The Basics of Organic Farming Certification
Organic farming certification is an essential procedure in the selling of organic products. When organic farming was still starting out, there were no organic farming certification bodies back then because organic products can be easily bought from a nearby local grower. However, as the organic market expanded, the supply chained became more complicated and therefore some products can become marketed as organic when in fact they are not. Organic farming certification is made to assure to consumers the validity of the organic products that are being sold.
Organic farming certification is typically conducted by an organization that functions as a third-party agent. The job of that certification body is to evaluate producers, processors, and handlers if they follow the set of operating guidelines for organic standards. Once the organic certification body confirms that the organic farm indeed conformed to the organic standards, they are then allowed to use the organization’s logo, product statement, and certificate when marketing their products, in order to guarantee to the consumer that they are truly organic. And as the logo of the certification agency is used by the producer, the certification body also guarantees the organic legitimacy of these products.
Farmers can get organic farming certification from two kinds of certification bodies: state-run agriculture department certifiers and private-run certifiers. Farmers who plan on being certified by private-run certifiers must make certain that the agency they are intending to apply in must be qualified by their national government, and in the case of United States, by the National Organic Program. The farmer then submits an application to the certification body, along with detailed information about his or her farm. After the application has been approved, the producer’s farm will then be subjected to an on-site inspection. An inspector will visit the farm and check it if it abides by the organic standards.
Farmers who are planning to get organic farming certification are encouraged to check out the different certification services since not all of them are the same. Additionally, there is a fee for certification so they have to make sure that the agency is indeed the most appropriate certifier for their products.
