April 3, 2013

 

 

Urban residents in Russia have developed a strong interest in organic food for the past few years, said Emily Balsamo from the Moscow Office of Bord Bia, Irish Food Board.

 

However, there is currently no certification for organic food products in Russia. Many products carry the labels "organic" or "bio" without certification.

 

In 2012, several producers of such products send 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 November 26, 2012.

 

The draft law designates that Russian organic standards will be consistent with EU Organic regulations and the National Organic Programme in the US. 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. The other alternative lies in the development of a new non-governmental regulatory authority.

 

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 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 EU organic and bio-products to Russia, 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.