And Now There are Eight!

Japan has been added  to the EU list of third countries whose organic regulatory programs are deemed to be equivalent to the EU Organic Regulation.  The declaration to amend the list was made in EC 471/2010, dated 31 May, 2010.  The other approved countries are  Australia, New Zealand,  Argentina,Costa Rica, Israel, India, and Switzerland.  As with six other countries on the list, the Commission, according to the amended regulation, “ has examined on-the-spot the rules of production and the control measures actually applied in Japan, as provided for in Article 33(2) of Regulation (EC) No 834/2007.”  The exception to this process is Switzerland, whose organic regulatory program was declared equivalent under an general trade agreement between the EU and Switzerland for trade in Agricultural product.