Canada Organic Regulations
General Information and links to standards and resources for certification to the Canadian Organic Regulations.
Canada Organic Regulations Overview
The Canadian Organic Products Regulation standards and implementation procedures are officially referred to as the Canadian Organic Regime (COR). The Canada Organic Regime is the Government of Canada’s response to requests by the organic sector and consumers to develop a regulated system for organic agricultural products. The Organic Products Regulations (the Regulations) define specific requirements for organic products to be labeled as organic or that bear the Canada Organic Logo.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is responsible for the monitoring and enforcement of the Regulations. Under the Regime, Certification Bodies will be accredited based on the recommendation of CFIA recognized Accreditation Bodies.
OTCO Accreditation
Oregon Tilth's Canada certification program is approved by International Organic Accreditation Services (IOAS).
OTCO Operations and Review
Operations which OTCO currently certifies whose business resides in Canada will need to review their organic operations for compliance under the COR. Application supplements which will address additional questions and differences from the NOP standard will be coming soon! Review to the COR will be conducted on site during your normal annual inspection.
Operations within the US who ship products to Canada will be able to do so under the equivalency agreement. This equivalency does outline a few minor conditions for export from the US to Canada. These conditions are outlined in the equivalency letters and listed below:
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US agricultural products produced with the use of sodium nitrate cannot be sold or marketed as organic in Canada.
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US agricultural products produced by hydroponic or aeroponic production methods cannot be sold or marketed as organic in Canada.
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US agricultural products derived from animals must be produced according to livestock stocking rates as set out in the Canadian Standard.
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Canadian agricultural products produced from animals treated with antibiotics will not be allowed to be sold as organic in the US.
the details of the agreement and the requirements for this equivalency are still being worked out. Contact Oregon Tilth with questions prior to any changes.
Transition
The policy for transition of the Canada Organic Regime has been published along with the final version of the regulation. This plan will apply only to OTCO operators currently residing in Canada. The plan includes a full stream of commerce flow through for products and packaging from before the mandatory system comes into effect (June 2009). It also includes a sun-setting of all certification (so operators may be reviewed at their next annual inspection and review) and a two-year window on full compliance.
| Canada Organic Products Regulation |
| Canada General Principles and Management Standards updated 2009 (pdf) |
| Canada Permitted Substance List (pdf) |
| CFIA Accreditation Notice (pdf) |
| Canada Application Supplement for Crops (Farm) (doc) (pdf) |
| Canada Application Supplement for Livestock (Farm) (doc) (pdf) |
| Canada Application Supplement (Handlers) (doc) (pdf) |
| US - Canada Equivalency Letters (pdf) |
| Equivalency Q & A |
Links and Resources specific to Canada Organic Product Regulation
| Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) |
The website for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency: information and help documents for Organic Products in Canada and the Organic Regime. |
| CFIA Q & A |
Common questions and answers about the Canada Organic Products Regulation and it's implementation published by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. |
| Organic Trade Association |
OTA plays an integral role in commenting and development of the Canada Organic Products Regulation. |
