Accepting foreign conformity assessment systems.

CFR · 2024-01-01 · US · Title 7

(a) Foreign product may be certified under the USDA organic regulations by a USDA-accredited certifying agent and imported for sale in the United States. Foreign product that is produced and handled under another country's organic certification program may be sold, labeled, or represented in the United States as organically produced if the U.S. Government determines that such country's organic certification program provides technical requirements and a conformity assessment system governing the production and handling of such products that are at least equivalent to the requirements of the Act and the regulations in this part. (b) Countries desiring to establish eligibility of product certified under that country's organic certification program to be sold, labeled, or represented in the United States as organically produced may request equivalence determinations from AMS. A foreign government must maintain compliance and enforcement mechanisms to ensure that its organic certification program is fully meeting the terms and conditions of any equivalence determination provided by the U.S. Government pursuant to this section. To request an equivalence determination, the requesting country must submit documentation that fully describes its technical requirements and conformity assessment system. If the U.S. Government determines it can proceed, AMS will assess the country's organic certification program to evaluate if it is equivalent. (c) USDA, working with other Federal agencies

official document · source cfr-2024 · id 7:§ 205.511