Regulations

In Europe, European regulations 834-2007 and 889-2008 govern organic production. They define:

• production and transformation rules
• test conditions
• labelling rules
• importation to non-EU countries

Production and transformation rules define:

• a positive list of amendments and organic fertilizers
• a positive list of insecticides and fungicides
• the requirement of one year of conversion using annual crops and three years of conversion to perennial plants, including vines, before a farm can be certified organic

Control conditions include:

• annual reporting of the production program
• records on the origin, nature and quantities of inputs and products sold
• a mandatory annual and unannounced (optional) inspection. The average control rate in France is approximately 1.5

For wines, from August 1, 2012 the new regulation came into effect and now allows the labelling of wines with the EU logo and the words "Organic wine + the name of the certifying body."

In France, each operator must:

• notify the Agency Bio of their activity
• be certified and inspected by a certifying body
• cultivate vines in accordance with the specifications
• observe a conversion period of 3 years.

The Regulation contains annexes defining the list of ingredients, auxiliaries and additives allowed in organic production. After conversion, each operator can use the organic farming logo, AB in France (Agriculture Biologique), in addition to the EU logo.

For more information

There are several documents defining the regulations applied to organic products:

• organic regulations 834-2007 and 889-2008
• The application regulation for organic wine (EU) No 203/2012 of  March 8, 2012 amending Regulation EC 889/2008 laying down detailed rules for applying Council Regulation EC 834/2007
• rules for using the AB logo

More information about regulations in France and in Europe:

• Website for the French Ministry of Agriculture
• European website

The main French regulators certifying organic wines:

• ECOCERT
  BP 47, 32600 L’ISLE JOURDAIN
  Tél.: 33 (0)5 62 07 34 24
  Fax: 33 (0)5 62 07 11 67
  www.ecocert.fr
• QUALITE France
  18, rue Volney 75002 PARIS
  Tél.: 33 (0)1 42 61 58 23
  Fax: 33 (0)1 42 60 51 61
  www.qualite-france.com
• BUREAU ALPES CONTROLE
  3 bis impasse des prairies
  P.a.e; Les glaisins
  74940 Annecy-le-Vieux
  Tel : 04 50 64 99 56
  www.alpes-controles.fr