Commission Regulation (EC) No 889/2008Show full title

CHAPTER 4 Collection, packaging, transport and storage of products

Article 30 Collection of products and transport to preparation units

Operators may carry out simultaneous collection of organic and non-organic products, only where appropriate measures are taken to prevent any possible mixture or exchange with non-organic products and to ensure the identification of the organic products. The operator shall keep the information relating to collection days, hours, circuit and date and time of reception of the products available to the control body or control authority.

Article 31 Packaging and transport of products to other operators or units

1. Operators shall ensure that organic products are transported to other units, including wholesalers and retailers, only in appropriate packaging, containers or vehicles closed in such a manner that substitution of the content cannot be achieved without manipulation or damage of the seal and provided with a label stating, without prejudice to any other indications required by law:

(a) the name and address of the operator and, where different, of the owner or seller of the product;

(b) the name of the product or a description of the compound feedingstuff accompanied by a reference to the organic production method;

(c) the name and/or the code number of the control body or authority to which the operator is subject; and

(d) where relevant, the lot identification mark according to a marking system either approved at national level or agreed with the control body or authority and which permits to link the lot with the accounts referred to in Article 66.

The information referred to in points (a) to (d) of the first subparagraph may also be presented on an accompanying document, if such a document can be undeniably linked with the packaging, container or vehicular transport of the product. This accompanying document shall include information on the supplier and/or the transporter.

2. The closing of packaging, containers or vehicles shall not be required where:

(a) transportation is direct between an operator and another operator who are both subject to the organic control system, and

(b) the products are accompanied by a document giving the information required under paragraph 1, and

(c) both the expediting and the receiving operators shall keep documentary records of such transport operations available for the control body or control authority of such transport operations.

Article 32 Special rules for transporting feed to other production/preparation units or storage premises

In addition to the provisions of Article 31, when transporting feed to other production or preparation units or storage premises, operators shall ensure that the following conditions are met:

(a)

during transport, organically-produced feed, in-conversion feed, and non-organic feed shall be effectively physically separated;

(b)

the vehicles and/or containers which have transported non-organic products are used to transport organic products provided that:

(i)

suitable cleaning measures, the effectiveness of which has been checked, have been carried out before commencing the transport of organic products; operators shall record these operations,

(ii)

all appropriate measures are implemented, depending on the risks evaluated in accordance with Article 88(3) and, where necessary, operators shall guarantee that non-organic products cannot be placed on the market with an indication referring to organic production,

(iii)

the operator shall keep documentary records of such transport operations available for the control body or control authority;

(c)

the transport of finished organic feed shall be separated physically or in time from the transport of other finished products;

(d)

during transport, the quantity of products at the start and each individual quantity delivered in the course of a delivery round shall be recorded.

Article 33 Reception of products from other units and other operators

On receipt of an organic product, the operator shall check the closing of the packaging or container where it is required and the presence of the indications provided to in Article 31.

The operator shall crosscheck the information on the label referred to in Article 31 with the information on the accompanying documents. The result of these verifications shall be explicitly mentioned in the documentary accounts referred to in Article 66.

Article 34 Special rules for the reception of products from a third country

Organic products shall be imported from a third country in appropriate packaging or containers, closed in a manner preventing substitution of the content and provided with identification of the exporter and with any other marks and numbers serving to identify the lot and with the certificate of control for import from third countries as appropriate.

On receipt of an organic product, imported from a third country, the first consignee shall check the closing of the packaging or container and, in the case of products imported in accordance with Article 33 of Regulation (EC) No 834/2007, shall check that the certificate mentioned in that Article covers the type of product contained in the consignment. The result of this verification shall be explicitly mentioned in the documentary accounts referred to in Article 66 of this Regulation.

Article 35 Storage of products

1. For the storage of products, areas shall be managed in such a way as to ensure identification of lots and to avoid any mixing with or contamination by products and/or substances not in compliance with the organic production rules. Organic products shall be clearly identifiable at all times.

2. In case of organic plant and livestock production units, storage of input products other than those authorised under this Regulation is prohibited in the production unit.

3. The storage of allopathic veterinary medicinal products and antibiotics is permitted on holdings provided that they have been prescribed by a veterinarian in connection with treatment as referred to in Article 14(1)(e)(ii) of Regulation (EC) No 834/2007, that they are stored in a supervised location and that they are entered in the livestock record as referred to in Article 76 of this Regulation.

4. In case where operators handle both non-organic products and organic products and the latter are stored in storage facilities in which also other agricultural products or foodstuffs are stored:

(a) the organic products shall be kept separate from the other agricultural products and/or foodstuffs;

(b) every measure shall be taken to ensure identification of consignments and to avoid mixtures or exchanges with non-organic products;

(c) suitable cleaning measures, the effectiveness of which has been checked, have been carried out before the storage of organic products; operators shall record these operations.