont, Director of the Organic Farming Regulation and International Affairs Department of the Directorate-General for Agriculture of the European Commission, delivered speeches on behalf of the Chinese and EU sides respectively at the opening ceremony. Dong Chao, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, attended the meeting and delivered a speech. More than 100 representatives from certification bodies and certified organizations attended the meeting.
    The European Union is one of the important production and consumption regions for organic products. Strengthening exchanges and mutual trust between China and the EU in organic product certification is of positive significance to the development of the organic industry in both China and the EU and to the improvement of the ecological environment. In order to promote the facilitation of China-EU organic trade, the two sides have held multiple consultations and have moved toward consensus on some issues. This seminar provided a platform for exchange to promote understanding between China and the EU, will further enhance mutual understanding and trust between the two sides, and will play a positive role in China-EU organic trade and sustainable development.
    In recent years, China's production and consumption of organic products have shown a rapidly 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 for each batch of imported organic products; second, supervising and managing the import organic product certification activities of certification bodies; third, conducting market 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, in the six months from November 2011 to April 2012, the Shanghai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau seized a total of 73 batches of imported goods that had not obtained China organic product certification but were labeled “organic” or “ORGANIC” on product labels and packaging, weighing 51.79 tons and valued at USD 112,100, all of which were subjected to label rectification or return or destruction. At the same time, a large number of China's organic products are also blocked from entering other countries because they are not recognized by foreign official authorities.
    At the seminar, representatives from the CNCA, the China Certification and Accreditation Association, the China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment, and the Shanghai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau conducted discussions on topics including China's organic product certification supervision, industry self-discipline of certification bodies and the management system for certification personnel, accreditation constraints on organic product certification bodies, and the supervision of imported organic products. EU officials introduced EU organic product regulations, supervision, and practice. This seminar was one of the important agenda items of the 6th China International Organic Food Expo.Artikel berasal dariFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/ms/11382/