[D66] European Union and United States Agree to Historic New Partnership on Organic Trade

[Henk Elegeert]

News Release<http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentid=2012/02/0051.xml>
 Release No. 0051.12
Contact: Office of Communications (202) 720-4623

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 European Union and United States Agree to Historic New Partnership on
Organic Trade<http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentid=2012/02/0051.xml>


Audio<http://ocbmtcreal.usda.gov/player/player.html?base=http://ocbmtcreal.usda.gov/&uri=/USDA/secy&stream=021512>

NUREMBERG, Germany, Feb. 15, 2012-The European Union and the United States
announced today that beginning June 1, 2012, organic products certified in
Europe or in the United States may be sold as organic in either region.
This partnership between the two largest organic-producers in the world
will establish a strong foundation from which to promote organic
agriculture, benefiting the growing organic industry and supporting jobs
and businesses on a global scale.

The organics sector in the United States and European Union is valued at
more than $50 billion combined, and rising every year.

Formal letters creating this partnership were signed on 15 February 2012 in
Nuremberg, Germany, by Dacian Ciolos, European Commissioner for Agriculture
and Rural Development; Kathleen Merrigan, U.S. Agriculture Deputy
Secretary; and Ambassador Isi Siddiqui, U.S. Trade Representative Chief
Agricultural Negotiator. The signing took place at the BioFach World
Organic Fair, the largest trade show for organic products in the world.

"This partnership connects organic farmers and companies on both sides of
the Atlantic with a wide range of new market opportunities," said U.S
Deputy Agriculture Secretary Merrigan. "It is a win for the American
economy and President Obama's jobs strategy. This partnership will open new
markets for American farmers and ranchers, create more opportunities for
small businesses, and result in good jobs for Americans who package, ship,
and market organic products."

"This agreement comes with a double added value. On the one hand, organic
farmers and food producers will benefit from easier access, with less
bureaucracy and less costs, to both the U.S. and the EU markets,
strengthening the competitiveness of this sector. In addition, it improves
transparency on organic standards, and enhances consumers' confidence and
recognition of our organic food and products," stated the EU Commissioner
responsible for agriculture and rural development, Dacian Ciolos. "This
partnership marks an important step, taking EU-U.S. agricultural trade
relations to a new level of cooperation".

"This is a significant step in strengthening our bilateral trade
relations," added Ambassador Isi Siddiqui. "I am confident that this
arrangement will facilitate and boost agriculture trade between the
European Union and the United States - and lead to more jobs in this
important sector for both America and Europe."

Previously, growers and companies wanting to trade products on both sides
of the Atlantic had to obtain separate certifications to two standards,
which meant a double set of fees, inspections, and paperwork. This
partnership eliminates significant barriers, especially for small and
medium-sized organic producers. All products meeting the terms of the
partnership can be traded and labeled as certified organic produce, meat,
cereal, or wine.

Leading up to today's historic announcement, both parties conducted
thorough on-site audits to ensure that their programs' regulations, quality
control measures, certification requirements, and labeling practices were
compatible.

Although there are small differences between the U.S. and European Union
organic standards, both parties individually determined that their programs
were equivalent except for the prohibition on the use of antibiotics. The
USDA organic regulations prohibit the use of antibiotics except to control
invasive bacterial infections (fire blight) in organic apple and pear
orchards. The European Union organic regulations allow antibiotics only to
treat infected animals. For all products traded under this partnership,
certifying agents must verify that antibiotics were not used for any reason.

In addition, all products traded under the partnership must be shipped with
an organic export certificate. This document will show the production
location, identify the organisation that certified the organic product,
verify that prohibited substances and methods weren't used, certify that
the terms of the partnership were met, and allow traded products to be
tracked.

Both parties are committed to ensuring that all traded organic products
meet the terms of the partnership, retaining their organic integrity from
farm to market. The European Commission's Directorate General for
Agriculture and Rural Development and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's
(USDA) National Organic Program—which oversees all U.S. organic
products—will both take on key oversight roles.

The United States and the European Union will continue to have regular
discussions and will review each other's programs periodically to verify
that the terms of the partnership are being met. The EU and U.S. will also
begin to work on a series of cooperation initiatives to promote organic
production and tackle important topics such as animal welfare and other
issues. Both programs will share technical information and best practices
on an ongoing basis to further enhance the integrity of organic crops and
livestock production systems.

Currently, this agreement only covers products exported from and certified
in the United States or the European Union. For additional details on this
agreement, please visit

http://www.ams.usda.gov/NOPTradeEuropeanUnion or
http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/organic/home_en, or please contact one of
the following:

   - Roger Waite, European Commission Spokesman for Agriculture and Rural
   Development, +(32) 2 296 14 04, roger.waite at ec.europa.eu
   - Matt Herrick, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of
   Communications: +1 (202) 720-4623, matthew.herrick at oc.usda.gov
   - Andrea Mead, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Office of Public
   and Media Affairs: +1 (202) 395-3230, Andrea_D_Mead at ustr.eop.gov

#

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"

Groen rechts?

Henk Elegeert
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