Α/Α	Title
1.	Fees for Plant Production
2.	Fees for Processing

A CERT Organic Standard

REGULATION OF CERTIFICATION (ICS-BIO-D1.16)

Declaration of Impartiality

Appeal

Procedures for the Handling of Appeals and Objections

Operators certified by A CERT S.A. as well as third parties having a legitimate interest have the right to appeal against an act of an actor or an appeal against a decision of A CERT S.A. Where objections concern inspection or sampling results, they must be made on the spot and noted on a relevant form. In special cases, an objection may also be lodged once the actions are completed, when the time for submission is justified.

The General Director decides to accept appeals in case of late submission. In the event of appeal / objection by third parties, the General Director controls and decides on the legitimate and justified interest as well as the time of its submission. A CERT S.A. secretary shall inform the complainant in written form. The complainant may request to attend the meeting of the Appeals and Objections Committee. The General Director may invite, if necessary, the Director whose department is involved in the contested act.

The Committee’s functions are regulated by the Rules of the Appeals and Objections Committee.

In the event that the complainant was not present at the meeting, the final decision shall be notified to him.

You can download the procedure for handling appeals and objections against A CERT S.A.

QMS-D7.1_Appeals – Objections

You can send your appeal/ objection to the email address info@a-cert.org or at 52, 19is Maiou str., Thermi, Thessaloniki, 57001 Greece.

Important notes:

(1) An appeal against a decision of A CERT S.A. may be brought within 15 days of notification of the decision. The appeal/ objection shall be considered not later than 15 days after its submission. Until the adoption of the Commission decision, the previous decision applies.

2) The Agency undertakes that the dispatch, investigation and decision on objections and appeals will not result in actions leading to any discrimination against the opposing party.

3. The receipt, validation, investigation and decision of the Committee to resolve a complaint or appeal shall take into account the results of any previous similar cases.

Complaints

Complaint Handling Procedure

Complaint Receiving and Recording: Complaints shall be received by telephone, letter or by e-mail or even in person. When complaints are lodged by the Agency’s client or a third party complaints for A CERT S.A. operators, the Control Body completes the Complaints Sheet describing the problem. Where feasible, the Agency shall acknowledge the complainant for the received complaint. When the complaint concerns a certified operator, the Control Body takes this into account for assessing the effectiveness of the operator’s system. In this case, the operator is notified of the complaint at the appropriate time.

Investigation: The relevant department of the Control Body, in cooperation with the departments involved, analyses the extent to which the services offered by the organization do not meet the customer’s quality requirements. Furthermore, investigates the complaint in order to determine the reliability of the complaint and to validate the information shared in the complaint. The same procedure applies to complaints concerning an operator controlled by A CERT S.A.

Response Actions: The Quality Manager is responsible for monitoring the completion of the investigation, the required corrective actions as well as the completeness and effectiveness of the concerned corrective actions. Where feasible, the Control Body shall inform the contact person (complainant) about the progress of the investigation.

You can download the Complaint Form.

MKS-D2.1_Complaint form

You can send your complaint to the email address info@a-cert.org or at 52, 19is Maiou str., Thermi, Thessaloniki, 57001 Greece.

Important note: A CERT S.A. handles the receipt, assessment and decision-making of the complaints concerning the Control Body (CB) or the CB’s controlled operators under the confidentiality framework for both the complainant and the subject concerned. A CERT S.A., the complainant and the CB’s concerned operator determine the degree of disclosure and the resolution of the complaint.

ANNEX TO THE CERTIFICATION REGULATION (ICS-BIO-D1.44) REGARDING THE CONTROL MEASURES APPLIED IN THIRD COUNTRIES

List of Operators

List of approved suppliers LABORATORIES

Pricelist Additional Charges

Authorized Seeds