Label bio

The label bio (or label AB) is a Mark French quality control, born in 1985, and defined by the ministry for French agriculture.

The French label

Logo:
It is recognizable by its green and white logo, noted " AB" (Certified Organic farming). A European logo also exists.

Schedule of conditions:
It defines the rules precisely making it possible to be certified.

Certification:
Several certification body has the authorization to deliver the Certification: Aclave, Agrocert, Ecocert SA, Quality France SA, Ulase, SGS ICS.

The European label:

A European label, associated with news Standard S.A. decided by the Council of Ministers of the Agriculture of the 27. It will be imposed as from 2009, according to a decision (payment) of June 12th, 2007. It must help the consumers in all Europe to more easily recognize the products “bio”.

A compromise allowed

- that the national labels can be assistant there,

- to reinforce the preceding European payment (of 1991); the end product will have to contain at least 95% (in mass) of biological ingredients to profit from this name, instead of 70% before.

- that the place of production is indicated on the label,

- that the imported products bio country out of the EU are subject to the same rules as the European products.

This label was immediately discussed for two reasons;

- by what it is less demanding than the labels existing of certain countries (label French bio in particular), being likely to draw to the bottom the level of quality of certain products. The friends of the Earth and other ONG denounce the fact that it authorizes the Pesticide S and that the Commission aligns " thus; on the requirements of the multinationals and wants to lower agriculture bio on the level of agriculture known as “reasoned” that they support " . This ONG judges that this payment is contrary with the principle of liberty of choice for the consumer, who will not be able to know any more if he eats or not GMO.

- because it is more tolerant with respect to the contamination by GMO (0,9%, which is a rate that the detractors of the GMO estimate sufficient to support a broad contamination of agriculture, including biological by transgenes, which in the long term would make lose the label bio with many farmers bio. The commission, in spite of the opposition of Belgium, of Greece, of Italy and Hungary did not retain the opinion of the European deputies who were them pronounced for a rate nearly 10 times lower (0,1%).
Ce is moreover producers who will have to prove (cf expensive analyzes and difficulty of the proof) that the contamination does not result from a negligence of their part.

The commission estimates for its part that this rate is enough to protect the producers from bio to accidental contaminations by GMO).

Reactions: Greenpeace denounced this tolerance which " is unaware of the consumer's choices, who are ready to pay to have food of high-quality, without GMO, and it endangers the sector of the organic farming " , denounces in an official statement, whereas the Friends of the Earth and the European Bureau for the Environment (BEE), in a joint communiqué estimated that instead of accepting this tolerance, " the EU must set up a legislation to protect the farmers from pollution by the GMO " ,

External bonds

Definition of the label bio on Bio Preferences
List of the labels bio
Article on the practices of consumers Re-examined PIC-INTER - n°304 - May-June 2007

References

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