Ms Helen Scully:

I refer to marketing organic produce under the Bord Bia logo. The Bord Bia quality assurance schemes are voluntary and they are not underpinned by legislation, unlike the system of organic certification. That is one major difference between them. While the Bord Bia scheme is accredited, one of the requirements of such a scheme is that it is not permissible to subcontract the inspection process to another entity and vice versa. For example, the approved organic certification bodies in Ireland could not subcontract their inspection process to Bord Bia or vice versa. It is important in respect of how organic produce is marketed. This is enshrined in law. The EU organic leaf logo is a compulsory addition to all certified organic produce; the Bord Bia logo is a voluntary measure. No organic product can be placed on the market in the absence of the EU logo, which is an important point. It is enshrined in law and cannot be replaced.

With regard to payment delays, we have made a suggestion about how the various blockages could be assisted by giving our members a detailed breakdown of payments. That is one aspect which is causing problems. The more time that the organic unit has to spend answering queries on delayed payments, the less time it has available for other work. All this contributes to delays in payment.