Organic Rules: Organic standards and regulations

Private Organic Label Standards

Farmers' associations developed the first standards for organic production in the middle of the 20th century.  More about private standards

Baseline Regulatory Standards and Regulations

The first governmental regulations were introduced by some European countries, including Austria and France, in the 1980s. In 1991, the EU passed the organic EU Regulation 2092/91 (recently revised) and set standards with major implications for international trade, as the regulation did not only cover production standards, but standards for labeling and inspection as well. Various countries in Europe, including Switzerland, furthermore Latin America and Asia introduced legislation in the 1990s.  In the new millennium, most major economies have established a regulation for organic production including the US National Organic Program NOP, which was implemented in 2003. More about governmental regulations and laws

International private or intergovernmental framework standards

• Basic standards of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements IFOAM
  The first international standards were published by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements IFOAM in 1980. More about the IFOAM Basic Standards

• The Codex Alimantarius Guidelines
  In 1999, the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius approved the first guidelines for organic production. More about the Codex Alimentarius Guildelines.

Equivalency of rules: International harmonisation efforts

Currently two standards serve as international reference standards for organic agriculture: the Codex Alimentarius Guidelines for the Production, Processing Labeling and Marketing of Organically Produced Food (CAC/GL 32) and the IFOAM Basic Standards IBS.  Even though all international private standards and state regulations are more or less based on the IFOAM norms and Codex Alimentarius guidelines, there are many differences in detail. The International Task Force on Harmonization and Equivalence in Organic Agriculture ITF, a joint initiative of FAO, IFOAM and UNCTAD, set up in 2003, encourages harmonization and equivalence, based on these standards. More about equivalency of rules