Official regulation

Here is the official text of the appendices of the schedule of conditions of production of the plants in organic agriculture published by the European Community. It applies to the production of grapes . The schedule of conditions specifies the modes of production (this page) and authorised products and intrants (appendices). It should be noted that each Member State can have a different and more restrictive legislation.
These technical texts seem to be technical and refer to texts and laws (French and European laws) that you can consult in appendices. You can also consult theses texts directly on the sites of the organisations (see the page "Links").

Plants and crop products:

1.The principles in this appendix must normally be implemented on the pieces for one period of conversion of at least two years before sowing or, in the case of perennial cultures other that the meadows, of at least three years before the first harvest of the concerned products. The organisation of control, with the approval of the proper authority, can decide that this period is, in certain cases, prolonged or reduced, taking into account the former use of the pieces.

"In particular, the period of conversion can be reduced by a Member State to the minimum bare if the pieces were treated with a product not appearing in the appendix II part B within the framework of an action of fight against a disease or a parasite, made compulsory by the proper authority of the Member State in its territory or certain parts of this one with respect to a given culture.

The reduction of the conversion period is conditioned by the respect of all the following elements :

  • the pieces were already converted or were in the course of conversion towards organic agriculture.
  • the degradation of the concerned phytopharmacological product must guarantee at the end of the period of reduced conversion, an unimportant level of residues in the ground and, if it is about a perennial culture, in the plant.
  • the concerned Member State must inform the other Member States of its decision concerning the obligation to treat as well as well as the importance of the reduction under consideration for the conversion period.
  • the harvest which follows the processing cannot be sold under the denomination organic"

2.The fertility and the biological activity of the ground must be maintained or increased, in the suitable cases :

  1. by the leguminous plant culture, green manure or plants with major rooting, within the framework of a suitable program of multiannual rotation;
  2. by incorporation in the ground of perforated or non perforated organic matter whose production is ensured in organic farms. While waiting for the adoption of common technical rules relating to the organic animal productions, the by-products of the breeding, like the manure of farm, can be uses if they come from livestock farms respecting the national regulation into force or, failing this, respecting the international recognised practices as regards organic animal production.

Other supplementary reports of organic or mineral manure mentioned to appendix II can interfere only if an adequate nutrition of the plants in rotation or the conditioning of the ground are not possible by the only means indicated to the first paragraph items a) and b).

"Suitable preparations containing micro-organisms or plants can be used for the activation of the compost."

"Some preparations known as "biodynamic preparations" of powder of rock, of manure of farm or plants can be also used for the purposes envisaged by this point."

3.The fight against the parasites, the diseases and the bad grasses are centred on the whole of following measurements :

  • choice of species and adapted varieties,
  • adapted rotation program,
  • mechanical processes of culture,
  • protection of the natural enemies of the parasites by adequate means (for example, hedges, nests, dissemination of predators),
  • weeding by fire.

The use of the registered products in appendix II can intervene only in the event of immediate danger threatening the culture.

4.The harvest of the edible plants and parts of them, growing spontaneously in the natural zones, in the forests and in the agricultural zones, is regarded as an organic mode of production, in condition :

  • that these zones were not the subject of processing using other products than those which are aimed to appendix II during a three years period before harvest0.
  • that the mode of harvest does not affect the stability of the nature and the survival of the species in their zone of harvest."

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