Organic Standards

Currently, there are two kinds of standards for organic farming namely: legislated and voluntary. The creation of these standards can be traced as early as the 1970s. At that time, private associations began to establish standards, which enabled organic farmers to have themselves certified voluntarily. Then in the 1980s, governments started to create guidelines for organic production. In the 1990s, legislated standards gained an increasing popularity. In Europe, the members of the European Union developed the so called "EU-Eco-regulation."

In 1991, the European Commission introduced the first government system for the regulation of organic labeling. The European Regulation (EEC) 2092/91 was implemented in 12 nations, thus forming a huge market. Organic certification was also required in all operations, including in imports. With the implementation of policy on organic farming, Europe has risen as the biggest market for organic products. Meanwhile, foreign suppliers treated the regulation as a challenge and an opportunity to produce and export high-quality and high-cost products. The European Regulation (EEC) 2092/91 thus became a universal standard for organic farming considering that all suppliers marketing their products in Europe had to comply with the policy.

The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), which is an international democratic umbrella organization formed in 1972, created the framework of an international standard for organic farming. The members of the organization base organic agriculture on the IFOAM Norms and the Principles of Organic Agriculture. The IFOAM Norms comprises the IFOAM Accreditation Criteria and the IFOAM Basic Standards.

Legislated standards vary from country to country. During the past years, a number of countries have legislated organic farming. Some of them are the members of the European Union (1990s), Japan (2001), and the United States (2002). Meanwhile, non-governmental local and international organizations have established their own standards. But these associations must be accredited by governments with legislated standards for organic farming.