Information for AFRISCO's clients

Organic and Organic-In-Conversion

By using the Afrisco organic standards, farmers and other operators will be able to move towards certified organic farming.  However, this cannot happen overnight.   If the land has been farmed with conventional methods of agriculture, there may still be residues of the chemicals that have been applied.  For this reason, and because consumers have the right to expect that certified “organic” products do not contain such residues, farmers need to pass through a conversion period.

During the conversion period, operators may be certified as “in conversion” after the first year of organic management, and can then use AFRISCO’s “organic in conversion” logo.  Many retailers are happy to accept “in conversion” products.

 

On land that has been previously treated with chemicals:
  • First year without chemicals: produce must be sold as conventional production
  • Second year and after certification and soil residue testing: produce can be sold as “organic-in-conversion”
  • Fourth year, and after certification and soil residue testing are satisfactory: produce can be sold as organic (but if the soil test indicates persistence of residues, the conversion period may have to be extended)
  • Perennials will be subject to the same 3-year conversion.  
On land that has not previously been treated with chemicals for at least three years:
  • First year, and after certification and residue testing, and with the assessment that the client understands organic management: produce can be sold as “organic-in-conversion.”  Rarely, and only if the operator has a history in organic agricultural production, there can be immediate organic certification.
  • Second year, and after certification and soil residue testing: produce can be sold as organic
On land that has been previously certified by another certification authority
  • AFRISCO will accept the previous certification if it was by an organization accredited by the South African national Department of Agriculture, the International Organic Accreditation System, or the European Commission.
On land that has demonstrably been organically farmed for at least three years, but not certified
  • AFRISCO will waive conversion, and will carefully assess the operation for full organic status.
For livestock
  •  Land as above.  Animals according to timetables for conversion set out in the organic standards. 

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Go to the next section:  The certification process