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Biofach Congress Session: Combatting fraud in the new EU and US regulations – insights, impacts, reactions

 

During the recently concluded Biofach 2024, the Alliance for Organic Integrity organized a session on combatting fraud. The session was a full house and standing room only, a testament to the significance of the subject matter and the high-caliber speakers who participated in it.

 

The session addressed combatting fraud under the new EU and US regulations. Bo van Elzakker, Treasurer/Secretary of the Alliance, voiced out long held concerns of organic operators on fraud. According to Mr. Elzakker, while intention of the new regulations is to improve integrity, the concern on fraud in the organic supply chain continues to exist. He argued that rather than make life difficult for the actors in the supply chain with more regulation, we should focus attention on the players that introduce fraudulent products into the food system. He also stated that we should consider engaging trade associations or the private sector to more involved in protecting the supply chain and thus decrease the need for overly strong external controls.

 

Robert Yang, Director of the Accreditation Division of the USDA’s National Organic Program presented the Strengthening Organic Enforcement Final Rule, which will be effective beginning 19 March 2024. Mr Yang noted four main points: (1) many operators that are currently not required to be certified will now need to be certified; (2) all products imported to the US certified as USDA organic will need to have an electronic import certificate; (3) record keeping and supply chain traceability will be increased; and (4) there will be strengthened oversight of accredited certifiers.

Under the Rule certifiers will have to issue operator certificates from the USDA’s Organic Integrity Database. Mass balance and tracing back to the previous certified operation will now be a standard part of Organic Control Audits. Additionally, the Rule clarifies NOP’s authority for oversight and implementation. There are also requirements for producer groups, conditions

and requirements for equivalence, a right for the NOP to act against uncertified operations, and the appeals and mediation process

 

Henri Delanghe, Deputy Head of the European Commission’s Organic Unit emphasized that the fight against fraud is a priority for the European Commission, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), and Europol. This is because consumer trust and fair competition would be necessary if the European Union aims to increase land under organic production to 25% by 2030. Mr. Delanghe noted that there is little mention of fraud in European organic legislation.  The basic organic regulation mentions it only in relation to Member States being required to do what they can to fight fraud.  He further explained that for EU based frauds, liaison will mainly be with OLAF, the EU Agri-Food Fraud Network, and Europol. For imported or trans-national products there will also be contact with relevant Member State or Third Country authorities, Control Bodies and DG TAXUD.

 

For the US, Mr. Delanghe noted that a lot of EU information is public, such as which Control Bodies are recognised or de-listed.  He emphasized though that it is not possible to simply exchange lists of “suspicious” operations as this information is subject to privacy legislation.

Lastly, Dr. Alexander Beck, a Managing Board Member of AOL, noted that a fraud case can be a major business concern, especially for a solely organic company. Mr. Beck raised some concern that there is often too much focus on compliance so that those who are doing an effective job often feel the burdensome requirements while not paying attention to those who do not comply.   Also, the issue of mistrust is of great concern, and an approach where industry and CBs can work together to prevent fraud is one that would benefit all.

Bo van Elzakker of the Alliance, voiced out long held concerns of organic operators on fraud
The Alliance files Amicus Curae brief, in support of the United States Department of Agriculture in the case of Pratum Farm, LLC  vs. USDA

The Alliance, along with other organic companies, nonprofits, and farmer collectives, has filed an Amicus Curae brief to ask the court to uphold the Grower Group rule.  Stating that: “there is no place for fraud in the organic sector and that there are robust processes built into organic guarantee systems, as well as the oversight and legislative frameworks that sit behind them…” 
The Alliance raised deep concern about the potential adverse effects of Plaintiff’s lawsuit on organic operations, international organic trade, and the organic label. According to USDA’s estimates, there are over two and a half million small organic farmers that have substantial and settled reliance interests on the grower group system. “Many valuable U.S. imported organic commodities are primarily produced by smallholders and wouldn’t be available in organic quality without group certification.”  Millions of low-income farmers worldwide depend on grower group organic certification method for their livelihood. To undermine this vital portion of the U.S. organic program would cause a global economic crisis for the organic sector.
Additionally, the amicus states that cases of individual fraud should not be confused as a failure of the overall system of grower group certification. “…Amici are adamantly opposed to any and all fraud in organic certification, but the answer to that problem is enforcement of existing organic law, not prohibiting group certification.”
Read more: 2024-02-22 – Doc 21-1 – AOI et al BRIEF OF AMICUS CURIAE

Biofach Congress 14th Feb 2024

 

On the 14th February 2024, the Alliance presented the topic: Combatting fraud in the new EU and US regulations – insights, impacts, reactions at the Biofach Congress to a standing room, a testament to both the importance of the subject matter, and also the calibre of the speakers: NOP’s Robert Yang, DG Agri Deputy Head of Unit Organics Henri Delanghe, AOEL’s Alex Beck, and our very own, Bo van ElzakkerThe speakers discussed the key aspects of their recent legislations that are intended to address integrity and combat fraud in the organic supply chain. They  shared their thoughts on how they are (or are expecting them to) make an impact. This was followed by insight and analysis from those working in the organic market ‘on the receiving end’ of these measures.

The Alliance Launches The Organic Integrity Mapping Project – 2024 Survey (Biofach)

The Alliance has initiated this research project in order to develop a thorough understanding of the global organic integrity landscape: the organisations and initiatives currently working to improve the integrity of the organic control system or address deficiencies within it.

The organic community has much to be proud of for collective efforts over the last 70 years to develop and grow the global organic assurance system. But as organic has become increasingly mainstream, the burgeoning certification industry faces increasing pressure, competition and scrutiny: poor quality auditing, inconsistencies and high-profile fraud cases continue to undermine consumer confidence in the organic label. If the organic market is to continue to grow and offer maximum environmental and social benefits, certification must be effective, rigorous, consistent across the globe, as well as continuously improving.

 

Approximately 30 global experts have been selected by The Alliance Board and will be approached to contribute their insights on the organic integrity work being undertaken (or not) in Harmonization, Forensic Tools, Building Competence, Tackling Fraud and Communication. A survey is also being made available to the whole organic community, to gather broader insights and ensure all in the community have the opportunity to contribute.

As well as sharing the findings as a resource for organic control community via the website and The Organic Standard publication, The Alliance will identify the gaps that need to be filled and identify initiatives to support as well as organisations to bring into The Alliance as Partners.

Francis Blake, President of The Alliance said: 

Please help us Strengthen Organic Integrity Globally: contribute to this research, by completing the survey here

This survey closes on 31st March 2024.

Contact: thomas@alliancefororganicintegrity.bio for more information.

 

Accredited Certifiers Association, Inc. (ACA) Annual Meeting

31st January to 1st of February 2024

The ACA held its annual meeting from the 31st of January to the 1st of February 2024.  The Alliance was represented by Bo Elzakker.  Much of the discussions concentrated on the imminent implementation of the the Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE) Rule. There was a lot of attention on the topic of “Fraud prevention plans” which each NOP operator is required to have beginning March 2024, as it overlaps with the EU requirement for EU operators to have “precautionary measures” in place.

 

Annual IOIA Advanced Inspector Training

2nd of February 2024

The Independent Organic Inspectors Association (IOIA) conducted an Advanced Inspector Training in San Antonio, Texas on February 2, 2024.  The Alliance participated as trainor and provided its expertise in the topic of Fraud Detection and Prevention.  Mr. Bo van Elzakker discussed “Fraud Cases in International Supply Chains”.  Mr. Elzakker presented a 5-year old case on grains that happened in Eastern Europe to analyse how it was detected, how the CBs and the operators reacted, and utilised it to identify the weaknesses, symptoms, and indicators that CBs and their inspectors should be aware off when inspecting or certifying grains coming from Eastern Europe and Eurasia. The case was used to ask questions whether the new SOE Rule would better empower inspectors and certifiers to detect and address suspicious behaviour. The Alliance also sat in a Q&A panel discussion.

 

The Anti Fraud Initiative (AFI) Conference

25th-26th January 2024

The Alliance took part during AFI’s conference on: “Keys, handles and levers to use when investigating residue cases in organic production.” The Conference was held in Brussels on the 25th and 26th of January. The conference was a multi-stakeholder meeting of representatives of the organic trade, CBs, laboratories, sector organisations and representatives of the European Parliament, some member state COP members, the EU Commission. It was jointly organised by the “Anti-Fraud-Initiative” (AFI) and Office for Food Science and Quality GmbH (BLQ).

10,000 OMRI Listed Organic Products

The Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) has recently reached a major milestone, having 10,000 OMRI Listed products reviewed and verified for organic use.

OMRI is the only independent organisation that specialises solely in input review. The organisation was created by stakeholders in the organic agriculture field, to ensure ease in identifying and using compliant products in organic production.  The milestone of more than 10,000 products listed will hopefully allow expansion in the organic sector, and provide more options to support organic practices around the world. Download List of OMRI Products

The Alliance Welcomes the NOC as a Partner

July 2023
The Alliance is pleased to welcome the National Organic Coalition as a new Partner. Based in the USA, the NOC seeks to advance organic food and agriculture and ensure a united voice for organic integrity, which means strong, enforceable, and continuously improved standards. Find out more here www.nationalorganiccoalition.org.

The Alliance Sponsors Pre-NOSB meeting, Atlanta, USA

April 2023
The Alliance was pleased to partially sponsor the recent US-based National Organic Coalition, “Pre-NOSB” meeting held in Atlanta, USA on April 24th. This event has been held on the day before the USDA/NOSB meetings for several decades and serves as opportunity for the US organic community to discuss priorities for the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) and to share policy positions and critical concerns.

The Alliance also served on a panel with USDA/NOP staff and a Kentucky Dept. Agricultural representative, who serves as Kentucky’s organic certifier. The panel focused on strengthening organic integrity and the challenges of implementation of the new USDA Strengthening Organic Enforcement Rule. The Alliance also raised concerns about the need for a much more formalized training program for new inspectors (including the development of independent international credentialing system), concerns about widening differences in approaches to Grower Groups and called for greater harmonization of best practices between US and EU organic schemes.

The Alliance Welcomes OMRI & AöL as Partners

April 2023 The Alliance is pleased to welcome the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) as a new Partner. Based in the USA, OMRI develops clear information and guidance about materials/inputs so that producers know which products are appropriate for organic operations. Learn more about OMRI here.

The Alliance also welcomes The Assoziation ökologischer Lebensmittelhersteller e.V. (AöL) as a new Partner. The AöL is a network of 130 ecologically oriented companies in the food industry, active in the German-speaking countries of Europe. The aim of the association is to strengthen the members economically through cooperation and to represent their interests politically. Learn more about AöL here.

The Alliance presents the Organic Observatory at Organic Cotton conference, Indore.

March 2023 – Due to the recent integrity concerns over organic cotton certification in India the Alliance attended the recent Global Organic Textile Standards / Organic Cotton Accelerator / International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (GOTS/OCA/IFOAM) conference at Indore. Robin Fransella, the Alliance’s Organic Observatory Programme Manager attended a closed meeting organised by GOTS and IFOAM to address issues within the supply chain. We were delighted to be able to present the Alliance’s aim to help organic operators alongside long term partners at Indore, a location so relevant to the entire history of organic farming as it is where Sir Albert Howard learned about the nurture of soil humus from local farmers.

This meeting highlighted that the organic cotton traders dealing in substantial quantities are concerned not only about being undercut by fraudulently labelled non-organic products but by the long term good name of organic production being harmed by such practices.

 

A field trip to visit an organic farm and nursery organised by OCA showed that a practical and systematic approach to organic production is taken by Indian organic farmers. It was also apparent that the cooperative system under which this production operates is particularly beneficial for the empowerment of women, who will often take a lead in production of on-farm inputs and nursery gardening.

 

The Alliance are planning to undertake a project to support the organic cotton industry in addressing these issues through use of the Organic Observatory and will be working closely with partners on achieving this. With cotton being the crop that uses more pesticides than any other when produced non-organically the work of protecting organic production is vital. This is the case not only for the overall supply chain that relies on a supply of organic raw-material but for the thousands of farmers whose families health, income and well-being has been improved by a move to organic production.

The Alliance for Organic Integrity and Biocertificacion SL (BSL) are pleased to announce the re-launch of the highly respected The Organic Standard journal at Biofach 2023 in Nuremberg, Germany.

To receive your first free issue, subscribe to the Alliance’s e-newsletter.

Sign-ups to annual subscriptions can be made via The Organic Standard Website  www.organicstandard.com.

For more information contact info@alliancefororganicintegrity.bio

The Organic Standard online journal will provide the organic community with much needed news, analysis, insight and guidance on global organic regulatory, standards and control issues.

 

The relaunched 1st edition of The Organic Standard is free to previous subscribers or those who sign-up to receive The Alliance for Organic Integrity’s e-newsletter (sign-up at www.alliancefororganicintegrity.bio). Access to subsequent issues will require an annual subscription for a fee of €260 / $270 for 6 issues, subscriptions can be made online via The Organic Standard website www.organicstandard.com.

 

The Alliance for Organic Integrity and BSL announced their partnership to relaunch The Organic Standard at the end of 2022. The organisations recognized the gap for an information resource that reports on timely issues affecting organic integrity and the organic control community: The Organic Standard aims to fill this gap, providing the information needed to help Strengthen Organic Assurance, Globally.

 

Francis Blake, President of The Alliance said “as our burgeoning market continues to break new ground we’re so pleased to be relaunching The Organic Standard, to support consistent, rigorous and effective organic standards, certification and regulation across the globe, for the benefit of the organic community and of consumers”.

 

Nuria Alonso, of BSL and Chief Editor of The Organic Standard said “I’ve been involved in TOS almost from the beginning, It has meant, most of the last two decades keeping an eye out for news that might be of interest to TOS readers. Now, after the difficulties of the last couple of years, it is great to have found such a reliable and experienced partner as The Alliance for Organic Integrity to relaunch the publication and continue to serve the organic community.”

 

The Organic Standard was founded in 2000 by Grolink. The publication was taken over by Biocertification SL in 2013, but was temporarily suspended in 2020 in part due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Alliance for Organic Integrity and Biocertification SL have established a partnership to revitalize and relaunch the publication in February 2023.

AFI conference ‘Residues in organic production, sufficient indicators for fraud?’ 

 

Brussels, 09 February 2023 – The Alliance has sponsored a multistakeholder event run by its partner The Anti Fraud Initiative (AFI).

 

The event brought together multistakeholders – from organic trade, CBs, laboratories, sector organisations and representatives of the European Parliament, some member state COP members, the EU Commission – to discuss the difficulties the organic sector is facing with the implementation of articles 28 and 29 of the Regulation (EU) 2018/848. In particular, the value of residue testing for detecting the use of unauthorised substances, the required investigation and evaluating the effectiveness of operators’ precautionary measures.

 

Some companies explained how often findings, irrelevant to the organic authenticity question are causing the trade to be delayed and disrupted, the resources it takes, the lack of harmonisation among member states. A representative from a laboratory explained the limitations of sampling, testing protocol and analyse variability. 

 

The Commission confirmed it is not pursuing residue free organic products. Residues need some investigation and precautionary measures must be in place to debunk the suspicion of fraud. Terms like Proportionate and Substantiated were discussed. There was consensus was that much more information exchange needed to happen, to arrive at a good implementation of the regulation, and harmonisation throughout the Union by 2025.  

 

The presentation from the event will be available shortly on the AFI’s www.organic-integrity.org website.

 

A further report on the event will be available in the next issue of The Organic Standard.

The Alliance presents at Biofach 2022: Identifying & Avoiding Fraud via The Organic Observatory.

 

July 2022 – The Alliance presented the Organic Supply Chain Observatory at Biofach’s 2022 “Summer Edition” with a talk on Enabling Organic Traders to Identify and Avoid Fraud in the Supply Chain.

Interest was shown in the project with a good level of attendance. This possibly highlights the fact that some major fraud cases have appeared in the non-specialist news recently and concerns over integrity are at a higher level. With authorities in major importing regions acting to require tightened measures where fraudulent product is an issue the need for the organic trade to protect itself effectively and undertake due-diligence without expending excessive resource.

The presentation can be viewed here as a PDF, attendees at Biofach can view a video of the actual event via the Talque App.

To find out more about The Organic Observatory or to get involved, contact obs@aoi.bio.

The Alliance builds capacity in organic control in Sri Lanka.

 

July 2022 – The Alliance was contracted by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH to build capacity* in organic control for Sri Lankan officials involved in organic standards and policy. 

A four-day online training programme was delivered covering topics including: inputs, private standards (textiles and cosmetics), farm inspections and management plans, group certification, residues and sampling, risk analysis, processing and trade and mass balance/traceability.

30 attendees took part the training, including representatives from the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) and its National Organic Control Unit (NOCU), Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLSI) and the Sri Lanka Accreditation Board (SLAB).  See below an example slide of an interactive activity conducted during the training, using the app ‘SLIDO’ to gather feedback from participants.

Mr K A Anil, Senior Deputy Director at SLSI said “The training programme was outstanding; the content, the way of teaching and presentations. All the tutors demonstrated competency. The programme was very advantageous for our activities in organic certification”. 

To find out about more about training for your organization, please contact info@alliancefororganicintegrity.bio

* The capacity-building programme is conducted as part of the “‘Support to Small and Medium Enterprises in the Organic Agriculture Sector’ Programme”, the multi-donor action, jointly co-financed by the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The objective of the programme is to contribute to a more sustainable, diversified, market-oriented and inclusive agriculture sector in Sri Lanka. 

The Alliance Appoints New Coordinator.

 

20 April 2022 – The Alliance is pleased to welcome Georgina Rose Thomas (BA, MSc) as Coordinator, supporting the five-strong Board of Directors to deliver the objectives of the Alliance.

Georgina has been involved in organic and fair supply chains for over 15 years with experience in auditing, training, project management and business development.

Previously, she managed the textiles scheme at Soil Association Certification where she successfully grew the sector and maintained accreditation. An experienced inspector, Georgina has audited GOTS organic and Fairtrade supply chains. She has also consulted for brands and auditors helping to improve their quality management systems.

Georgina said “after taking leave to raise my young family I’m thrilled to be back in the organic community working for AOI”.

“Having known Georgina from my time at the Soil Association, I’m particularly delighted that she is joining the Alliance as Coordinator. Her skills and experience are a perfect fit for our needs and will, I’m sure, help AOI implement its strategy to improve integrity in the worldwide organic market.” said Francis Blake, AOI President.

Alliance welcomes Prof. Gabrela Soto to its Board.

 

January 2022 – We are delighted to announce that Professor Gabriela Soto has joined the Board of AOI, which brings it to its full complement of five members.  Gabi is well known to many in the organic movement for her work both internationally (stints on the boards of IFOAM-OI, IOAS and IOIA), and in her home country of Costa Rica where she has been at the heart of organic developments for over 20 years.  She’s currently president of the EcoLOGICA certification agency, and also a professor at the University of Costa Rica.

“With her wide experience, deep knowledge and clear commitment, Gabi is the perfect addition to our Board, and we are so pleased she accepted our invitation”, said Francis Blake, AOI President.  

Professor Soto said, “I very much look forward to working with old friends on the critical issues of organic integrity, which, with the organic market growing strongly, is more important than ever”.

Training completed for Korean inspectors and certifiers

 

Back last year, AOI was contracted by Isidor Sustainability Research Institute in South Korea to deliver training on ISO 17065 to S Korean inspectors and certifiers, at the request of the Korean Accreditation Board. The Alliance brought in Tom Nizet to deliver the training, supported by AOI’s Francis Blake, and it took place over four days in December 2021. Tom was certification manager for the Belgian certifier, Certisys, for 14 years and since then has set up Authent Consultancy, providing technical support and training, and specialising in organic quality systems. Francis was certification director and then standards director for the UK Soil Association, and was founding president of IFOAM Organics Europe.

The course covered all aspects of ISO 17065, together with numerous examples of how it translated into the control system for organic food and farming. 31 inspectors and certification personnel attended the course and each received a certificate to denote their Continuing Professional Development.

If you want to find out about training for your organization from the Alliance, please contact info@alliancefororganicintegrity.bio

Alliance Observatory Program Manager welcomed

 

The Alliance welcomes Robin Fransella as Program Manager of the Alliance Organic Supply Chain Observatory project.

A highly qualified Project Manager with extensive experience in the organic community, Robin had previously led the International Section of the Organic Team at UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and represented the UK in the EU and at the UN on organic legislation. He was also a trainer for the EU and was involved in trade negotiations with India and USA. Thereafter, he worked for Defra on implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in the UK, providing guidance on the greening agenda for land use and undertaking a review of the UK’s land mapping, a role that also included substantial program and project management.

Robin has recently become a Master of Law (Public International Environmental Law) from Utrecht University.

Earlier in his career, Robin was in the IT Division of the then Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF), as part of the team writing the program for UK implementation of the CAP.

Bo Van Elzakker, AOI Board Member and head of the Observatory Project, expressed his pleasure in having Robin join the organization. “We very much welcome Robin joining us to manage this crucial project of the Alliance, bringing his prodigious experience from both inside and outside organic, and which provides an ideal foundation for the Observatory”.

Francis Blake, President of the Alliance, added, “the Observatory aims to be a global multi-stakeholder initiative which seeks to identify, and thereby helps to rectify, systemic weaknesses or ‘hotspots’ in the organic supply chain.  Both we and Robin look forward to working with our Partners and others to deliver this objective”.

Read more about the Alliance Observatory project here.

For more information, please contact:

– Bo van Elzakker on b.vanelzakker@agroeco.net or +31 6 50 61 52 25

– Robin Fransella on observatory@alliancefororganicintegrity.bio or +31 6 12 45 70 10

– Francis Blake on blake@alliancefororganicintegrity.bio or +44 7973 955429

The Alliance for Organic Integrity’s mission is to improve the quality of organic claims through education on best certification and accreditation practices, to develop tools for preventing fraud and to share these tools and educational components with all those involved, so as to enhance trust in the organic guarantee system. As the organic market is international in nature, this requires an international effort – we work with partners to promote these solutions and to work towards implementing the necessary changes.

Organic World Congress 2021 

 

September 2021 –  Francis Blake, Alliance President gave a presentation “Growing Organic Trust – Improving Conformity Assessment in Organic Production Systems.”

For the full presentation please click here.

For information on the IFOAM Organic World Congress please click here.

February 2021 Presentation

 

The Alliance was featured in two sessions of Biofach’s e-Special Congress on 17-19 February.

First was organised by Alliance Partner, Organic Services, titled ‘Different perspectives on organic integrity and fraud prevention…’. The seminar discussed fraud and fraud prevention from various perspectives, including legal issues, whistle blowing, the anatomy of fraud, data intelligence, mass balancing, geodata, and others.

Alliance President Francis Blake kicked off the session with a presentation on ‘Organic Integrity Mapping.’ This was a whistle-stop tour of the integrity landscape, looking at who does what and where are the gaps that need addressing. Following presentations were given by Dr John Spink of the Food Fraud Prevention Thinktank, Peter Whelan of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, Jochen Kleboth of Intact GmbH, and finally Gerald Herrmann of Organic Services GmbH.

On the last day of the Special Congress, Bo van Elzakker of Agro Eco, AFI, AOI discussed the Grower Group Certification.

For more information on the other presentations, please contact Gerald Hermann at Organic Services.

Staffing Update

 

November 2020

The Alliance for Organic Integrity (AOI or the Alliance) was founded in 2019 by IOAS to foster and develop the integrity of the international organic guarantee system in areas that go beyond accreditation which is the sole focus of IOAS. It is registered in th USA as a 501.c.3 non-profit
organisation and has been given a founding grant by IOAS.

A five-strong Board of Directors manages and directs the Alliance. Two of these are appointed by IOAS. IFOAM-Organics International has been invited to nominate a third Board member. We are proud that both organisations are recognised as Founding Partners.

The Alliance is a start up, still finding its feet, still establishing its structures and its key activities in what is a fast developing sector, and amid the added complications of the Covid pandemic. As such we are continuing to work on developing the most appropriate staffing arrangements to move beyond the voluntary phase of a new organisation towards action-centred expansion.

We were lucky that Jan Deane, former Executive Director (Operations) of IOAS, was available to take the administrative reins from our founding to the summer of 2020. She passed the baton on to Konrad Hauptfleisch, former Academy and Programs Manager at IFOAM-OI, for a temporary contract until the end of the year.

We are now seeking to appoint a more permanent Coordinator for the organisation, as well as Project Managers for our first two projects. Please watch this space…

September 2020 Workshop

 

For some time now, the Alliance for Organic Integrity has been busy in the background, both with getting its own structures and systems in place, and with doing groundwork in a few of its key identified work areas. Like so many others, the COVID-19 crisis has affected our work in the recent months. In September, the time came for us to not only introduce you to the new team members and recent developments, but also to actively seek your input in the key work areas of the Alliance. We value your opinions and suggestions, as these are critical in achieving our goal of ‘strengthening organic assurance globally’. To this end, we held a short series of virtual workshops over 21 and 22 September 2020, covering the following topics:
• Introducing the Alliance
• Opportunities to harmonize EU and US/NOP Grower Group rules (AOI Project Area 1)
• Opportunities to harmonize EU and US/NOP organic import rules (AOI Project Area 1)
• Fraud Hotline & hotspots (AOI Project Area 3);
• Mapping the way forward for the Alliance and its network

Please click here for the complete presentation covering the two days, together with a selection of responses to the questions raised during sessions. 

If you’d like to know more, please contact info@alliancefororganicintegrity.bio for more information.

Paula Aberasturi joins Alliance Board

 

June 2020 – We are delighted to announce the appointment of Paula Aberasturi to the Alliance Board, which brings the Board to its full complement of 5 members. Paula lives in the Philippines and is an organic farmer and qualified lawyer. She has been intimately involved in the development of the organic and Slow Food movements in the Philippines at both grass roots and government level over the last 10 years. Paula is also an alumna of IFOAM’s Organic Leadership Masters Program.

“We are so pleased that Paula is joining the Alliance Board,” said Francis Blake, President. “She brings a completely different perspective to the table, and we look forward to benefiting from both her Asian experience and her legal expertise as we get stuck into working on issues of integrity in the global organic market.”

Paula also intimated her delight in joining the Alliance Board, saying that “I am glad I am in great company, and I know I will be learning much more about the organization and its objectives, as we push for its goals and objectives.”