Joint statement on the scope extension of the EU-Canada Organic Equivalence Arrangement

Statement

April 7, 2016 – Ottawa, Ontario – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

European Union Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan and the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Canadian Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, today released the following statement:

"The Government of Canada and the European Commission are pleased to announce the scope extension of the EU-Canada Organic Equivalence Arrangement (EUCOEA) which enters into force today.

"After 5 years of successful implementation of the EUCOEA, we have agreed to extend the scope of the products that can be traded under mutual recognition.

"Organic wine has now been included in the scope of the EUCOEA. This will allow organic wine certified to the EU or Canada organic standards to be sold and labelled as organic in both markets. Initially, organic wine was not included in the EUCOEA scope due to the review of labelling and wine organic production rules in place in the EU. The new rules were adopted in 2012.

"Until now, the import of organic products from Canada into the EU was limited to products grown or processed entirely in Canada. Going forward, Canadian organic processed products certified to Canadian organic standards and imported into the EU can contain organic ingredients from third countries.

"This decision follows a thorough assessment of the equivalence of EU and Canada organic wine production standards and import control systems."

EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan and the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay met today in Paris at the OECD Meeting of Agriculture Ministers where they discussed the scope expansion and how it will benefit operators in both markets, reducing certification costs and increasing business opportunities in two of the most important organic markets in the world.

"The Government of Canada and the European Commission look forward to continue working together to improve mutual equivalence arrangement in order to foster trade in organic products between both markets for the benefit of European and Canadian farmers and producers."

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