Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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692. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will instruct Bord Bia to amend its procedures when completing quality assurance audits for beef and dairy farmers to include a sub-section for farmers who want to have organic status and for this audit to be the only requirement to have a certification under the EU organic regulations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21085/16]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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In accordance with the governing EU Regulations, my Department as the Competent Authority delegates the inspection and certification of organic operators to Organic Control Bodies (OCBs). An organic farmer must be registered with and licensed by an Organic Control Body and is subject to an annual on-farm inspection by the OCB.

Organic producers may also be members of Bord Bia Quality Assurance Schemes, which include criteria that are not covered by the OCB inspection regime or the EU organic regulations and do not currently check specific organic matters.

The terms and conditions of Bord Bia Quality Assurance Schemes are matters for that body, having regard to the advice of technical advisory committees which include stakeholder representatives, and subject to the approval of the relevant accreditation body.

However, such schemes are not substitutes for regulatory requirements under EU Law.