Canada Close to Organic Regs

Although Canada has had a voluntary organic standard since 1999, it is only now close to being codified into law.

The Canadian organic community seeks mandatory national organic standards to ease the way for trade of organic products both within Canada and with other countries.

Pre-publication of Canada’s organic regulation appeared recently in the Canada Gazette (Vol. 140, No. 35, Sept. 2, 2006) marking the beginning of a 75-day comment period for international and domestic stakeholders. The government will review the comments and make any necessary revisions prior to final publication and enactment.

Certification of organic producers and handlers as well as accreditation of certifiers have been voluntary except in the province of Quebec, which requires certification to the Quebec organic standards by certifying bodies accredited by the Conseil des appellations agroalimentaries du Quebec (CAAQ).

A national regulation will pave the way for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to secure equivalency agreements with other countries, thus facilitating markets for Canadian-produced organic products. When the regulation is finalized, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) will establish a Canada Organic Office (Bureau canadien du biologique).

The US Organic Trade Associaton (OTA www.ota.com) played a central role on the Organic Regulatory Committee (ORC), which helped shape the proposed regulation. OTA recently established OTA Canada as an operating division of the trade association.

See the regulation.