Organic production rules

New regulations urge organic producers to obtain accreditation and undergo regular compliance checks

The Ministry of Agriculture issued a set of regulations concerning the organic production sector. The decision was published in the official Gazette on December 22.

As stated by the regulations, the objective of ‘organic production’ is to establish a sustainable management system for agriculture that preserves biodiversity, preserves soil quality, and protects the environment.

The regulations cover all activities related to the production, manufacturing, and the import and export of organic agricultural produce. These include non-processed vegetal products, livestock (including bees) and livestock products, processed vegetal and/or livestock products, and livestock feed.

According to the regulations, the operators of organic production shall comply with the production rules set out in the Lebanese standards applicable to organic production, namely NL 724-1:2003, NL 724-2: 2003, NL 724-3: 2003, and NL 724-4:2003.

The set of regulations calls for the establishment of a control system for the inspection and certification in the field of organic production in accordance with the provisions it set out. One or more control bodies will be responsible for the certification of organic production operators. These control bodies must be recognized and accredited by the Lebanese accreditation council, COLIBAC.

Once an operator is approved by the control authority, regular inspection must be applied, preferably by a separate body, to ensure continued compliance to the production standards.

As for the importation of organic labeled products, the regulations stipulate that all imports of the aforementioned products shall be accompanied with a certificate from the relevant authorities in the country of origin.