Alliance President, Francis Blake, was invited to give the keynote speech at the 7th Organic Asia Congress, held in Handan City, China from 18th to 21st June.  Held in conjunction with the IFOAM Organic Industry and Organic Product Market Development Conference and the 6th IFOAM-Organics Asia General Assembly, this gathering brought together over 100 delegates from 22 countries to discuss global organic trade, technological innovations, organic standards and low carbon development.

In his Keynote, entitled “Reaffirmation of Integrity in Organic Standards”, Francis gave his assessment of how current organic standards deliver on the principles of Health (about 8/10), Ecology (9/10), Fairness and Care (5/10 each), but also cautioned about using standards as the only tool for improving integrity – they must correspond with what is viable and achievable for farmers (and others in the supply chain).

Francis identified harmonisation between standards as an ongoing problem, which is now an issue for national and international regulations (whereas it was previously just between private standards).  This negatively affects trade, partly because it adds cost and complexity, which in turn increases risks to integrity.  

Finally he addressed the issue of policing the standards properly, which is more AOI’s area.  Are inspectors and certifiers adequately trained, and do they have the necessary tools for the job (including a mandate to really investigate discrepancies, rather than just issue a non-compliance)?  How do certifiers operate in other countries and are they overseen properly?  Is there sufficient communication and cooperation between certifiers certifying different parts of the same supply chain?  These are all problems identified by IOAS (the Alliance’s parent body) and which the Alliance is aiming to address.