On 29th October 2006 at the Organic Growers of Australia Incorporated (OGA Inc) Annual General Meeting, OGA Inc. members voted to merge the OGA certification program into the BFA group.
From 1st July 2007 BFA will offer three certification streams:
1. OGA certification will become a dedicated program servicing smaller Producers who do not export or sell to exporters;
2. The existing Australian Certified Organic (ACO) certification stream will remain separate for export-compliant producers, processors, wholesalers and traders;
3. The BFA Registered Products/ Allowed Inputs program will continue to endorse inputs and products that cannot be certified organic, however are approved for use in organic primary production and processing systems.
Through the new, streamlined BFA/OGA Certified Small Producer Program, smaller sized OGA clients will benefit from reduced certification fees and a simplified certification process while maintaining licensed use of the OGA logo and integrity of organic production. Those OGA producers, processors and operators that do not qualify for the Small Producer Program will have the opportunity to move across into the ACO certification stream. The program will not only benefit OGA smaller growers, it will be open to smaller producers certified with ACO and other certification organizations that qualify and wish to join.
The Small Producer Program will come into full operation on the 1st July 2007
The Small Producer Program will take effect from 1st July 2007 and your certification after this date will continue with very few changes. You will be certified to the Australian Organic Standard (AOS2006) and will receive an OGA certificate upon successful annual audit in the usual manner. You may continue to use the OGA logo on labeling and marketing. The main changes will be that your fee will be reduced and you will receive an onsite audit of your operation every alternate year, with a thorough third party external desk audit/ review process taking place every other year.
To find out if you qualify for the Small Producers Program, contact 07 3350 5706 ext 224