Skip to main content Skip to main navigation Skip to search

Queensland and NSW floods 2022

Visit recovery.gov.au to see what help is available.

Close
Home

Top navigation main

  • News & media
  • Jobs
  • Ministers
  • Contact us
Main menu

AWE Main

  • Agriculture and land
    Agriculture and land Building stronger and more sustainable agriculture, fisheries, forestry and land care.
    • Animal health
    • Farming, food and drought
    • Fisheries
    • Forestry
    • Land
    • Climate change and agriculture
    • Plant health
    • Drought and rural support
    • Mouse infestation advice
    Xylella

    Protect against unwanted plant pests

    Our biosecurity system helps protects us. Everyone has a role in supporting our biosecurity system.

    Find out more

  • Water
    Water Improving the sustainable management of Australia’s water resources for agriculture, the environment and communities.
    • Coal, Coal seam gas (CSG) and water
    • Commonwealth Environmental Water Office
    • Water policy and resources
    • Wetlands
    Water matters

    Water Matters

    Keep up with the latest news on the department's work in managing Australia's water resources.

    Read the latest edition here

  • Environment
    Environment Improving stewardship and sustainable management of Australia’s environment.
    • Biodiversity
    • Bushfire recovery
    • Climate change and the environment
    • EPBC Act
    • Environmental information and data
    • International activities
    • Marine
    • Partnerships
    • Protection
    • Report a breach of environment law
    • Threatened species & ecological communities
    • Waste and recycling
  • Biosecurity and trade
    Biosecurity and trade Lowering biosecurity risks to Australia, and assisting industry to accelerate growth towards a $100 billion agricultural sector by 2030.
    • Aircraft, vessels and military
    • Biosecurity policy
    • Cats and dogs
    • Exporting
    • Importing
    • Invasive species
    • Pests, diseases and weeds
    • Public awareness and education
    • Trade and market access
    • Travelling or sending goods to Australia
    • Wildlife trade
    Brown marmorated stink bug

    BMSB Seasonal Measures

    Australia has strengthened seasonal measures to manage the risk of BMSB.

    View our seasonal measures

  • Parks and heritage
    Parks and heritage Managing Australia’s iconic national parks, historic places and living landscapes.
    • Australian Marine Parks
    • Australian National Botanic Gardens
    • Booderee National Park
    • Kakadu National Park
    • Christmas Island National Park
    • National parks
    • Norfolk Island National Park
    • Heritage
    • Pulu Keeling National Park
    • The Great Barrier Reef
    • Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park
    The reef

    Great Barrier Reef

    Australia is protecting and conserving this World Heritage Area.

    Find out more

  • Science and research
    Science and research Undertaking research and collecting data to support informed decisions and policies.
    • Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES)
    • Climate change
    • Australia's biological resources
    • National Environmental Science Program (NESP)
    • Our science strategy
    • Australian Biological Resource Study (ABRS)
    • State of the Environment (SoE) reporting
    • Bird and bat banding
    • Supervising Scientist
    Abares

    ABARES Insights

    Get 'snapshots’ of agricultural, forestry and fisheries industries, or analysis of key issues.

    Find out more

  • About us
    About us Enhancing Australia’s agriculture, environment, heritage and water resources through regulation and partnership.
    • Accountability and reporting
    • Assistance, grants and tenders
    • Contact us
    • Fees and charges
    • News and media
    • Our commitment to you
    • Payments
    • People and jobs
    • Publications
    • What we do
    • Who we are
    A day in the life

    A day in the life...

    Our video series showcases the diverse and important work we do.

    Find out more

  • Online services
    Online services We do business with you using online platforms. This makes it easier for you to meet your legal requirements.
Department of Agriculture

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Biosecurity and trade
  3. Export
  4. Controlled export goods
  5. Exporting organic and bio-dynamic goods from Australia
  6. Approved certifying bodies

Sidebar first - Export

  • Organic and biodynamic products
    • Organic Exports—a program of reform
    • Step-by-step guide
    • Exporters
    • Organic operators
    • Approved certifying bodies
      • Apply to become an approved certifying body
    • Organic notices
      • 2022
      • 2021
      • 2020
    • National Standard for Organic and Bio-Dynamic Produce

Approved certifying bodies

The Export Control (Organic Goods) Rules 2021 enable the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (the department)​ to assess an organic certifier and recognise it as an approved certifying body. Once an organic certifier is recognised as an approved certifying body, it may perform the following functions on behalf of the department:​

  • assess organic and bio-dynamic operators to determine compliance to the National Standard for Organic and Bio-Dynamic Produce and importing country requirements
  • certify organic/bio-dynamic operators/exporters as compliant with Australia’s export requirements
  • issue organic goods certificates, prior to export, for consignments of organic and bio-dynamic goods exported from Australia.

The department has several approved certifying bodies that manage the certification process of organic and bio-dynamic operators and exporters.

All approved certifying bodies are assessed by the department for both initial recognition and at least annually thereafter to verify compliance with all requirements.

The department consults with and informs approved certifying bodies and industry about any changes to Australia’s export requirements and importing country requirements. Organic Notices are distributed to inform stakeholders about system changes and issues.

Questions and answers

[expand all]

How do I become an approved certifying body?

To become an approved certifying body, you must apply to the department by completing the application form Application to be an approved certifying body (organic goods) and providing relevant supporting documentation.

The department's Organic Exports Program will assess your application, including:

  • A review of documentation provided
  • Conducting an on-site audit at your business premise to assess the adequacy and effective implementation of the proposed arrangement.

If deemed to be adequate, the department will formally approve the arrangement and the organic certifier will become an approved certifying body that can undertake organic goods certification and inspection functions on behalf of the department.

Information on the fees and charges relating to the application and ongoing assessment processes for approved arrangements for organic goods certification operations is available on the department’s website.

What ongoing assessment does the department conduct for approved certifying bodies?

An announced audit is conducted annually by the department, together with a review of a percentage of the operators/exporters certified by the approved certifying body. This audit is conducted in accordance with sections 265–275 of the Export Control Act 2020.

The annual announced audit assesses whether the approved arrangement is adequately documented and effectively implemented to comply with the following:

  • The Export Control (Organic Goods) Rules 2021
  • The National Standard for Organic and Bio-Dynamic Produce
  • importing country requirements
  • relevant policy documents to ensure the approved arrangement is operating as intended.

The review of operators is generally done by witnessing an inspection conducted by the approved certifying body’s inspectors/auditors. The purpose of these reviews is to assess the competency of the approved certifying body’s inspectors/auditors, including how effectively they assess compliance to the requirements of the National Standard for Organic and Bio-Dynamic Produce and importing country requirements; and action taken to address identified areas of non-compliance.

What are my responsibilities as an approved certifying body?

As an approved certifying body, you are responsible for:

  • advising your clients about export requirements, including interpreting the National Standard for Organic and Bio-Dynamic Produce
  • monitoring organic and bio-dynamic operations to ensure that goods certified through your systems comply with the National Standard for Organic and Bio-Dynamic Produce and importing country requirements
  • maintaining records to verify that you have robust systems in place to manage the organic/bio-dynamic certification processes
  • issuing export documentation (organic goods certificates) in accordance with the department's requirements, and ensuring that they correctly reflect the goods and the organic or bio-dynamic status of these goods
  • advising the department of any change in your operations or those of your clients so that ineligible goods are not exported
  • providing reports to the department when requested to facilitate ongoing market access.

What are my responsibilities for issuing organic goods certificates?

As an approved certifying body, you must ensure that you issue and manage organic goods certificates, in accordance with the department’s protocols. You must also ensure the approved arrangement has processes in place to prevent the fraudulent use of these certificates.

How do I know what the requirements are for importing countries?

As an approved certifying body, you must be able to provide advice to your clients about importing country requirements. If the department becomes aware of changes to importing country requirements the advice is circulated to all approved certifying bodies usually in the form of a Market Access Advice Notice.

However, the department is not always notified of these changes and as such, it is essential that exporters are aware of importing country requirements. It is an exporter’s responsibility to meet requirements for products and commodities to be accepted for import into specific overseas countries.

This information should also be available through importers, who should be able to provide advice to certifiers and exporters regarding their country's importing requirements.

Contacts

Call 1800 900 090

Contact us online

Report a biosecurity concern

Thanks for your feedback.
Thanks! Your feedback has been submitted.

We aren't able to respond to your individual comments or questions.
To contact us directly phone us or submit an online inquiry

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Please verify that you are not a robot.

Skip

Footer

  • Contact us
  • Accessibility
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • FOI
Last updated: 06 April 2021

© Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.