1.  This Regulation applies to the following products originating from agriculture, including aquaculture and beekeeping, as listed in Annex I to the TFEU and to products originating from those products, where such products are, or are intended to be, produced, prepared, labelled, distributed, placed on the market, imported into or exported from the Union:

2.  This Regulation applies to any operator involved, at any stage of production, preparation and distribution, in activities relating to the products referred to in paragraph 1.

3.  Mass catering operations carried out by a mass caterer as defined in point (d) of Article 2(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 are not subject to this Regulation except as set out in this paragraph.

4.  Except where otherwise provided, this Regulation applies without prejudice to related Union legislation, in particular, legislation in the fields of safety of the food chain, animal health and welfare, plant health and plant reproductive material.

5.  This Regulation applies without prejudice to other specific Union law relating to the placing of products on the market and, in particular, to Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 1 ) and to Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011.

6.  The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 54 amending the list of products set out in Annex I by adding further products to the list, or by amending those added entries. Only products which are closely linked to agricultural products shall be eligible for inclusion in that list.

1.  Operators shall comply with the general production rules laid down in this Article.

2.  The entire holding shall be managed in compliance with the requirements of this Regulation that apply to organic production.

3.  For the purposes and uses referred to in Articles 24 and 25 and in Annex II, only products and substances that have been authorised pursuant to those provisions may be used in organic production, provided that their use in non-organic production has also been authorised in accordance with the relevant provisions of Union law and, where applicable, in accordance with national provisions based on Union law.

4.  Ionising radiation shall not be used in the treatment of organic food or feed, and in the treatment of raw materials used in organic food or feed.

5.  The use of animal cloning, and the rearing of artificially induced polyploid animals, shall be prohibited.

6.  Preventive and precautionary measures shall be taken, where appropriate, at every stage of production, preparation and distribution.

7.  Notwithstanding paragraph 2, a holding may be split into clearly and effectively separated production units for organic, in-conversion and non-organic production, provided that for the non-organic production units:

8.  By way of derogation from point (b) of paragraph 7, in the case of perennial crops which require a cultivation period of at least three years, different varieties that cannot be easily differentiated, or the same varieties, may be involved, provided that the production in question is within the context of a conversion plan, and provided that the conversion of the last part of the area related to the production in question to organic production begins as soon as possible and is completed within a maximum of five years.

9.  The requirements concerning different species and varieties, laid down in points (a) and (b) of paragraph 7, shall not apply in the case of research and educational centres, plant nurseries, seed multipliers and breeding operations.

10.  Where, in the cases referred to in paragraphs 7, 8 and 9, not all production units of a holding are managed under organic production rules, the operators shall:

11.  The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 54 amending paragraph 7 of this Article by adding further rules on the splitting of a holding into organic, in-conversion and non-organic production units, in particular in relation to products listed in Annex I, or by amending those added rules.

1.  Farmers and operators that produce algae or aquaculture animals shall comply with a conversion period. During the whole conversion period they shall apply all rules on organic production laid down in this Regulation, in particular the applicable rules on conversion set out in this Article and in Annex II.

2.  The conversion period shall start at the earliest when the farmer or the operator that produces algae or aquaculture animals has notified the activity to the competent authorities, in accordance with Article 34(1), in the Member State in which the activity is carried out and in which that farmer or operator’s holding is subject to the control system.

3.  No previous period may be retroactively recognised as being part of the conversion period, except where:

4.  Products produced during the conversion period shall not be marketed as organic products or as in-conversion products.

5.  The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 54 amending point 1.2.2 of Part II of Annex II by adding conversion rules for species other than those regulated in Part II of Annex II on 17 June 2018, or by amending those added rules.

6.  The Commission shall, where appropriate, adopt implementing acts specifying the documents to be supplied for the purpose of the retroactive recognition of a previous period in accordance with paragraph 3 of this Article.

1.  GMOs, products produced from GMOs, and products produced by GMOs shall not be used in food or feed, or as food, feed, processing aids, plant protection products, fertilisers, soil conditioners, plant reproductive material, micro-organisms or animals in organic production.

2.  For the purposes of the prohibition laid down in paragraph 1, with regard to GMOs and products produced from GMOs for food and feed, operators may rely on the labels of a product that have been affixed or provided pursuant to Directive 2001/18/EC, Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 18 ) or Regulation (EC) No 1830/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 19 ) or any accompanying document provided pursuant thereto.

3.  Operators may assume that no GMOs and no products produced from GMOs have been used in the manufacture of purchased food and feed where such products do not have a label affixed or provided, or are not accompanied by a document provided, pursuant to the legal acts referred to in paragraph 2, unless they have obtained other information indicating that the labelling of the products concerned is not in conformity with those legal acts.

4.  For the purposes of the prohibition laid down in paragraph 1, with regard to products not covered by paragraphs 2 and 3, operators using non-organic products purchased from third parties shall require the vendor to confirm that those products are not produced from GMOs or produced by GMOs.

1.  Operators that produce plants or plant products shall comply, in particular, with the detailed rules set out in Part I of Annex II.

2.  The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 54 amending:

1.  Plant reproductive material of organic heterogeneous material may be marketed without complying with the requirements for registration and without complying with the certification categories of pre-basic, basic and certified material or with the requirements for other categories, which are set out in Directives 66/401/EEC, 66/402/EEC, 68/193/EEC, 98/56/EC, 2002/53/EC, 2002/54/EC, 2002/55/EC, 2002/56/EC, 2002/57/EC, 2008/72/EC and 2008/90/EC or acts adopted pursuant to those Directives.

2.  Plant reproductive material of organic heterogeneous material as referred to in paragraph 1 may be marketed following a notification of the organic heterogeneous material by the supplier to the responsible official bodies referred to in Directives 66/401/EEC, 66/402/EEC, 68/193/EEC, 98/56/EC, 2002/53/EC, 2002/54/EC, 2002/55/EC, 2002/56/EC, 2002/57/EC, 2008/72/EC and 2008/90/EC, made by means of a dossier containing:

3.  The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 54 supplementing this Regulation by setting out rules governing the production and marketing of plant reproductive material of organic heterogeneous material of particular genera or species, as regards:

1.  Livestock operators shall comply, in particular, with the detailed production rules set out in Part II of Annex II and in any implementing acts referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article.

2.  The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 54 amending:

3.  The Commission shall, where appropriate, adopt implementing acts regarding Part II of Annex II providing rules on:

1.  Operators that produce algae and aquaculture animals shall comply, in particular, with the detailed production rules set out in Part III of Annex II and in any implementing acts referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article.

2.  The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 54 amending:

3.  The Commission shall, where appropriate, adopt implementing acts laying down detailed rules per species or per group of species on the stocking density, and on the specific characteristics for production systems and containment systems, in order to ensure that the species-specific needs are met.

4.  For the purpose of this Article and of Part III of Annex II, ‘stocking density’ means the live weight of aquaculture animals per cubic metre of water at any time during the grow-out phase and, in the case of flatfish and shrimp, the weight per square metre of surface.

1.  Operators that produce processed food shall comply, in particular, with the detailed production rules set out in Part IV of Annex II and in any implementing acts referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article.

2.  The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 54 amending:

3.  The Commission may adopt implementing acts laying down the techniques authorised in the processing of food products.

1.  Operators that produce processed feed shall comply, in particular, with the detailed production rules set out in Part V of Annex II and in any implementing acts referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article.

2.  The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 54 amending point 1.4 of Part V of Annex II by adding further precautionary and preventive measures to be taken by operators, or by amending those added measures.

3.  The Commission may adopt implementing acts laying down the techniques authorised for use in the processing of feed products.

1.  Operators that produce products of the wine sector shall comply, in particular, with the detailed production rules set out in Part VI of Annex II.

2.  The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 54 amending:

1.  Operators that produce yeast to be used as food or feed shall comply, in particular, with the detailed production rules set out in Part VII of Annex II.

2.  The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 54 amending point 1.3 of Part VII of Annex II by adding further detailed yeast production rules, or by amending those added rules.

1.  The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 54 amending Annex II by adding detailed production rules, as well as rules on the obligation to convert, for products that do not fall within the categories of products referred to in Articles 12 to 19, or by amending those added rules.

2.  In the absence of the detailed production rules referred to in paragraph 1:

1.  The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 54 supplementing this Regulation by laying down:

2.  Where a Member State has formally recognised an event as a natural disaster as referred to in Article 18(3) or Article 24(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013, and that event makes it impossible to comply with the production rules laid down in this Regulation, that Member State may grant derogations from the production rules for a limited period until organic production can be re-established, subject to the principles laid down in Chapter II and to any delegated act adopted in accordance with paragraph 1.

3.  Member States may adopt measures in accordance with the delegated act referred to in paragraph 1 to allow organic production to continue or recommence in the event of catastrophic circumstances.

1.  Operators shall ensure that organic products and in-conversion products are collected, packaged, transported and stored in accordance with the rules set out in Annex III.

2.  The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 54 amending:

1.  The Commission may authorise certain products and substances for use in organic production, and shall include any such authorised products and substances in restrictive lists, for the following purposes:

2.  In addition to products and substances authorised in accordance with paragraph 1, the Commission may authorise certain products and substances for use in the production of processed organic food and of yeast used as food or feed, and shall include any such authorised products and substances in restrictive lists, for the following purposes:

3.  The authorisation of the products and substances referred to in paragraph 1 for use in organic production shall be subject to the principles laid down in Chapter II and to the following criteria, which shall be evaluated as a whole:

4.  The authorisation of the products and substances referred to in paragraph 2 for use in the production of processed organic food or for the production of yeast used as food or feed shall be subject to the principles laid down in Chapter II and to the following criteria, which shall be evaluated as a whole:

5.  The authorisation of the use of chemically synthesised products and substances, in accordance with paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article, shall be strictly limited to cases where the use of external inputs referred to in point (g) of Article 5 would contribute to unacceptable impacts on the environment.

6.  The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 54 amending paragraphs 3 and 4 of this Article by adding further criteria for the authorisation of products and substances referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article for use in organic production in general, and in the production of processed organic food in particular, as well as further criteria for the withdrawal of such authorisations, or by amending those added criteria.

7.  Where a Member State considers that a product or substance should be added to or withdrawn from the lists of authorised products and substances referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2, or that the specifications of use referred to in the production rules should be amended, it shall ensure that a dossier giving the reasons for the inclusion, withdrawal or other amendments is officially sent to the Commission and to the other Member States and is made publicly available, subject to Union and national legislation on data protection.

8.  The Commission shall regularly review the lists referred to in this Article.

9.  The Commission shall adopt implementing acts concerning the authorisation or withdrawal of authorisation of products and substances in accordance with paragraphs 1 and 2 that may be used in organic production in general and in the production of processed organic food in particular, and establishing the procedures to be followed for such authorisations and the lists of such products and substances and, where appropriate, their description, compositional requirements and conditions for use.

1.  Where it is necessary in order to ensure access to certain agricultural ingredients, and where such ingredients are not available in organic form in sufficient quantity, a Member State may, at the request of an operator, provisionally authorise the use of non-organic agricultural ingredients for the production of processed organic food on its territory for a period of maximum six months. That authorisation shall apply to all operators in that Member State.

2.  The Member State shall immediately notify the Commission and the other Member States, via a computer system that enables the electronic exchange of documents and information made available by the Commission, of any authorisation granted for its territory in accordance with paragraph 1.

3.  The Member State may prolong the authorisation provided for in paragraph 1 two times for a maximum of six months each, provided that no other Member State has objected by indicating, via the system referred to in paragraph 2, that such ingredients are available in organic form in sufficient quantity.

4.  A control authority or a control body recognised in accordance with Article 46(1) may grant a provisional authorisation, as referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article, for a maximum of six months to operators in third countries that request such an authorisation and that are subject to controls by that control authority or control body, provided that the conditions of that paragraph are fulfilled in the third country concerned. The authorisation may be prolonged for a maximum of two times six months each.

5.  Where, after two prolongations of a provisional authorisation, a Member State considers, on the basis of objective information, that the availability of such ingredients in organic form remains insufficient to meet the qualitative and quantitative needs of operators, it may make a request to the Commission in accordance with Article 24(7).

1.  Each Member State shall ensure that a regularly updated database is established for the listing of the organic and in-conversion plant reproductive material, excluding seedlings but including seed potatoes, which is available on its territory.

2.  Member States shall have in place systems that allow operators that market organic or in-conversion plant reproductive material, organic animals or organic aquaculture juveniles, and that are able to supply them in sufficient quantities and within a reasonable period, to make public on a voluntary basis, free of charge, together with their names and contact details, information on the following:

3.  Member States may also set up systems which allow operators that market breeds and strains adapted to organic production in accordance with point 1.3.3 of Part II of Annex II or organic pullets and that are able to supply those animals in sufficient quantities and within a reasonable period to make public the relevant information on a voluntary basis, free of charge, together with names and contact details.

4.  Operators that opt to include information on plant reproductive material, animals or aquaculture juveniles in the systems referred to in paragraphs 2 and 3 shall ensure that the information is updated regularly, and shall ensure that the information is withdrawn from the lists once the plant reproductive material, animals or aquaculture juveniles are no longer available.

5.  For the purpose of paragraphs 1, 2 and 3, Member States may continue to use relevant information systems that are already in existence.

6.  The Commission shall make public the link to each of the national databases or systems on a dedicated website of the Commission, in order to allow users to have access to such databases or systems throughout the Union.

7.  The Commission may adopt implementing acts providing:

1.  In order to avoid contamination with products or substances that are not authorised in accordance with the first subparagraph of Article 9(3) for use in organic production, operators shall take the following precautionary measures at every stage of production, preparation and distribution:

2.  Where an operator suspects, due to the presence of a product or substance that is not authorised pursuant to the first subparagraph of Article 9(3) for use in organic production in a product that is intended to be used or marketed as an organic or in-conversion product, that the latter product does not comply with this Regulation, the operator shall:

3.  The Commission may adopt implementing acts laying down uniform rules to specify:

1.  Where the competent authority, or, where appropriate, the control authority or control body, receives substantiated information about the presence of products or substances that are not authorised pursuant to the first subparagraph of Article 9(3) for use in organic production, or has been informed by an operator in accordance with point (d) of Article 28(2), or detects such products or substances in an organic or an in-conversion product:

2.  The product concerned shall not be marketed as an organic or in-conversion product or used in organic production where the competent authority, or, where appropriate, the control authority or control body, has established that the operator concerned:

3.  The operator concerned shall be given an opportunity to comment on the results of the investigation referred to in point (a) of paragraph 1. The competent authority, or, where appropriate, the control authority or control body, shall keep records of the investigation it has carried out.

4.  By 31 December 2025, the Commission shall present a report to the European Parliament and the Council on the implementation of this Article, on the presence of products and substances not authorised pursuant to the first subparagraph of Article 9(3) for use in organic production and on the assessment of the national rules referred to in paragraph 5 of this Article. That report may be accompanied, where appropriate, by a legislative proposal for further harmonisation.

5.  Member States having in place rules providing for products that contain more than a certain level of products or substances not authorised pursuant to the first subparagraph of Article 9(3) for use in organic production not to be marketed as organic products may continue to apply those rules, provided that those rules do not prohibit, restrict or impede the placing on the market of products produced in other Member States as organic products, where those products were produced in compliance with this Regulation. Member States that make use of this paragraph shall inform the Commission without delay.

6.  The competent authorities shall document the results of the investigations referred to in paragraph 1, as well as any measures they have taken for the purpose of formulating best practices and further measures to avoid the presence of products and substances not authorised pursuant to the first subparagraph of Article 9(3) for use in organic production.

7.  Member States may take appropriate measures on their territory to avoid the unintended presence in organic agriculture of products and substances not authorised pursuant to the first subparagraph of Article 9(3) for use in organic production. Such measures shall not prohibit, restrict or impede the placing on the market of products produced in other Member States as organic or in-conversion products, where those products were produced in compliance with this Regulation. Member States that make use of this paragraph shall inform the Commission and the other Member States without delay.

8.  The Commission shall adopt implementing acts laying down uniform rules to specify:

9.  By 31 March of each year, Member States shall electronically transmit to the Commission relevant information about cases involving contamination with non-authorised products or substances in the previous year, including information collected at border control posts, concerning the nature of contamination detected, and in particular the cause, the source and the level of contamination as well as the volume and nature of products contaminated. This information shall be collected by the Commission through the computer system made available by the Commission and shall be used to facilitate the formulation of best practices for avoiding contamination.

1.  For the purposes of this Regulation, a product shall be regarded as bearing terms referring to organic production where, in the labelling, advertising material or commercial documents, such a product, its ingredients or feed materials used for its production are described in terms suggesting to the purchaser that the product, ingredients or feed materials have been produced in accordance with this Regulation. In particular, the terms listed in Annex IV and their derivatives and diminutives, such as ‘bio’ and ‘eco’, whether alone or in combination, may be used throughout the Union and in any language listed in that Annex for the labelling and advertising of products referred to in Article 2(1) which comply with this Regulation.

2.  For the products referred to in Article 2(1), the terms referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article shall not be used anywhere in the Union, in any language listed in Annex IV, for the labelling, advertising material or commercial documents of a product which does not comply with this Regulation.

3.  Products that have been produced during the conversion period shall not be labelled or advertised as organic products or as in-conversion products.

4.  The terms referred to in paragraph 1 and 3 shall not be used for a product for which Union law requires the labelling or advertising to state that the product contains GMOs, consists of GMOs or is produced from GMOs.

5.  For processed food, the terms referred to in paragraph 1 may be used:

6.  For processed feed, the terms referred to in paragraph 1 may be used in the sales description and in the list of ingredients, provided that:

7.  The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 54 amending:

8.  The Commission may adopt implementing acts to set detailed requirements for the application of paragraph 3 of this Article.

1.  Where products bear terms as referred to in Article 30(1), including products labelled as in-conversion products in accordance with Article 30(3):

2.  Where the organic production logo of the European Union is used, an indication of the place where the agricultural raw materials of which the product is composed have been farmed shall appear in the same visual field as the logo and shall take one of the following forms, as appropriate:

3.  The indications referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article and in Article 33(3) shall be marked in a conspicuous place in such a way as to be easily visible, and shall be clearly legible and indelible.

4.  The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 54 amending paragraph 2 of this Article and Article 33(3) by adding further rules on labelling, or by amending those added rules.

5.  The Commission shall adopt implementing acts relating to:

1.  The organic production logo of the European Union may be used in the labelling, presentation and advertising of products which comply with this Regulation.

2.  Except where used in accordance with the second subparagraph of paragraph 1, the organic production logo of the European Union is an official attestation in accordance with Articles 86 and 91 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625.

3.  The use of the organic production logo of the European Union shall be optional for products imported from third countries. Where that logo appears in the labelling of such products, the indication referred to in Article 32(2) shall also appear in the labelling.

4.  The organic production logo of the European Union shall follow the model set out in Annex V, and shall comply with the rules set out in that Annex.

5.  National logos and private logos may be used in the labelling, presentation and advertising of products which comply with this Regulation.

6.  The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 54 amending Annex V as regards the organic production logo of the European Union and the rules relating thereto.

1.  Prior to placing any products on the market as ‘organic’ or as ‘in-conversion’ or prior to the conversion period, operators and groups of operators referred to in Article 36 which produce, prepare, distribute or store organic or in-conversion products, which import such products from a third country or export such products to a third country, or which place such products on the market, shall notify their activity to the competent authorities of the Member State in which it is carried out and in which their undertaking is subject to the control system.

2.  Operators that sell prepacked organic products directly to the final consumer or user shall be exempted from the notification obligation referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article and from the obligation to be in the possession of a certificate referred to in Article 35(2) provided that they do not produce, prepare, store other than in connection with the point of sale, or import such products from a third country, or subcontract such activities to another operator.

3.  Where operators or groups of operators subcontract any of their activities to third parties, both the operators or groups of operators and the third parties to whom those activities have been subcontracted shall comply with paragraph 1, unless the operator or group of operators has declared in the notification referred to in paragraph 1 that it remains responsible as regards organic production and that it has not transferred that responsibility to the subcontractor. In such cases, the competent authority, or, where appropriate, the control authority or control body, shall verify that the subcontracted activities comply with this Regulation, in the context of the control it carries out on the operators or groups of operators that have subcontracted their activities.

4.  Member States may designate an authority or approve a body which is to receive the notifications referred to in paragraph 1.

5.  Operators, groups of operators and subcontractors shall keep records in accordance with this Regulation on the different activities they engage in.

6.  Member States shall keep updated lists containing the names and addresses of operators and groups of operators that have notified their activities in accordance with paragraph 1 and shall make public in an appropriate manner, including by means of links to a single internet website, a comprehensive list of this data, together with the information relating to the certificates provided to those operators and groups of operators in accordance with Article 35(1). When doing so, Member States shall comply with the requirements for the protection of personal data under Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 22 ).

7.  Member States shall ensure that any operator or group of operators that complies with this Regulation and, in cases where a fee is collected in accordance with Articles 78 and 80 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, that pays a reasonable fee covering the cost of controls is entitled to be covered by the control system. Member States shall ensure that any fees that may be collected are made public.

8.  The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 54 amending Annex II as regards the requirements for keeping records.

9.  The Commission may adopt implementing acts to provide details and specifications regarding:

1.  Competent authorities, or, where appropriate, control authorities or control bodies, shall provide a certificate to any operator or group of operators that has notified its activity in accordance with Article 34(1) and complies with this Regulation. The certificate shall:

2.  Without prejudice to paragraph 8 of this Article and to Article 34(2), operators and groups of operators shall not place products referred to in Article 2(1) on the market as organic products or in-conversion products unless they are already in possession of a certificate as referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article.

3.  The certificate referred to in this Article shall be an official certificate within the meaning of point (a) of Article 86(1) of Regulation (EU) 2017/625.

4.  An operator or a group of operators shall not be entitled to obtain a certificate from more than one control body in relation to activities carried out in the same Member State regarding the same category of products, including cases in which that operator or group of operators operates at different stages of production, preparation and distribution.

5.  Members of a group of operators shall not be entitled to obtain an individual certificate for any of the activities covered by the certification of the group of operators to which they belong.

6.  Operators shall verify the certificates of those operators that are their suppliers.

7.  For the purposes of paragraphs 1 and 4 of this Article, products shall be classified in accordance with the following categories:

8.  Member States may exempt from the obligation to be in the possession of a certificate, provided for in paragraph 2, operators that sell unpacked organic products other than feed directly to the final consumer, provided that those operators do not produce, prepare, store other than in connection with the point of sale, or import such products from a third country, or subcontract such activities to a third party, and provided that:

9.  The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 54 amending the model of the certificate set out in Annex VI.

10.  The Commission shall adopt implementing acts to provide details and specifications regarding the form of the certificate referred to in paragraph 1 and the technical means by which it is issued.

1.  Each group of operators shall:

2.  Competent authorities, or, where appropriate, control authorities or control bodies, shall withdraw the certificate referred to in Article 35 for the whole group where deficiencies in the set-up or functioning of the system for internal controls referred to in paragraph 1, in particular as regards failures to detect or address non-compliance by individual members of the group of operators, affect the integrity of organic and in-conversion products.

3.  The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 54 amending paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article by adding provisions, or by amending those added provisions, in particular as regards:

4.  The Commission may adopt implementing acts laying down specific rules concerning:

1.  Official controls performed in accordance with Article 9 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625 for the verification of compliance with this Regulation shall include, in particular:

2.  Official controls performed in accordance with Article 9 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625 for the verification of compliance with this Regulation shall be performed throughout the entire process at all stages of production, preparation and distribution on the basis of the likelihood of non-compliance as defined in point (57) of Article 3 of this Regulation, which shall be determined taking into account, in addition to the elements referred to in Article 9 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, in particular the following elements:

3.  In any case, all operators and groups of operators, with the exception of those referred to in Articles 34(2) and 35(8), shall be subject to a verification of compliance at least once a year.

4.  Official controls performed in accordance with Article 9 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625 for the verification of compliance with this Regulation shall:

5.  The delivery or renewal of the certificate referred to in Article 35(1) shall be based on the results of the verification of compliance referred to in paragraphs 1 to 4 of this Article.

6.  The written record to be drawn up regarding each official control that has been performed to verify compliance with this Regulation in accordance with Article 13(1) of Regulation (EU) 2017/625 shall be countersigned by the operator or groups of operators as confirmation of their receipt of that written record.

7.  Article 13(1) of Regulation (EU) 2017/625 shall not apply to audits and inspections carried out by competent authorities in the context of their supervisory activities over control bodies to which certain official control tasks or certain tasks related to other official activities have been delegated.

8.  The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 54:

9.  The Commission may adopt implementing acts to specify:

1.  In addition to the obligations laid down in Article 15 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, operators and groups of operators shall:

2.  The Commission may adopt implementing acts to provide details and specifications regarding:

1.  Competent authorities may delegate to control bodies certain official control tasks and certain tasks related to other official activities only if the following conditions, in addition to those set out in Chapter III of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, are satisfied:

2.  By way of derogation from Article 31(3) of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, competent authorities may delegate to a control body the decision concerning the tasks provided for in point (b) of Article 138(1) and in Article 138(2) and (3) of that Regulation.

3.  For the purpose of point (b)(iv) of Article 29 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, the standard for the delegation of certain official control tasks and certain tasks related to other official activities to verify compliance with this Regulation which is relevant in relation to the scope of this Regulation is the most recently notified version of the international harmonised standard for ‘Conformity assessment – Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services’, the reference of which has been published in the Official Journal of the European Union.

4.  Competent authorities shall not delegate the following official control tasks and tasks related to other official activities to control bodies:

5.  Competent authorities shall not delegate official control tasks or tasks related to other official activities to natural persons.

6.  Competent authorities shall ensure that information received from control bodies pursuant to Article 32 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625 and information on the measures applied by control bodies in the case of established or likely non-compliance is collected and used by the competent authorities in order to supervise the activities of those controls bodies.

7.  Where a competent authority has fully or partially withdrawn the delegation of certain official control tasks or certain tasks related to other official activities in accordance with point (b) of Article 33 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, it shall decide whether any certificates issued by the control bodies concerned before the date of that partial or full withdrawal are to remain valid, and shall inform the operators concerned of that decision.

8.  Without prejudice to point (b) of Article 33 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, before fully or partly withdrawing the delegation of official control tasks or tasks related to other official activities in the cases referred to in that point, competent authorities may fully or partly suspend that delegation:

9.  Where a control body to whom competent authorities have delegated certain official control tasks or certain tasks related to other official activities has also been recognised by the Commission in accordance with Article 46(1) of this Regulation to carry out control activities in third countries, and the Commission intends to withdraw or has withdrawn the recognition of that control body, competent authorities shall organise audits or inspections on the control body as regards its activities in the Member State(s) concerned in accordance with point (a) of Article 33 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625.

10.The control bodies shall transmit to the competent authorities:

11.  The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 54 supplementing this Regulation as regards conditions for the delegation of official control tasks and tasks related to other official activities to control bodies additional to the conditions laid down in paragraph 1 of this Article.

1.  Subject to Article 29, where a competent authority, or, where appropriate, a control authority or control body, suspects or receives substantiated information, including information from other competent authorities, or, where appropriate, from other control authorities or control bodies, that an operator intends to use or to place on the market a product which may not be in compliance with this Regulation but which bears terms referring to the organic production, or where such competent authority, control authority or control body has been informed by an operator of a suspicion of non-compliance in accordance with Article 27:

2.  In the event that the results of the investigation referred to in point (a) of paragraph 1 do not show any non-compliance affecting the integrity of organic or in-conversion products, the operator shall be allowed to use the products concerned or to place them on the market as organic or in-conversion products.

3.  Member States shall take any measures, and provide for any necessary sanctions, to prevent fraudulent use of the indications referred to in Chapter IV of this Regulation.

4.  Competent authorities shall provide a common catalogue of measures for cases of suspected non-compliance and established non-compliance to be applied in their territory, including by control authorities and control bodies.

5.  The Commission may adopt implementing acts to specify uniform arrangements for the cases where competent authorities are to take measures in relation to suspected or established non-compliance.

1.  In the event of non-compliance affecting the integrity of organic or in-conversion products throughout any of the stages of production, preparation and distribution, for example as result of the use of non-authorised products, substances or techniques, or commingling with non-organic products, competent authorities, and, where appropriate, control authorities and control bodies, shall ensure, in addition to the measures to be taken in accordance with Article 138 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, that no reference is made to organic production in the labelling and advertising of the entire lot or production run concerned.

2.  In the event of serious, or repetitive or continued non-compliance, competent authorities, and, where appropriate, control authorities and control bodies, shall ensure that the operators or the groups of operators concerned, in addition to the measures laid down in paragraph 1 and any appropriate measures taken in particular in accordance with Article 138 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, are prohibited from marketing products which refer to organic production for a given period, and that their certificate referred to in Article 35 be suspended or withdrawn, as appropriate.

1.  In addition to the obligations laid down in Article 105(1) and Article 106(1) of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, competent authorities shall immediately share information with other competent authorities, as well as with the Commission, on any suspicion of non–compliance that affects the integrity of organic or in-conversion products.

2.  In cases where suspected or established non-compliance has been identified with regard to products under the control of other control authorities or control bodies, control authorities and control bodies shall immediately inform those other control authorities or control bodies.

3.  Control authorities and control bodies shall exchange other relevant information with other control authorities and control bodies.

4.  Upon receiving a request for information that is justified by the need to guarantee that a product has been produced in accordance with this Regulation, control authorities and control bodies shall exchange with other competent authorities, as well as with the Commission, information on the results of their controls.

5.  Competent authorities shall exchange information on the supervision of the control bodies with national accreditation bodies as defined in point (11) of Article 2 of Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 23 ).

6.  Competent authorities shall take appropriate measures and establish documented procedures in order to ensure that information about the results of controls is communicated to the paying agency in accordance with its needs for the purpose of Article 58 of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 24 ) and the acts adopted on the basis of that Article.

7.  The Commission may adopt implementing acts to specify the information to be provided by the competent authorities, control authorities and control bodies in charge of the official controls and other official activities in accordance with this Article, the relevant recipients of that information and the procedures in accordance with which this information is to be provided, including the functionalities of the computer system referred to in paragraph 1.

1.  A product may be exported from the Union as an organic product and may bear the organic production logo of the European Union, provided that it complies with the rules for organic production under this Regulation.

2.  The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 54 supplementing this Regulation as regards documents intended for customs authorities in third countries, in particular as regards the issuing of organic export certificates in electronic form wherever possible and the provision of assurances that exported organic products comply with this Regulation.

1.  A product may be imported from a third country for the purpose of placing that product on the market within the Union as an organic product or as an in-conversion product, provided that the following three conditions are met:

2.  The Commission may, in accordance with the procedure set out in Article 24(9), grant specific authorisations for the use of products and substances in third countries and in the outermost regions of the Union, taking into account differences in the ecological balance in plant or animal production, specific climatic conditions, traditions and local conditions in those areas. Such specific authorisations may be granted for a renewable period of two years and shall be subject to the principles laid down in Chapter II and to the criteria set out in Article 24(3) and (6).

3.  When providing for the criteria for determining whether a situation qualifies as catastrophic circumstances, and when laying down specific rules on how to deal with such circumstances in accordance with Article 22, the Commission shall take into account differences in the ecological balance, climate and local conditions in third countries and in the outermost regions of the Union.

4.  The Commission shall adopt implementing acts to lay down specific rules concerning the content of the certificates referred to in point (b) of paragraph 1, the procedure to be followed for their issuance, their verification and the technical means by which the certificate is issued, in particular as regards the role of competent authorities, control authorities and control bodies, ensuring the traceability and compliance of imported products intended to be placed on the Union market as organic products or as in-conversion products as referred to in paragraph 1.

5.  Compliance with the conditions and measures for the import of organic products and in-conversion products referred to in paragraph 1 into the Union shall be ascertained at border control posts, in accordance with Article 47(1) of Regulation (EU) 2017/625. The frequency of the physical checks referred to in Article 49(2) of that Regulation shall depend on the likelihood of non-compliance as defined in point (57) of Article 3 of this Regulation.

1.  The Commission may adopt implementing acts to recognise control authorities and control bodies that are competent to carry out controls and to issue organic certificates in third countries, to withdraw the recognition of such control authorities and control bodies, and to establish a list of recognised control authorities and control bodies.

2.  Control authorities and control bodies shall be recognised in accordance with paragraph 1 for the control of the import of the categories of products listed in Article 35(7) if they fulfil the following criteria:

2a.  The Commission may withdraw the recognition of a control authority or control body for a specific third country and/or a category of products if:

3.  The accreditation referred to in point (d) of paragraph 2 may only be granted by:

4.  Control authorities and control bodies shall submit a request for recognition to the Commission. Such request shall consist of a technical dossier containing all information that is necessary to ensure that the criteria set out in paragraph 2 are met.

5.  Based on the information referred to under paragraph 4 and on any other relevant information relating to the control authority or control body, the Commission shall ensure appropriate supervision of the recognised control authorities and control bodies by regularly reviewing their performance and recognition. For the purposes of that supervision, the Commission may request additional information from the accreditation bodies or the competent authorities, as appropriate.

6.  The nature of the supervision referred to in paragraph 5 shall be determined on the basis of an assessment of the likelihood of non-compliance, taking into account, in particular, the activity of the control authority or control body, the type of products and operators under its control and the changes in the production rules and control measures.

7.  The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 54:

8.  The Commission may adopt implementing acts to ensure the application of the measures to be taken in relation to cases of suspected or established non-compliance, in particular those affecting the integrity of organic or in-conversion products imported under the recognition provided for in this Article. Such measures may consist in particular in the verification of the integrity of organic or in-conversion products before placing the products on the market within the Union and, where appropriate, in the suspension of the authorisation for the placing on the market of such products within the Union as organic products or in-conversion products.

9.  On duly justified imperative grounds of urgency relating to unfair practices or practices which are incompatible with the principles and rules on organic production, the protection of consumers’ confidence or the protection of fair competition between operators, the Commission shall adopt immediately applicable implementing acts in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 55(3) to take the measures referred to in paragraph 8 of this Article or to decide on the withdrawal of the recognition of the control authorities and control bodies referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article.

1.  A recognised third country referred to in point (b)(iii) of Article 45(1) is a third country which has been recognised for the purposes of equivalence under Article 33(2) of Regulation (EC) No 834/2007, including those recognised under the transitional measure provided for in Article 58 of this Regulation.

2.  On the basis of annual reports to be sent to the Commission, by 31 March of each year, by the third countries referred to in paragraph 1 regarding the implementation and enforcement of the control measures established by them, and in the light of any other information received, the Commission shall ensure appropriate supervision of the recognised third countries by regularly reviewing their recognition. For this purpose, the Commission may request the assistance of Member States. The nature of the supervision shall be determined on the basis of an assessment of the likelihood of non-compliance, taking into account in particular the volume of exports to the Union from the third country concerned, the results of the monitoring and supervisory activities carried out by the competent authority and the results of previous controls. The Commission shall regularly report to the European Parliament and the Council on the outcome of its review.

3.  The Commission shall, by means of an implementing act, establish a list of the third countries referred to in paragraph 1 and may amend that list by means of implementing acts.

4.  The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 54 supplementing this Regulation as regards the information to be sent by the third countries listed in accordance with paragraph 3 of this Article which is necessary for the supervision of their recognition by the Commission, as well as the exercise of that supervision by the Commission, including through on-the-spot examination.

5.  The Commission may adopt implementing acts to ensure the application of measures in relation to cases of suspected or established non-compliance, in particular those affecting the integrity of organic or in-conversion products imported from third countries referred to in this Article. Such measures may consist in particular in the verification of the integrity of organic or in-conversion products before placing the products on the market within the Union and, where appropriate, in the suspension of the authorisation for the placing on the market of such products within the Union as organic products or in-conversion products.