Registration - New clients
Bio Garancia Kft. enhances the sustainable growth of organic farmers through its fast and professional certification services. Our company has 20 years experience and an international background, thanks to which the number of our clients is constantly growing.
Our main task is to investigate whether organic products were produced according to the EU organic regulation, from choosing the land up to their placing on the shop shelves. Following getting in contact with us, we inform you about everything you need to know for organic farming. Once you are registered in the organic system and the contract is signed, the in conversion period of your lands begin. It is obligatory to correspond with the requirements of the EU organic regulation from that day. Notes of farming need to be recorded throughout the year, as well as reporting certain data to us. You can be informed about the yearly responsibilities on our website, as well as from our colleagues.
We investigate in a two steps process, during the inspection and certification, whether all requirements included in the applicable organic regulations are complied with. Our inspector investigates the facility once in a year, in a previously agreed time. The inspector produces a report based on the inspection findings and determines the actual status of the products. Besides the yearly inspection a random inspection may also be conducted. In case any deviations from the regulations are found, we assign a deadline, until when it is necessary to complete the specified corrective measures. In case of factories with high risk (based on risk assessment) or any suspicion a sample may be taken.
The inspection report is investigated by one of our certifiers according to the rules of EU organic inspection and certification. Our certifier approves the status and the measurements, but if necessary, alters the inspector’s suggestions. In this case the certifier modifies the inspection report and sends it to our client. Our client may disapproves the content of the inspection report in writing within 14 days, otherwise it is taken as approved. If the factory’s activity corresponds with the requirements, our company issues a certification. The certification’s validity lasts from the previous yearly inspection at the latest until 31st January next year, and verifies that the farm in question complies with the requirements included in the relevant EU and national regulations. On this document all products of the facility are listed, along with their appropriate status. In case the fee of the inspection and/or certification is not paid, we are unable to issue a certificate.
Certifications issued by our company are available on our EASY-CERT certification-search platform, which enables a direct access for our partners to their certifications and the status of their products. Thanks to EASY-CERT platform consumers can be reassured that the product they purchase marked with the appropriate status.
Registration into the organic certification system
Hereinafter we would like to inform those who are considering to register into the organic certification system. The process of application is simple and our colleagues are there to help with all steps.
Enquiries are welcome from anyone interested in our services either on the phone or via e-mail. Depending on the activity (crop production/animal husbandry, trade, processing) we send our registration package via email, which contains the followings:
1. information materials, including the most important information, conditions and criteria,
2. valid pricelist of the services, based on which the yearly fee of the registration into the organic certification system may be calculated,
3. certification contract,
4. client information sheets, which need to be completed in full at the time of the registration.
Following providing basic information necessary for the registration (name, address of headquarters, email address, phone number, activity) we send a registration package to the given email address and we expect the completed documents in the way described in our email (via post or email). Date of the registration will be the same as the arrival date of the accurately completed contract and client information sheets. We send by post the copies of the paper based documents in the registration package, one original copy of the contract, the confirmation of the registration, and the first partial invoice altogether to our newly registered clients.
If you are already registered into the organic certification system, one of our inspectors will contact you on the phone in order to arrange a suitable time for the yearly inspection. Our inspector will mention on the phone, as well as in an email reminder the documents necessary for the inspection (financial paperwork, farming diary, land-usage statement, sack label, receptures etc.). During the inspection besides auditing the administration an on-site inspection will also be conducted. Our inspector has to have the possibility to enter each factory units (storage of plant protection products, other storages, drying unit, processing unit etc.). A report is produced during the inspection. Only the yearly inspection is arranged previously, but in certain cases an additional inspection may also be necessary. We notify and arrange both with our clients beforehand. Though a random inspection may be conducted anytime, without prior arrangement.
Once someone is registered into the organic certification system, certain rules need to be complied with, from the first day of the conversion period. This is the same date as the day of registration/signing the contract.
Most important requirements in case of agricultural factories:
- In case our client cultivates another parcels besides the ones registered into the organic certification system, it is necessary to pay attention that, in case of plants it is not permitted to grow species that are difficult to differentiate (which is not obvious for someone layman), and in case of animal husbandry it is not possible to keep identical species in the organic and conventional units at the same time.
- In organic farming organic propagating material needs to be used. In case organic propagating material is not available from the given plant species, in certain cases it is possible to replace it with conventional seeds and vegetative propagating material. Though in case of seedlings only organic is permitted to use.
- In cultivation technology only certain plant protection products and nutrient replenishments are permitted, about which a separate informaton material can be found on our website.
- Crops may be sold as organic following completing the conversion period prescribed in the regulation.
Most important requirements in case of processing factories and traders/importers:
• A product needs to consist mainly of agricultural ingredients (apart from the added water and salt), and the origin of the organic ingredients needs to be verified with the valid certification of the supplier. The permitted non organic, not agricultural ingredients, additives and substances is strictly regulated (see regulation (EC) Nr. 889/2008, article 27., appendix VIII. and IX.).
• When receiving organic raw materials it is compulsory to check whether the supplier of the product owns an organic certification and hence enabled to mark the product as organic, is the supply wrapped appropriately and the packaging is not damaged, which may have caused the manipulation or contamination of the goods. It is also mandatory to compare whether the organic marking is displayed on the product according to the certification, and examine if all necessary information may be seen on the label and on the accompanying documents, and whether quantity is in line with the data on the accompanying documents.
• Products with organic origin need to be marked clearly (e.g. Ö, Á, K), in order to be obvious even for a layman.
• Organic products need to be physically separated, in order not to mingle with conventional ones, and not to be contaminated by foreign or prohibited materials (e.g. storage disinfectants, dust).
• A clear, precise and up to date stock register needs to be produced (containing the name of the product, marking, quantity, growth, decrease, supplier, receiver) in a way that the current stock may be seen anytime. The status of the certified product needs to be recorded in the registers too (e.g. organic or in conversion), as well as the possible losses.
As the member of the organic certification system you receive two invoices per year from us: one about a basic yearly fee, which we send to our existing clients in the first quarter of the year and to our new clients following their registration. Then another invoice following the inspection, the amount of which is calculated based on the size of the lands (producers), and the length of the inspection and travel time (processors, traders).