The
United States Department of Agriculture requires
that anyone who produces, processes or handles
organic agricultural products must be certified
by a USDA-accredited certifier in order to sell,
label or represent their products as "organic." To
become certified, an organic producer, processor
or handler must develop, implement and maintain
an organic system plan. That's where PCO comes
in. We provide the information needed to develop
an organic system plan.
Once
an organic system plan is approved, we send
a qualified organic inspector to perform an
onsite evaluation of the organic operation.
Then, based on review of the organic system
plan, inspection report and related documents,
PCO will determine whether the operation meets
the requirements of organic certification.
A certified operation must update its organic
system plan and be inspected annually.
PCO's
certification program is accredited by the
USDA for compliance with the National Organic
Program and International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) Guide 65.
Organic
certification is not a guaranty of quality
or purity of the product. Rather, it is evidence
of the operation's adherence to a prescribed
system of agriculture and food production that
involves the building and enhancing of the
soil naturally, protection of the environment,
humane treatment of animals and avoidance of
toxic synthetic substances.
PCO
invites comments and questions on organic topics
from consumers, growers and anyone interested
in organic agriculture. We also encourage you
to become involved! PCO is a grass-roots organization.
Our committees are made up of volunteers bringing
their diverse backgrounds, expertise and ideas
together to help PCO work for the organic producers
of Pennsylvania. Look on the Membership page
of this site for ways you can connect with
PCO and organic agriculture.
back
to top
This
page last updated 12/12/2007 |
