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An Introduction to Organic Farmers & Growers Ltd (OF&G)
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Organic Farmers & Growers Ltd is one of a number of certification bodies accredited by Defra and is approved to inspect organic production and processing in the UK.
OF&G has its national headquarters in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, and operates across Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as well as the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.
We take a very practical view of organic production and processing as an increasingly important part of the UK's farming business. Each licensee is assigned a Certification Officer as their main point of contact, to provide consistency in their relationship with us.
As a Defra-approved certification body OF&G has established its own Organic Assurance Scheme and is able to inspect and certify the following types of operations:
- Arable and livestock farms and horticultural units, both those entering conversion and fully converted organic units;
- On farm processing;
- Food processors, abattoirs, wholesalers and retailers;
- Importers of organic products from EU member states and third countries;
- Animal feed compounders;
- Other operations that involve non-organic products, which are approved for use in organic production, such as approved fertilisers and composts;
- Non-food products such as organic textiles and cosmetic and bodycare products.
EN45011 & ISO65
The Regulation 2092/91 requires that all approved certification bodies inspecting and certifying organic products must operate to EN45011 or its international equivalent ISO65. This European Norm or International Standard has established ‘Criteria for Bodies Operating Product Certification’ and specifies the procedures by which they must operate.
OF&G has established its procedures to comply with the requirements of this Standard and has been audited by DEFRA to confirm equivalence.
OF&G - The Practical Organisation for Organic Certification
Whilst working within the UK and EU Regulations, OF&G prides itself on adopting a practical and realistic approach to organic production and the implementation of the Regulations - an approach which has attracted a number of the more commercially minded and hands-on producers to its ranks.
Operators registered with OF&G enjoy the following benefits:
- Defra-approved certification;
- Access to experienced certification staff to guide you through the complexities of the certification procedures and the Regulations;
- Updated Standards, Technical Leaflets and pro forma Record Keeping Sheets;
- A bimonthly newsletter, which keeps members informed on changing certification issues within OF&G and the organic sector as a whole;
- Access to the Directors of OF&G at the Annual General Meeting;
- The use of the OF&G logo to identify the products as organic.
Procedures for Registration with OF&G
The following steps must be completed, in order to become certified to produce, process or import organic products:
- Obtain the appropriate information pack from the OF&G office;
- Obtain the OF&G Application Pack which contains the OF&G Control Manual, which includes the production and processing standards, and the OF&G application forms;
- Study the relevant standards to ensure that you can comply with them;
- Complete the relevant application form and return it to the Certification Office, in Shrewsbury, with the required information;
- Undergo an inspection of the farm, processing unit or importing office/warehouse;
- Correct any deficiencies in the labelling or system to bring these into compliance with the Standards and agree to a further inspection where this is considered to be necessary;
- On the satisfactory conclusion of the above, be issued with the Certificate of Compliance, for public display and for distributing copies to customers on demand and the Schedule to the Certificate which specifies the additional details about the operation, the land in the case of farms, the products in the case of processors and the overseas suppliers and Defra approvals in the case of importers;
- Agree to undergo an annual inspection and spot or unannounced inspections;
- Agree to comply with the penalties imposed following the discovery of any infringements to the Standards in the OF&G Control Manual;
- Permit the taking of samples for analysis on a routine basis or where there is a suspicion of contamination or substitution.
Further Information
For advice about certification and information packs for farmers and growers click here to contact OF&G's certification office in Shrewsbury, Shropshire.