Date of issue: 1 September 2017
Date of effect: 1 October 2017
Attention:
Industry—Organic dairy products
Dairy export establishments
Licensed exporters
Department of Agriculture and Water Resources—Central and regional offices
Purpose
To notify manufacturers and exporters that there will be changes to how organic dairy product can be described in the department’s health certificate/ export permit.
Changes to description of organic dairy products in export health certificates
From 1 October 2017, the department will no longer accept the term ‘organic’ in the health certificate description, which forms part of an export permit application (RFP).
For example, the description ‘organic infant formula stage 1’ will need to be replaced with the term ‘infant formula stage 1’ or words sufficient to indicate the nature of the food.
The change in certification does not prevent you using the term ‘organic’ on the product label, however it will not be permitted on health certification.
This change should have no impact on the accuracy of our government to government certification, particularly as the product will be accurately described and reflect export and importing country requirements.
The ‘organic produce certificate’ that is obtained from the approved certifying organisation can be used to satisfy any customer requirements or commercial arrangements.
If you believe the importing country requires the term ‘organic’ to be included on our government documents, and access will not be granted without it, you will need to obtain written evidence from the government agency authority that this is a condition of entry. If this evidence is provided, the department will work with the authority to clarify exact requirements.
The change in certification does not prevent you from using the term ‘organic’ on the product label.
Background
The purpose of export certification is primarily to cover government to government export/import requirements.
The use of the term ‘organic’ on the department’s export certification is not consistent with our certification policies and is not a known importing country requirement.
The information provided in this advice is current at the time of writing and is intended for use as guidance only and should not be taken as definitive or exhaustive. The Commonwealth endeavours to keep information current and accurate, however, it may be subject to change without notice. Exporters are encouraged to verify these details with their importers prior to undertaking production/exports. The Commonwealth will not accept liability for any loss resulting from reliance on information contained in this notice.
Further information
Contact Exports if you have any queries.