In our article in TOS 189, we described how the rules dealing with pesticide residues in organic products changed when regulations 847/2007 and 889/2008 were replaced by regulation 2018/848. In this second contribution we zoom in on the organic operator. What responsibilities do the farmer, processor, trader and shop owner have?
The new organic regulation requires that all operators take preventive measures. To prevent what? To prevent the operator mixing conventional products with organic ones, to prevent an ingredient declaration missing an asterix for an organic product, to prevent a cow from eating conventional grass, or the organic sweet peas in the field from receiving a dose of fungicide from the neighbouring farm? Remarkably, extra detailed rules have been made for the precautionary measures that prevent prohibited substances from ending up in an organic product. This particular focus on unauthorised substances can only be there through historical justification. In the next two paragraphs, we describe firstly, these precautionary measures and secondly, the situation in which, precautions or not, a non-authorised substance may be found in an organic product.
Precautions to take
It is common sense that it is in the interests of every organic operator to maximally protect the organic integrity of its production and products. After all,
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