Commercial Information Circulars

24-hour hotline : 23 922 922

e-mail address : enquiry@tid.gov.hk

Ref : EIC 230/4

4 November 2013

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 883/2013

European Union (EU)* : Amendments to Regulation on Organic Production and Labelling of Organic Products

Further to Commercial Information Circular No. 349/2013 dated 7 May 2013, the European Commission (the Commission) has adopted a Regulation to amend Regulation (EC) No. 889/2008 which has laid down detailed rules for the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 for establishing the basic requirements for the organic production of seaweed and aquaculture animals. Details are set out in the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1030/2013, which can be accessed through the following link:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2013:283:0015:0016:EN:PDF

DETAILS

2.According to Regulation (EC) No. 889/2008, national authorities may authorise those aquaculture and seaweed production units which were established and produced under nationally accepted organic rules before 1 January 2009 to keep their organic status under specified conditions for a period expiring on 1 July 2013. Recently, seven Member States submitted requests for a revision of the relevant rules used in organic aquaculture and in order to allow for continuity and time for the necessary evaluation of the requests, the transitional period should be extended to 1 January 2015.

ENQUIRIES

3.For enquiries concerning the content of this circular, please contact the undersigned at telephone number 2398 5556.

Yours faithfully,
 

(Miss Anita WONG)

for Director-General of Trade and Industry

*The EU includes Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.