National Standard of Canada for
Organic Agriculture

By Patricia Dolhan, Team Leader, Standards Division

The National Standard of Canada CAN/CGSB-32.310-99, Organic Agriculture, specifies the minimum criteria that must be met for food products, inputs and other products used in production to be certified "organic." It outlines principles for organic agriculture that endorse sound production and management practices, enhancing the quality and sustainability of the environment and ensuring the ethical treatment of livestock.

The scope of this standard covers a wide range of topics: the period of conversion to organic agriculture; production plans and records; crop and livestock production; production requirements for maple products, honey, greenhouse crops, mushrooms, sprouted plants, and wild and natural products; the production, and processing of organic products; packaging, labelling, storage and distribution of organic food products; and the Permitted Substances List.

At the request of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), the Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) began to revise the national standard for organic agriculture in January 2002.

To facilitate trade, CAN/CGSB-32.310 must at least be equivalent to the organic agriculture requirements of our major trading partners, including the European Union, Japan and the United States. The revision underway will ensure that Canada's national standard meets these requirements. In addition discussions on establishing a Canadian regulation for organic products have been initiated by the AAFC.

The CGSB Committee on Organic Agriculture has held three meetings on the revision of CAN/CGSB-32.310. At its last meeting, the committee decided that the standard's current format was not appropriate and agreed to publish the contents in three parts. They are Part 1: General Principles , Part 2: Guidance and Part 3: Permitted Substances Lists.

The most recent drafts of the standards were forwarded to the committee for ballot and comments. The deadline for submitting votes and comments was 7 March 2005. In an attempt to reach consensus, proposed actions are being developed for each part based on the comments received from committee members. Members will then have the opportunity to review these proposed actions. Once consensus has been reached, the draft standards will be forwarded to Standards Council of Canada for approval as National Standards of Canada, and then published.

For updates, see the Frequently Asked Questions.