NASAA - Steps to Certification - Export Requirements

Requirements for the export of organic product vary dependent on the level of recognition between trading countries of certification and product origin.

There are differing requirements for those based Within Australia, which fall within the provisions of the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS), as to those based Outside Australia. In addition, there are specific requirements for the export of product to Japan, Canada and the US, where stand-alone national organic programs are administered.

NASAA is your point of contact to advise on specific certification requirements for the export of organic product.

Within Australia

Under the Export Control Act 1982 and the Export Control Orders 1997, the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS) delegates the issuance of export certificates for organic product to certification bodies such as NASAA.

Exporters of organic product, whether bulk or processed, must be certified with an AQIS accredited certification organisation such as NASAA, unless operators are exporting goods already packed for the end consumer by a certified processor or packer.

An original AQIS certificate is required for all organic exports out of Australia, irrespective of whether the importing country requires an 'organic export certificate' or not. There are several types of certificates, which can be obtained from NASAA or its subsidiary company NASAA Certified Organic (NCO) - entry to EU countries, entry to Switzerland, and entry to other non-EU countries.

Certificates must be filled out by the exporter and returned to NASAA for authorisation prior to the shipment date of the produce.

Further Information

Download the following Rules & Guidelines for Exporters. For information in relation to certification through NASAA follow the Steps to Certification - Within Australia.


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Outside Australia

International operations (based outside of Australia) fall outside of the governance of the Australian Quarantine & Inspection Services (AQIS).

The export of product, therefore, will depend on the individual requirements of the destination country, and the level of authorisation of importing agents within those countries. For example, within the EU there are two recognised types of organic imports from third countries. One involves the acceptance of the organic standard applied in an equivalent country; the other requires importers to be individually authorised for import.

The EU recognises Australia and five other countries (Argentina, Costa Rica, Israel, New Zealand and Switzerland) as equivalent, ensuring direct market access for all organic product exported from these countries. Outside of these countries, however, exporters would need to ensure the individual authorisation of importers of product.

NASAA is your point of contact to advise on requirements for export for operators based outside of Australia.

Further Information

Download the following Rules & Guidelines for Exporters. For information in relation to certification through NASAA follow the Steps to Certification - Outside Australia.

The US

There are additional organic product requirements for export entry into US markets. Exporters must meet additional accreditation requirements under the US National Organic Program (USNOP).

NASAA is your first point of contact to advise on the requirements for, and latest updates on, the USNOP Standards and Guidelines. Accreditation through these programs can be undertaken as a separate exercise, or in addition to existing NASAA licenses.

Japan

NASAA Certified Organic is accredited by Japan MAFF for JAS certification. For export to Japan using the JAS Organic label, you must be certified under JAS.

Application information is available from our office or download the forms here:

Information Pack

Application Form

Canada

NASAA Certified Organic is accredited under the IOAS Voluntary Canada Accreditation Program to offer certification for organic exports of crop, livestock, bee products, wild harvested products, livestock feed and processed foods to Canada.

For exports specifically into Quebec, NCO has Conformity Recognition for the NASAA IFOAM Program thus enabling exports under the NASAA label direct to Quebec.

Operators wanting to be certified for export to Canada must be compliant with the Canada Organic Production Systems General Principles & Management Standards and the Organic Production Systems Permitted Substances List.

Application Form

NCO Fee Schedule

Application information

Principles & Standards

Permitted Substances