organic food

Russian Government Standard for organic products to be discusses this autumn

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In the autumn session, the Russian State Duma will discuss a bill on the production of organic products as it was reported by Shkolkina Nadezhda, deputy chairman of the Duma Committee on Agriculture, commenting on the approval of the Federal Agency for Technical Regulation and Metrology of the Government Standard (or National Standard) R56508-2015 “Organic production. Rules of production, storage, transport. ”

“One of the main tasks of the Government Standard is the establishment of common rules for the production and turnover of organic products throughout the Russian Federation. Correspondence of Russian production and certification of organic products to the international practice will create conditions for fair competition of domestic organic products with imported products, as well as the access of Russian organic products to foreign markets “, – said Shkolkina.

The Government Standard defines terms: “labeling”, “organic”, “organic production”, “processing”, “products produced from GMOs”, etc. The Standard will become effective from January 1, 2016.

www.regnum.ru

 

Russian Ministry of Agriculture changed the law on organic food production

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In Russia, there is still no legal concept of an “organic product” and its standards. For several years, the bill consideration was delayed, but in the fall 2012, the Ministry of Agriculture finished the bill after appeals of farmers that produce organic food. In the version of the project, published in November, it was said that agricultural products would be called organic or bio, corresponding to the Russian or foreign certification systems; and that certification would be valid for 5 years.

In the new version of the project, it is said that separate registration is required for each type of organic product products. The registration term is 3 years. As for the labeling of products that will meet the requirements of the law, only the term “organic” must be used.

Only those producers who have passed state registration, may get special state support.

There will be a system of fines for those who will violate the law. Legal entities will pay fines of 20,000-30,000 rubles (470-700 euros) for violation of organic food production, for violation of state registration – 5,000-10,000 rubles (120-230 euros), for illegal use of the brand “organic” – 30,000-40,000 rubles (700-940 euros), with confiscation of the all false branded items.

Source: www.freshmarket.ru

Russia to develop organic sertification standards

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In the past few years, city-dwelling Russians have developed a strong interest in healthier and organic food, according to Emily Balsamo from the Moscow Office of Bord Bia – Irish Food Board. However, presently there is no certification for organic products in Russia. Many products carry the labels “organic” or “bio” without certification.

In 2012, several producers of such products wrote an open letter to the Russian Ministry of Agriculture demanding a certification process.

The Ministry of Agriculture responded with a draft law, “On the production of organic agricultural products and amendments to legislative acts of the Russian Federation,” dated 26 November 2012.

The draft law designates that Russian organic standards will be consistent with EU Organic regulations and the National Organic Program in the United States. However, there is no regulatory body in Russia which is prepared to certify organic products at this time.

Analysts believe that the responsibility of certification will be delegated to the Russian Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance, or that a new non-governmental regulatory authority will be founded. The draft law designates that in order for a product to be labeled “organic” or “bio,” the certification process will need to be passed. Russian Government Agricultural experts are currently studying American, European and Japanese certification techniques.

Harmonisation with international and national standards is one of the main goals in producing organic and bio food legislation. The impetus for this move is widely considered to be Russia’s recent accession to the WTO.
Russia producers are interested in taking advantage of the facilitated trade environment and have plans to export Russian-made organic products to the EU.

However, certification will also allow for facilitated import of organic and bio products to Russia from the EU, as the draft legislation mandates that any product labeled organic under EU certification will maintain certification in Russia.

The law is expected to come into full effect in 2015

Source: www.thefishsite.com

Experts predict the growth of the Russian market of organics

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Experts of Foreign Agricultural Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (FAS USDA) released a review of the “organic” market in Russia. In the future the market may begin to grow very rapidly although it is at an early stage.

In 2012 the market for organic food reached 147.7 million U.S. dollars, which is 7.8% more than in 2011. According to the forecast of overseas experts, by 2015, the market for organics may increase to a value of 225 million dollars. For market development is necessary improvements distribution system, access to the sale of new products and increasing consumer demand..
At the moment most of the “organic” market in Russia is imported products, mainly from European countries – Germany, France and Italy. A major player in it with a share of 33.5% is the company Hipp GmbH & Co Vertrieb KG.

Source: www.fruitnews.info

Russia considers organic move

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Attracted by opportunities on the EU market, Russian authorities are increasing support for the country’s organic farmers

Russia’s ministry of agriculture is investigating the possibility of becoming a supplier of organic products within the scope of the World Trade Organisation, according to a report from Pravda.

Lawmakers in the country are reportedly working on a bill, due to be handed over to the ministry this month, to support the production of organic agricultural products for the EU market.

They have provided a system of certification of environmentally friendly products, credits, subsidies, insurance and support, with small and medium-sized businesses that provide services to organic producers also receiving state aid.

Organic farmers promised to reduce costs on their products and use Russia’s participation in the WTO to enter the EU market with their products, Pravda reported.

In 2011, the Russian market of organic products was estimated at €46m-€62m, less than 0.1 per cent of all food consumed in the country.

Only 10 per cent of all organic products on the Russian market is produced by domestic farmers, with most coming from Germany.

Russia to get organic food category

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The lower chamber of the Russian Parliament (Duma) has started to draft a law about ecologically clean vegetables. According to the future law, the vegetables in the markets should be sold with special tag, informing customers about compliance with international ecological standards. This approach has been in practice in Europe for a long time already with organic produced labelled as such and sold for premium prices.

According to experts, the price of organically tagged vegetables will go up 30% at least.

As member of the Russian Duma, Mrs. Nadezhda Shkolkina, estimates, the organic production of vegetables will occupy about 10% of the total sector.  Mr. Victor Semenov, the founder of Belaya Dacha Group of Companies, informs that the main difference of organic fruits and vegetables from regular ones is that they are produced avoiding the use of chemical fertilizers and other harmful elements.

Source: www.freshplaza.com

Conventional yields higher than organic

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Research suggests that organic agriculture might not be the answer to the world’s food supply problem

Organic yields are typically lower than conventional yields, according to the results of a meta-analysis published online by science journal Nature.

The report, which involved the re-analysis of 66 studies into 34 different crops, raises concerns for those who believe organic agriculture can help the world meet rising demand for food from a burgeoning population while minimizing the environmental impact of increased production.

The report’s authors emphasized that specific differences in relative yields were “highly contextual” – depending on system and site characteristics – but noted that the production gap was particularly wide in wheat and some vegetables.

Lead author and McGill University Earth system scientist Verena Seufert told Nature: “I think organic farming does have a role to play because under some conditions it does perform pretty well.”

Strawberries were singled out for showing just a 3 per cent difference in organic and conventional yields.

Source: www.fruitnet.com