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►B REGULATION (EU) 2018/848 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL  
of 30 May 2018  
on organic production and labelling of organic products and repealing Council Regulation (EC) 
No 834/2007  
(OJ L 150, 14.6.2018, p. 1)  
Corrected by:  
►C1 Corrigendum, OJ L 270, 29.10.2018, p. 37 (2018/848)  02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 102018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 2  
REGULATION (EU) 2018/848 OF THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL  
of 30 May 2018  
on organic production and labelling of organic products and 
repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007  
CHAPTER I  
SUBJECT MATTER, SCOPE AND DEFINITIONS  
Article 1  
Subject matter  
This Regulation establishes the principles of organic production and 
lays down the rules concerning organic production, related certification 
and the use of indications referring to organic production in labelling 
and advertising, as well as rules on controls additional to those laid 
down in Regulation (EU) 2017/625.  
Article 2  
Scope  
1. This Regulation applies to the following products originating from 
agriculture, including aquaculture and beekeeping, as listed in Annex I 
to the TFEU and to products originating from those products, where 
such products are, or are intended to be, produced, prepared, labelled, 
distributed, placed on the market, imported into or exported from the 
Union:  
(a) live or unprocessed agricultural products, including seeds and other 
plant reproductive material;  
(b) processed agricultural products for use as food;  
(c) feed.  
This Regulation also applies to certain other products closely linked to 
agriculture listed in Annex I to this Regulation, where they are, or are 
intended to be, produced, prepared, labelled, distributed, placed on the 
market, imported into or exported from the Union.  
2. This Regulation applies to any operator involved, at any stage of 
production, preparation and distribution, in activities relating to the 
products referred to in paragraph 1.  
3. Mass catering operations carried out by a mass caterer as defined 
in point (d) of Article 2(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 are not 
subject to this Regulation except as set out in this paragraph.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 3  
Member States may apply national rules or, in the absence thereof, 
private standards, on the production, labelling and control of products 
originating from mass catering operations. The organic production logo 
of the European Union shall not be used in the labelling, the presen ­
tation or the advertising of such products, and shall not be used to 
advertise the mass caterer.  
4. Except where otherwise provided, this Regulation applies without 
prejudice to related Union legislation, in particular, legislation in the 
fields of safety of the food chain, animal health and welfare, plant 
health and plant reproductive material.  
5. This Regulation applies without prejudice to other specific Union 
law relating to the placing of products on the market and, in particular, 
to Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of 
the Council (  1 ) and to Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011.  
6. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 54 amending the list of products set out in 
Annex I by adding further products to the list, or by amending those 
added entries. Only products which are closely linked to agricultural 
products shall be eligible for inclusion in that list.  
Article 3  
Definitions  
For the purposes of this Regulation, the following definitions apply:  
(1) ‘organic production’ means the use, including during the 
conversion period referred to in Article 10, of production 
methods that comply with this Regulation at all stages of 
production, preparation and distribution;  
(2) ‘organic product’ means a product resulting from organic 
production, other than a product produced during the conversion 
period referred to in Article 10. The products of hunting or fishing 
of wild animals are not considered as organic products;  
(3) ‘agricultural raw material’ means an agricultural product that has 
not been subjected to any operation of preservation or processing;  
(4) ‘preventive measures’ means measures that are to be taken by 
operators at every stage of production, preparation and distribution 
in order to ensure the preservation of biodiversity and soil quality, 
measures for the prevention and control of pests and diseases and 
measures that are to be taken to avoid negative effects on the 
environment, animal health and plant health;  ▼B 
( 1 ) Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council of 17 December 2013 establishing a common organisation of the 
markets in agricultural products and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) 
No 922/72, (EEC) No 234/79, (EC) No 1037/2001 and (EC) 
No 1234/2007 (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 671). 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 4  
(5) ‘precautionary measures’ means measures that are to be taken by 
operators at every stage of production, preparation, and distribution 
to avoid contamination with products or substances that are not 
authorised for use in organic production in accordance with this 
Regulation, and to avoid the commingling of organic products 
with non-organic products;  
(6) ‘conversion’ means the transition from non-organic to organic 
production within a given period, during which the provisions of 
this Regulation concerning organic production apply;  
(7) ‘in-conversion product’ means a product that is produced during 
the conversion period referred to in Article 10;  
(8) ‘holding’ means all the production units operated under single 
management for the purpose of producing live or unprocessed 
agricultural products, including products originating from aqua ­
culture and beekeeping, referred to in point (a) of Article 2(1) or 
products listed in Annex I other than essential oils and yeast;  
(9) ‘production unit’ means all assets of a holding, such as primary 
production premises, land parcels, pasturages, open air areas, 
livestock buildings or parts thereof, hives, fish ponds, containment 
systems and sites for algae or aquaculture animals, rearing units, 
shore or seabed concessions, and premises for the storage of crops, 
of crop products, of algae products, of animal products, of raw 
materials and of any other relevant inputs managed as described in 
point (10), point (11) or point (12);  
(10) ‘organic production unit’ means a production unit, excluding 
during the conversion period referred to in Article 10, which is 
managed in compliance with the requirements applicable to 
organic production;  
(11) ‘in-conversion production unit’ means a production unit, during 
the conversion period referred to in Article 10, which is 
managed in compliance with the requirements applicable to 
organic production; it may be constituted of land parcels or 
other assets for which the conversion period referred to in 
Article 10 starts at different moments in time;  
(12) ‘non-organic production unit’ means a production unit which is not 
managed in compliance with the requirements applicable to 
organic production;  
(13) ‘operator’ means the natural or legal person responsible for 
ensuring that this Regulation is complied with at every stage of 
production, preparation and distribution that are under that 
person’s control;  
(14) ‘farmer’ means a natural or legal person, or a group of natural or 
legal persons, regardless of the legal status of that group and its 
members under national law, who exercises an agricultural 
activity;  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 5  
(15) ‘agricultural area’ means agricultural area as defined in point (e) of 
Article 4(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013;  
(16) ‘plants’ means plants as defined in point (5) of Article 3 of Regu ­
lation (EC) No 1107/2009;  
(17) ‘plant reproductive material’ means plants and all parts of plants, 
including seeds, at any stage of growth that are capable of, and 
intended for, producing entire plants;  
(18) ‘organic heterogeneous material’ means a plant grouping within a 
single botanical taxon of the lowest known rank which:  
(a) presents common phenotypic characteristics;  
(b) is characterised by a high level of genetic and phenotypic 
diversity between individual reproductive units, so that that 
plant grouping is represented by the material as a whole, 
and not by a small number of units;  
(c) is not a variety within the meaning of Article 5(2) of Council 
Regulation (EC) No 2100/94 (  1 ); 
(d) is not a mixture of varieties; and  
(e) has been produced in accordance with this Regulation;  
(19) ‘organic variety suitable for organic production’ means a variety as 
defined in Article 5(2) of Regulation (EC) No 2100/94 which:  
(a) is characterised by a high level of genetic and phenotypical 
diversity between individual reproductive units; and  
(b) results from organic breeding activities referred to in 
point 1.8.4 of Part I of Annex II to this Regulation;  
(20) ‘mother plant’ means an identified plant from which plant repro ­
ductive material is taken for the reproduction of new plants;  
(21) ‘generation’ means a group of plants constituting a single step in 
the line of descent of plants;  
(22) ‘plant production’ means production of agricultural crop products 
including harvesting of wild plant products for commercial 
purposes;  ▼B 
( 1 ) Council Regulation (EC) No 2100/94 of 27 July 1994 on Community plant 
variety rights (OJ L 227, 1.9.1994, p. 1). 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 6  
(23) ‘plant products’ means plant products as defined in point (6) of 
Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009;  
(24) ‘pest’ means a pest as defined in Article 1(1) of Regulation (EU) 
2016/2031 of the European Parliament and of the Council (  1 ); 
(25) ‘biodynamic preparations’ means mixtures traditionally used in 
biodynamic farming;  
(26) ‘plant protection products’ means the products referred to in 
Article 2 of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009;  
(27) ‘livestock production’ means the production of domestic or domes ­
ticated terrestrial animals, including insects;  
(28) ‘veranda’ means an additional, roofed, uninsulated, outdoor part of 
a building intended for poultry, the longest side usually being 
equipped with wire fencing or netting, with an outdoor climate, 
natural and, where necessary, artificial illumination, and a littered 
floor;  
(29) ‘pullets’ means young animals of the  Gallus gallus  species that are 
of an age of less than 18 weeks;  
(30) ‘laying hens’ means animals of the  Gallus gallus  species that are 
intended for the production of eggs for consumption and that are 
of an age of at least 18 weeks;  
(31) ‘usable area’ means usable area as defined in point (d) of 
Article 2(2) of Council Directive 1999/74/EC (  2 ); 
(32) ‘aquaculture’ means aquaculture as defined in point (25) of 
Article 4(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European 
Parliament and of the Council (  3 ); 
(33) ‘aquaculture products’ means aquaculture products as defined in 
point (34) of Article 4(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013;  ▼B 
( 1 ) Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 of the European Parliament of the Council of 
26 October 2016 on protective measures against pests of plants, amending 
Regulations (EU) No 228/2013, (EU) No 652/2014 and (EU) No 1143/2014 
of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Council 
Directives 69/464/EEC, 74/647/EEC, 93/85/EEC, 98/57/EC, 2000/29/EC, 
2006/91/EC and 2007/33/EC (OJ L 317, 23.11.2016, p. 4). 
( 2 ) Council Directive 1999/74/EC of 19 July 1999 laying down minimum 
standards for the protection of laying hens (OJ L 203, 3.8.1999, p. 53). 
( 3 ) Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council of 11 December 2013 on the Common Fisheries Policy, amending 
Council Regulations (EC) No 1954/2003 and (EC) No 1224/2009 and 
repealing Council Regulations (EC) No 2371/2002 and (EC) No 639/2004 
and Council Decision 2004/585/EC (OJ L 354, 28.12.2013, p. 22). 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 7  
(34) ‘closed recirculation aquaculture facility’ means a facility on land 
or in a vessel where aquaculture takes place within an enclosed 
environment involving the recirculation of water and which 
depends on permanent external energy input to stabilise the envi ­
ronment for the aquaculture animals;  
(35) ‘energy from renewable sources’ means energy from renewable 
non-fossil sources such as wind, solar, geothermal, wave, tidal, 
hydropower, landfill gas, sewage treatment plant gas and biogases;  
(36) ‘hatchery’ means a place for the breeding, hatching and rearing 
through the early life stages of aquaculture animals, in particular 
finfish and shellfish;  
(37) ‘nursery’ means a place where an intermediate aquaculture 
production system is applied between the hatchery and grow-out 
stages. The nursery stage is completed within the first third of the 
production cycle, with the exception of species undergoing a smol ­
tification process;  
(38) ‘water pollution’ means pollution as defined in point (33) of 
Article 2 of Directive 2000/60/EC and in point (8) of Article 3 
of Directive 2008/56/EC of the European Parliament and of the 
Council (  1 ), in the waters to which each of those Directives 
applies;  
(39) ‘polyculture’ means the rearing in aquaculture of two or more 
species, usually from different trophic levels, in the same culture 
unit; 
(40) ‘production cycle’ means the lifespan of an aquaculture animal or 
alga, from the earliest life stage (fertilised eggs, in the case of 
aquaculture animals) to harvesting;  
(41) ‘locally grown species’ means aquaculture species which are 
neither alien nor locally absent species within the meaning of 
points (6) and (7), respectively, of Article 3 of Council Regu ­
lation (EC) No 708/2007 (  2 ), as well as the species listed in 
Annex IV to that Regulation;  
(42) ‘veterinary treatment’ means all courses of a curative or preventive 
treatment against an occurrence of a specific disease;  
(43) ‘veterinary medicinal product’ means a veterinary medicinal 
product as defined in point (2) of Article 1 of Directive 
2001/82/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (  3 ); ▼B 
( 1 ) Directive 2008/56/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 
17 June 2008 establishing a framework for community action in the field 
of marine environmental policy (Marine Strategy Framework Directive) 
(OJ L 164, 25.6.2008, p. 19). 
( 2 ) Council Regulation (EC) No 708/2007 of 11 June 2007 concerning use of 
alien and locally absent species in aquaculture (OJ L 168, 28.6.2007, p. 1). 
( 3 ) Directive 2001/82/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 
6 November 2001 on the Community code relating to veterinary medicinal 
products (OJ L 311, 28.11.2001, p. 1). 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 8  
(44) ‘preparation’ means the operations of preserving or processing of 
organic or in-conversion products, or any other operation that is 
carried out on an unprocessed product without altering the initial 
product, such as slaughtering, cutting, cleaning or milling, as well 
as packaging, labelling or alterations made to the labelling relating 
to organic production;  
(45) ‘food’ means food as defined in Article 2 of Regulation (EC) 
No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council (  1 ); 
(46) ‘feed’ means feed as defined in point (4) of Article 3 of Regu ­
lation (EC) No 178/2002;  
(47) ‘feed materials’ mean feed materials as defined in point (g) of 
Article 3(2) of Regulation (EC) No 767/2009 of the European 
Parliament and of the Council (  2 ); 
(48) ‘placing on the market’ means placing on the market as defined in 
point (8) of Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002;  
(49) ‘traceability’ means the ability to trace and follow food, feed or 
any product referred to in Article 2(1), and any substance intended 
or expected to be incorporated into food, feed or any product 
referred to in Article 2(1), through all stages of production, prep ­
aration and distribution;  
(50) ‘stage of production, preparation and distribution’ means any stage 
from the primary production of an organic product through its 
storage, processing, transport, and sale or supply to the final 
consumer, including, where relevant, labelling, advertising, 
import, export and subcontracting activities;  
(51) ‘ingredient’ means an ingredient as defined in point (f) of 
Article 2(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 or, for products 
other than food, any substance or product used in the manufacture 
or preparation of products that is still present in the finished 
product, even in altered form;  ▼B 
( 1 ) Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council 
of 28 January 2002 laying down the general principles and requirements of 
food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and laying down 
procedures in matters of food safety (OJ L 31, 1.2.2002, p. 1). 
( 2 ) Regulation (EC) No 767/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council 
of 13 July 2009 on the placing on the market and use of feed, amending 
European Parliament and Council Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 and 
repealing Council Directive 79/373/EEC, Commission Directive 80/511/EEC, 
Council Directives 82/471/EEC, 83/228/EEC, 93/74/EEC, 93/113/EC and 
96/25/EC and Commission Decision 2004/217/EC (OJ L 229, 1.9.2009, p. 1). 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 9  
(52) ‘labelling’ means any words, particulars, trade marks, brand name, 
pictorial matter or symbol relating to a product that are placed on 
any packaging, document, notice, label, ring or collar that accom ­
panies or refers to that product;  
(53) ‘advertising’ means any presentation of products to the public, by 
any means other than a label, that is intended or is likely to 
influence and shape attitudes, beliefs and behaviours in order to 
directly or indirectly promote the sale of products;  
(54) ‘competent authorities’ means competent authorities as defined in 
point (3) of Article 3 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625;  
(55) ‘control authority’ means an organic control authority as defined in 
point (4) of Article 3 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, or an authority 
recognised by the Commission or by a third country recognised by 
the Commission for the purposes of carrying out controls in third 
countries for the import of organic and in-conversion products into 
the Union;  
(56) ‘control body’ means a delegated body as defined in point (5) of 
Article 3 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, or a body recognised by 
the Commission or by a third country recognised by the 
Commission for the purposes of carrying out controls in third 
countries for the import of organic and in-conversion products 
into the Union;  
(57) ‘non-compliance’ means non-compliance with this Regulation or 
non-compliance with the delegated or implementing acts adopted 
in accordance with this Regulation;  
(58) ‘genetically modified organism’ or ‘GMO’ means a genetically 
modified organism as defined in point (2) of Article 2 of 
Directive 2001/18/EC of the European Parliament and of the 
Council (  1 ) which is not obtained through the techniques of 
genetic modification listed in Annex I.B to that Directive;  
(59) ‘produced from GMOs’ means derived in whole or in part from 
GMOs but not containing or consisting of GMOs;  
(60) ‘produced by GMOs’ means derived by using a GMO as the last 
living organism in the production process, but not containing or 
consisting of GMOs nor produced from GMOs;  
(61) ‘food additive’ means a food additive as defined in point (a) of 
Article 3(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European 
Parliament and of the Council (  2 ); ▼B 
( 1 ) Directive 2001/18/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 
12 March 2001 on the deliberate release into the environment of genetically 
modified organisms and repealing Council Directive 90/220/EEC (OJ L 106, 
17.4.2001, p. 1). 
( 2 ) Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council of 16 December 2008 on food additives (OJ L 354, 31.12.2008, 
p. 16). 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 10  
(62) ‘feed additives’ mean feed additives as defined in point (a) of 
Article 2(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 of the European 
Parliament and of the Council (  1 ); 
(63) ‘engineered nanomaterial’ means an engineered nanomaterial as 
defined in point (f) of Article 3(2) of Regulation (EU) 
2015/2283 of the European Parliament and of the Council (  2 ); 
(64) ‘equivalence’ means meeting the same objectives and principles by 
applying rules which ensure the same level of assurance of 
conformity;  
(65) ‘processing aid’ means a processing aid as defined in point (b) of 
Article 3(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 for food and in 
point (h) of Article 2(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 for 
feed;  
(66) ‘food enzyme’ means a food enzyme as defined in point (a) of 
Article 3(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1332/2008 of the European 
Parliament and of the Council (  3 ); 
(67) ‘ionising radiation’ means ionising radiation as defined in 
point (46) of Article 4 of Council Directive 2013/59/Euratom (  4 ); 
(68) ‘prepacked food’ means prepacked food as defined in point (e) of 
Article 2(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011;  
(69) ‘poultry house’ means a fixed or mobile building for accom ­
modating flocks of poultry, which includes all surfaces covered 
by roofs, including a veranda; the house may be subdivided into 
separate compartments, each accommodating a single flock;  
(70) ‘soil-related crop cultivation’ means production in living soil or in 
soil that is mixed or fertilised with materials and products that are 
allowed in organic production in connection with the subsoil and 
bedrock;  ▼B 
( 1 ) Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council of 22 September 2003 on additives for use in animal nutrition 
(OJ L 268, 18.10.2003, p. 29). 
( 2 ) Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 
25 November 2015 on novel foods, amending Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 
of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Regulation (EC) 
No 258/97 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Commission 
Regulation (EC) No 1852/2001 (OJ L 327, 11.12.2015, p. 1). 
( 3 ) Regulation (EC) No 1332/2008 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council of 16 December 2008 on food enzymes and amending Council 
Directive 83/417/EEC, Council Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999, Directive 
2000/13/EC, Council Directive 2001/112/EC and Regulation (EC) 
No 258/97 (OJ L 354, 31.12.2008, p. 7). 
( 4 ) Council Directive 2013/59/Euratom of 5 December 2013 laying down basic 
safety standards for protection against the dangers arising from exposure to 
ionising radiation, and repealing Directives 89/618/Euratom, 90/641/Euratom, 
96/29/Euratom, 97/43/Euratom and 2003/122/Euratom (OJ L 13, 17.1.2014, 
p. 1). 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 11  
(71) ‘unprocessed products’ means unprocessed products as defined in 
point (n) of Article 2(1) of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 of the 
European Parliament and of the Council (  1 ), irrespective of 
packaging or labelling operations;  
(72) ‘processed products’ means processed products as defined in 
point (o) of Article 2(1) of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004, irre ­
spective of packaging or labelling operations;  
(73) ‘processing’ means processing as defined in point (m) of 
Article 2(1) of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004; this includes the 
use of substances referred to in Articles 24 and 25 of this Regu ­
lation but does not include packaging or labelling operations;  
(74) ‘integrity of organic or in-conversion products’ means the fact that 
the product does not exhibit non-compliance which:  
(a) in any stage of production, preparation and distribution affects 
the organic or in-conversion characteristics of the product; or  
(b) is repetitive or intentional;  
(75) ‘pen’ means an enclosure that includes a part in which animals are 
provided with protection from adverse weather conditions.  
CHAPTER II  
OBJECTIVES AND PRINCIPLES OF ORGANIC PRODUCTION  
Article 4  
Objectives  
Organic production shall pursue the following general objectives:  
(a) contributing to protection of the environment and the climate;  
(b) maintaining the long-term fertility of soils;  
(c) contributing to a high level of biodiversity;  
(d) substantially contributing to a non-toxic environment;  
(e) contributing to high animal welfare standards and, in particular, to 
meeting the species-specific behavioural needs of animals;  
(f) encouraging short distribution channels and local production in the 
various areas of the Union;  ▼B 
( 1 ) Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council 
of 29 April 2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs (OJ L 139, 30.4.2004, p. 1). 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 12  
(g) encouraging the preservation of rare and native breeds in danger of 
extinction;  
(h) contributing to the development of the supply of plant genetic 
material adapted to the specific needs and objectives of organic 
agriculture;  
(i) contributing to a high level of biodiversity, in particular by using 
diverse plant genetic material, such as organic heterogeneous 
material and organic varieties suitable for organic production;  
(j) fostering the development of organic plant breeding activities in 
order to contribute to favourable economic perspectives of the 
organic sector.  
Article 5  
General principles  
Organic production is a sustainable management system that is based on 
the following general principles:  
(a) respect for nature’s systems and cycles and the sustainment and 
enhancement of the state of the soil, the water and the air, of the 
health of plants and animals, and of the balance between them;  
(b) the preservation of natural landscape elements, such as natural 
heritage sites;  
(c) the responsible use of energy and natural resources, such as water, 
soil, organic matter and air;  
(d) the production of a wide variety of high-quality food and other 
agricultural and aquaculture products that respond to consumers’ 
demand for goods that are produced by the use of processes that 
do not harm the environment, human health, plant health or animal 
health and welfare;  
(e) ensuring the integrity of organic production at all stages of the 
production, processing and distribution of food and feed;  
(f) the appropriate design and management of biological processes, 
based on ecological systems and using natural resources which 
are internal to the management system, using methods that:  
(i) use living organisms and mechanical production methods;  
(ii) practice soil-related crop cultivation and land-related livestock 
production, or practice aquaculture which complies with the 
principle of the sustainable exploitation of aquatic resources;  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 13  
(iii) exclude the use of GMOs, products produced from GMOs, and 
products produced by GMOs, other than veterinary medicinal 
products;  
(iv) are based on risk assessment and the use of precautionary 
measures and preventive measures, where appropriate;  
(g) the restriction of the use of external inputs; where external inputs 
are required or the appropriate management practices and methods 
referred to in point (f) do not exist, the external inputs shall be 
limited to:  
(i) inputs from organic production; in the case of plant repro ­
ductive material, priority shall be given to varieties selected 
for their ability to meet the specific needs and objectives of 
organic agriculture;  
(ii) natural or naturally-derived substances;  
(iii) low solubility mineral fertilisers;  
(h) the adaptation of the production process, where necessary and 
within the framework of this Regulation, to take account of the 
sanitary status, regional differences in the ecological balance, 
climatic and local conditions, stages of development and specific 
husbandry practices;  
(i) the exclusion from the whole organic food chain of animal cloning, 
of rearing artificially induced polyploid animals and of ionising 
radiation;  
(j) the observance of a high level of animal welfare respecting 
species-specific needs.  
Article 6  
Specific principles applicable to agricultural activities and 
aquaculture  
As regards agricultural activities and aquaculture, organic production 
shall, in particular, be based on the following specific principles:  
(a) the maintenance and enhancement of soil life and natural soil 
fertility, soil stability, soil water retention and soil biodiversity, 
preventing and combating loss of soil organic matter, soil 
compaction and soil erosion, and the nourishing of plants 
primarily through the soil ecosystem;  
(b) the limitation of the use of non-renewable resources and external 
inputs to a minimum;  
(c) the recycling of waste and by-products of plant and animal origin 
as input in plant and livestock production;  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 14  
(d) the maintenance of plant health by preventive measures, in 
particular the choice of appropriate species, varieties or hetero ­
geneous material resistant to pests and diseases, appropriate crop 
rotations, mechanical and physical methods and protection of the 
natural enemies of pests;  
(e) the use of seeds and animals with a high degree of genetic 
diversity, disease resistance and longevity;  
(f) in the choosing of plant varieties, having regard to the particu ­
larities of the specific organic production systems, focussing on 
agronomic performance, disease resistance, adaptation to diverse 
local soil and climate conditions and respect for the natural 
crossing barriers;  
(g) the use of organic plant reproductive material, such as plant repro ­
ductive material of organic heterogeneous material and of organic 
varieties suitable for organic production;  
(h) the production of organic varieties through natural reproductive 
ability and focussing on containment within natural crossing 
barriers;  
(i) without prejudice to Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 2100/94 and 
to the national plant variety rights granted under Member States’ 
national law, the possibility for farmers to use plant reproductive 
material obtained from their own farms in order to foster genetic 
resources adapted to the special conditions of organic production;  
(j) in the choosing of animal breeds, having regard to a high degree of 
genetic diversity, the capacity of animals to adapt to local 
conditions, their breeding value, their longevity, their vitality and 
their resistance to disease or health problems;  
(k) the practice of site-adapted and land-related livestock production;  
(l) the application of animal husbandry practices which enhance the 
immune system and strengthen the natural defence against diseases, 
including regular exercise and access to open air areas and 
pastures;  
(m) the feeding of livestock with organic feed composed of agricultural 
ingredients resulting from organic production and of natural 
non-agricultural substances;  
(n) the production of organic livestock products derived from animals 
that have been raised on organic holdings throughout their lives 
since birth or hatching;  
(o) the continuing health of the aquatic environment and the quality of 
surrounding aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems;  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 15  
(p) the feeding of aquatic organisms with feed from sustainably 
exploited fisheries in accordance with Regulation (EU) 
No 1380/2013 or with organic feed composed of agricultural 
ingredients resulting from organic production, including organic 
aquaculture, and of natural non-agricultural substances;  
(q) avoiding any endangerment of species of conservation interest that 
might arise from organic production.  
Article 7  
Specific principles applicable to the processing of organic food  
The production of processed organic food shall be based, in particular, 
on the following specific principles:  
(a) the production of organic food from organic agricultural ingredients;  
(b) the restriction of the use of food additives, of non-organic 
ingredients with mainly technological and sensory functions, and 
of micronutrients and processing aids, so that they are used to a 
minimum extent and only in cases of essential technological need or 
for particular nutritional purposes;  
(c) the exclusion of substances and processing methods that might be 
misleading as regards the true nature of the product;  
(d) the processing of organic food with care, preferably through the use 
of biological, mechanical and physical methods;  
(e) the exclusion of food containing, or consisting of, engineered 
nanomaterials.  
Article 8  
Specific principles applicable to the processing of organic feed  
The production of processed organic feed shall be based, in particular, 
on the following specific principles:  
(a) the production of organic feed from organic feed materials;  
(b) the restriction of the use of feed additives and processing aids, so 
that they are used to a minimum extent and only in cases of 
essential technological or zootechnical needs or for particular nutri ­
tional purposes;  
(c) the exclusion of substances and processing methods that might be 
misleading as regards the true nature of the product;  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 16  
(d) the processing of organic feed with care, preferably through the use 
of biological, mechanical and physical methods.  
CHAPTER III  
PRODUCTION RULES  
Article 9  
General production rules  
1. Operators shall comply with the general production rules laid 
down in this Article.  
2. The entire holding shall be managed in compliance with the 
requirements of this Regulation that apply to organic production.  
3. For the purposes and uses referred to in Articles 24 and 25 and in 
Annex II, only products and substances that have been authorised 
pursuant to those provisions may be used in organic production, 
provided that their use in non-organic production has also been auth ­
orised in accordance with the relevant provisions of Union law and, 
where applicable, in accordance with national provisions based on 
Union law.  
The following products and substances referred to in Article 2(3) of 
Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 shall be allowed for use in organic 
production, provided that they are authorised pursuant to that Regu ­
lation:  
(a) safeners, synergists and co-formulants as components of plant 
protection products;  
(b) adjuvants that are to be mixed with plant protection products.  
The use in organic production of products and substances for purposes 
other than those covered by this Regulation shall be allowed, provided 
that their use complies with the principles laid down in Chapter II.  
4. Ionising radiation shall not be used in the treatment of organic 
food or feed, and in the treatment of raw materials used in organic food 
or feed.  
5. The use of animal cloning, and the rearing of artificially induced 
polyploid animals, shall be prohibited.  
6. Preventive and precautionary measures shall be taken, where 
appropriate, at every stage of production, preparation and distribution.  
7. Notwithstanding paragraph 2, a holding may be split into clearly 
and effectively separated production units for organic, in-conversion and 
non-organic production, provided that for the non-organic production 
units:  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 17  
(a) as regards livestock, different species are involved;  
(b) as regards plants, different varieties that can be easily differentiated 
are involved.  
As regards algae and aquaculture animals, the same species may be 
involved, provided that there is a clear and effective separation 
between the production sites or units.  
8. By way of derogation from point (b) of paragraph 7, in the case of 
perennial crops which require a cultivation period of at least three years, 
different varieties that cannot be easily differentiated, or the same 
varieties, may be involved, provided that the production in question is 
within the context of a conversion plan, and provided that the 
conversion of the last part of the area related to the production in 
question to organic production begins as soon as possible and is 
completed within a maximum of five years.  
In such cases:  
(a) the farmer shall notify the competent authority, or, where appro ­
priate, the control authority or the control body, of the start of 
harvest of each of the products concerned at least 48 hours in 
advance;  
(b) upon completion of the harvest, the farmer shall inform the 
competent authority, or, where appropriate, the control authority 
or the control body, of the exact quantities harvested from the 
units concerned and of the measures taken to separate the products;  
(c) the conversion plan and the measures to be taken to ensure the 
effective and clear separation shall be confirmed each year by the 
competent authority, or, where appropriate, by the control authority 
or the control body, after the start of the conversion plan.  
9. The requirements concerning different species and varieties, laid 
down in points (a) and (b) of paragraph 7, shall not apply in the case of 
research and educational centres, plant nurseries, seed multipliers and 
breeding operations.  
10. Where, in the cases referred to in paragraphs 7, 8 and 9, not all 
production units of a holding are managed under organic production 
rules, the operators shall:  
(a) keep the products used for the organic and in-conversion production 
units separate from those used for the non-organic production units;  
(b) keep the products produced by the organic, in-conversion and 
non-organic production units separate from each other;  
(c) keep adequate records to show the effective separation of the 
production units and of the products.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 18  
11. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 54 amending paragraph 7 of this Article by 
adding further rules on the splitting of a holding into organic, 
in-conversion and non-organic production units, in particular in 
relation to products listed in Annex I, or by amending those added rules.  
Article 10  
Conversion  
1. Farmers and operators that produce algae or aquaculture animals 
shall comply with a conversion period. During the whole conversion 
period they shall apply all rules on organic production laid down in this 
Regulation, in particular the applicable rules on conversion set out in 
this Article and in Annex II.  
2. The conversion period shall start at the earliest when the farmer or 
the operator that produces algae or aquaculture animals has notified the 
activity to the competent authorities, in accordance with Article 34(1), 
in the Member State in which the activity is carried out and in which 
that farmer or operator’s holding is subject to the control system.  
3. No previous period may be retroactively recognised as being part 
of the conversion period, except where:  
(a) the operator’s land parcels were subject to measures which were 
defined in a programme implemented pursuant to Regulation (EU) 
No 1305/2013 for the purpose of ensuring that no products or 
substances other than those authorised for use in organic production 
have been used on those land parcels; or  
(b) the operator can provide proof that the land parcels were natural or 
agricultural areas that, for a period of at least three years, have not 
been treated with products or substances that are not authorised for 
use in organic production.  
4. Products produced during the conversion period shall not be 
marketed as organic products or as in-conversion products.  
However, the following products produced during the conversion period 
and in compliance with paragraph 1 may be marketed as in-conversion 
products:  
(a) plant reproductive material, provided that a conversion period of at 
least 12 months has been complied with;  
(b) food products of plant origin and feed products of plant origin, 
provided that the product contains only one agricultural crop 
ingredient, and provided that a conversion period of at least 12 
months before the harvest has been complied with.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 19  
5. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 54 amending point 1.2.2 of Part II of 
Annex II by adding conversion rules for species other than those 
regulated in Part II of Annex II on 17 June 2018, or by amending 
those added rules.  
6. The Commission shall, where appropriate, adopt implementing 
acts specifying the documents to be supplied for the purpose of the 
retroactive recognition of a previous period in accordance with 
paragraph 3 of this Article.  
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the exa ­
mination procedure referred to in Article 55(2).  
Article 11  
Prohibition of the use of GMOs  
1. GMOs, products produced from GMOs, and products produced by 
GMOs shall not be used in food or feed, or as food, feed, processing 
aids, plant protection products, fertilisers, soil conditioners, plant repro ­
ductive material, micro-organisms or animals in organic production.  
2. For the purposes of the prohibition laid down in paragraph 1, with 
regard to GMOs and products produced from GMOs for food and feed, 
operators may rely on the labels of a product that have been affixed or 
provided pursuant to Directive 2001/18/EC, Regulation (EC) 
No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council (  1 ) or 
Regulation (EC) No 1830/2003 of the European Parliament and of 
the Council (  2 ) or any accompanying document provided pursuant 
thereto.  
3. Operators may assume that no GMOs and no products produced 
from GMOs have been used in the manufacture of purchased food and 
feed where such products do not have a label affixed or provided, or are 
not accompanied by a document provided, pursuant to the legal acts 
referred to in paragraph 2, unless they have obtained other information 
indicating that the labelling of the products concerned is not in 
conformity with those legal acts.  
4. For the purposes of the prohibition laid down in paragraph 1, with 
regard to products not covered by paragraphs 2 and 3, operators using 
non-organic products purchased from third parties shall require the 
vendor to confirm that those products are not produced from GMOs 
or produced by GMOs.  ▼B 
( 1 ) Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council of 22 September 2003 on genetically modified food and feed 
(OJ L 268, 18.10.2003, p. 1). 
( 2 ) Regulation (EC) No 1830/2003 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council of 22 September 2003 concerning the traceability and labelling of 
genetically modified organisms and the traceability of food and feed products 
produced from genetically modified organisms and amending Directive 
2001/18/EC (OJ L 268, 18.10.2003, p. 24). 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 20  
Article 12  
Plant production rules  
1. Operators that produce plants or plant products shall comply, in 
particular, with the detailed rules set out in Part I of Annex II.  
2. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 54 amending:  
(a) points 1.3 and 1.4 of Part I of Annex II as regards derogations;  
(b) point 1.8.5 of Part I of Annex II as regards the use of in-conversion 
and non-organic plant reproductive material;  
(c) point 1.9.5 of Part I of Annex II by adding further provisions 
concerning agreements between operators of agricultural holdings, 
or by amending those added provisions;  
(d) point 1.10.1 of Part I of Annex II by adding further pest- and 
weed-management measures, or by amending those added measures;  
(e) Part I of Annex II by adding further detailed rules and cultivation 
practices for specific plants and plant products, including rules for 
sprouted seeds, or by amending those added rules.  
Article 13  
Specific provisions for the marketing of plant reproductive material 
of organic heterogeneous material  
1. Plant reproductive material of organic heterogeneous material may 
be marketed without complying with the requirements for registration 
and without complying with the certification categories of pre-basic, 
basic and certified material or with the requirements for other 
categories, which are set out in Directives 66/401/EEC, 66/402/EEC, 
68/193/EEC, 98/56/EC, 2002/53/EC, 2002/54/EC, 2002/55/EC, 
2002/56/EC, 2002/57/EC, 2008/72/EC and 2008/90/EC or acts 
adopted pursuant to those Directives.  
2. Plant reproductive material of organic heterogeneous material as 
referred to in paragraph 1 may be marketed following a notification of 
the organic heterogeneous material by the supplier to the responsible 
official bodies referred to in Directives 66/401/EEC, 66/402/EEC, 
68/193/EEC, 98/56/EC, 2002/53/EC, 2002/54/EC, 2002/55/EC, 
2002/56/EC, 2002/57/EC, 2008/72/EC and 2008/90/EC, made by 
means of a dossier containing:  
(a) the contact details of the applicant;  
(b) the species and denomination of the organic heterogeneous material;  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 21  
(c) the description of the main agronomic and phenotypic characteris ­
tics that are common to that plant grouping, including breeding 
methods, any available results from tests on those characteristics, 
the country of production and the parental material used;  
(d) a declaration by the applicant concerning the truth of the elements 
in points (a), (b) and (c); and  
(e) a representative sample.  
That notification shall be sent by registered letter, or by any other 
means of communication accepted by the official bodies, with confir ­
mation of receipt requested.  
Three months after the date shown on the return receipt, provided that 
no additional information was requested or that no formal refusal for 
reasons of incompleteness of the dossier or non-compliance as defined 
in Article 3(57) was communicated to the supplier, the responsible 
official body shall be deemed to have acknowledged the notification 
and its content.  
After having expressly or implicitly acknowledged the notification, the 
responsible official body may proceed to the listing of the notified 
organic heterogeneous material. That listing shall be free of charge to 
the supplier.  
The listing of any organic heterogeneous material shall be 
communicated to the competent authorities of the other Member 
States and to the Commission.  
Such organic heterogeneous material shall fulfil the requirements laid 
down in the delegated acts adopted in accordance with paragraph 3.  
3. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 54 supplementing this Regulation by setting 
out rules governing the production and marketing of plant reproductive 
material of organic heterogeneous material of particular genera or 
species, as regards:  
(a) the description of the organic heterogeneous material, including the 
relevant breeding and production methods and parental material 
used;  
(b) the minimum quality requirements for seeds lots, including identity, 
specific purity, germination rates and sanitary quality;  
(c) labelling and packaging;  
(d) information and samples of production to be kept by the profes ­
sional operators;  
(e) where applicable, maintenance of the organic heterogeneous 
material.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 22  
Article 14  
Livestock production rules  
1. Livestock operators shall comply, in particular, with the detailed 
production rules set out in Part II of Annex II and in any implementing 
acts referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article.  
2. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 54 amending:  
(a) points 1.3.4.2, 1.3.4.4.2 and 1.3.4.4.3 of Part II of Annex II by 
reducing the percentages as regards the origin of animals, once 
sufficient availability on the Union market of organic animals has 
been established;  
(b) point 1.6.6 of Part II of Annex II as regards the limit on organic 
nitrogen linked to the total stocking density;  
(c) point 1.9.6.2(b) of Part II of Annex II as regards the feeding of bee 
colonies;  
(d) points 1.9.6.3(b) and (e) of Part II of Annex II as regards the 
acceptable treatments for the disinfection of apiaries and the 
methods and treatments to fight against  Varroa destructor ; 
(e) Part II of Annex II by adding detailed rules on livestock production 
for species other than species regulated in that Part on 17 June 
2018, or by amending those added rules, as regards:  
(i) derogations as regards the origin of animals;  
(ii) nutrition;  
(iii) housing and husbandry practices;  
(iv) health care;  
(v) animal welfare.  
3. The Commission shall, where appropriate, adopt implementing 
acts regarding Part II of Annex II providing rules on:  
(a) the minimum period to be complied with for feeding of suckling 
animals with maternal milk, referred to in point 1.4.1(g);  
(b) the stocking density and the minimum surface for indoor and 
outdoor areas that are to be complied with for specific livestock 
species to ensure that the developmental, physiological and etho ­
logical needs of animals are met in accordance with points 1.6.3, 
1.6.4 and 1.7.2,  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 23  
(c) the characteristics of and technical requirements for the minimum 
surface for indoor and outdoor areas;  
(d) the characteristics of and technical requirements for buildings and 
pens for all livestock species other than bees, to ensure that the 
developmental, physiological and ethological needs of animals are 
met in accordance with point 1.7.2;  
(e) requirements for vegetation and the characteristics of protected 
facilities and open air areas.  
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the exa ­
mination procedure referred to in Article 55(2).  
Article 15  
Production rules for algae and aquaculture animals  
1. Operators that produce algae and aquaculture animals shall 
comply, in particular, with the detailed production rules set out in 
Part III of Annex II and in any implementing acts referred to in 
paragraph 3 of this Article.  
2. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 54 amending:  
(a) point 3.1.3.3 of Part III of Annex II as regards feed for carnivorous 
aquaculture animals;  
(b) point 3.1.3.4 of Part III of Annex II by adding further specific rules 
on feed for certain aquaculture animals, or by amending those added 
rules;  
(c) point 3.1.4.2 of Part III of Annex II as regards veterinary treatments 
for aquaculture animals;  
(d) Part III of Annex II by adding further detailed conditions per 
species for broodstock management, breeding and juvenile 
production, or by amending those added detailed conditions.  
3. The Commission shall, where appropriate, adopt implementing 
acts laying down detailed rules per species or per group of species on 
the stocking density, and on the specific characteristics for production 
systems and containment systems, in order to ensure that the 
species-specific needs are met.  
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the exa ­
mination procedure referred to in Article 55(2).  
4. For the purpose of this Article and of Part III of Annex II, 
‘stocking density’ means the live weight of aquaculture animals per 
cubic metre of water at any time during the grow-out phase and, in 
the case of flatfish and shrimp, the weight per square metre of surface.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 24  
Article 16  
Production rules for processed food  
1. Operators that produce processed food shall comply, in particular, 
with the detailed production rules set out in Part IV of Annex II and in 
any implementing acts referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article.  
2. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 54 amending:  
(a) point 1.4 of Part IV of Annex II as regards precautionary measures 
and preventive measures to be taken by operators;  
(b) point 2.2.2 of Part IV of Annex II as regards the types and 
composition of products and substances that are allowed for use 
in processed food, as well as conditions under which they may be 
used;  
(c) point 2.2.4 of Part IV of Annex II as regards the calculation of the 
percentage of agricultural ingredients referred to in points (a)(ii) and 
(b)(i) of Article 30(5), including the food additives authorised 
pursuant to Article 24 for use in organic production that are 
considered as agricultural ingredients for the purpose of such 
calculations.  
Those delegated acts shall not include the possibility of using flavouring 
substances or flavouring preparations which are neither natural, within 
the meaning of Article 16(2), (3) and (4) of Regulation (EC) 
No 1334/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council (  1 ), nor 
organic.  
3. The Commission may adopt implementing acts laying down the 
techniques authorised in the processing of food products.  
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the exa ­
mination procedure referred to in Article 55(2).  
Article 17  
Production rules for processed feed  
1. Operators that produce processed feed shall comply, in particular, 
with the detailed production rules set out in Part V of Annex II and in 
any implementing acts referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article.  ▼B 
( 1 ) Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council of 16 December 2008 on flavourings and certain food ingredients 
with flavouring properties for use in and on foods and amending Council 
Regulation (EEC) No 1601/91, Regulations (EC) No 2232/96 and (EC) 
No 110/2008 and Directive 2000/13/EC (OJ L 354, 31.12.2008, p. 34). 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 25  
2. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 54 amending point 1.4 of Part V of Annex II 
by adding further precautionary and preventive measures to be taken by 
operators, or by amending those added measures.  
3. The Commission may adopt implementing acts laying down the 
techniques authorised for use in the processing of feed products.  
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the exa ­
mination procedure referred to in Article 55(2).  
Article 18  
Production rules for wine  
1. Operators that produce products of the wine sector shall comply, 
in particular, with the detailed production rules set out in Part VI of 
Annex II.  
2. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 54 amending:  
(a) point 3.2 of Part VI of Annex II by adding further oenological 
practices, processes and treatments that are prohibited, or by 
amending those added elements;  
(b) point 3.3. of Part VI of Annex II.  
Article 19  
Production rules for yeast used as food or feed  
1. Operators that produce yeast to be used as food or feed shall 
comply, in particular, with the detailed production rules set out in 
Part VII of Annex II.  
2. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 54 amending point 1.3 of Part VII of 
Annex II by adding further detailed yeast production rules, or by 
amending those added rules.  
Article 20  
Absence of certain production rules for specific livestock species 
and species of aquaculture animals  
Pending the adoption of:  
(a) additional general rules for other livestock species than those 
regulated in point 1.9 of Part II of Annex II in accordance with 
point (e) of Article 14(2);  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 26  
(b) the implementing acts referred to in Article 14(3) for livestock 
species; or  
(c) the implementing acts referred to in Article 15(3) for species or 
group of species of aquaculture animals;  
a Member State may apply detailed national production rules for 
specific species or groups of species of animals in relation to the 
elements to be covered by the measures referred to in points (a), (b) 
and (c), provided that those national rules are in accordance with this 
Regulation, and provided that they do not prohibit, restrict or impede 
the placing on the market of products which have been produced 
outside its territory and which comply with this Regulation.  
Article 21  
Production rules for products not falling within the categories of 
products referred to in Articles 12 to 19  
1. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 54 amending Annex II by adding detailed 
production rules, as well as rules on the obligation to convert, for 
products that do not fall within the categories of products referred to 
in Articles 12 to 19, or by amending those added rules.  
Those delegated acts shall be based on the objectives and principles of 
organic production laid down in Chapter II and shall comply with the 
general production rules laid down in Articles 9, 10 and 11 as well as 
existing detailed production rules laid down for similar products in 
Annex II. They shall lay down requirements concerning, in particular, 
the treatments, practices and inputs that are allowed or prohibited, or 
conversion periods for the products concerned.  
2. In the absence of the detailed production rules referred to in 
paragraph 1:  
(a) operators shall, as regards products referred to in paragraph 1, 
comply with the principles laid down in Articles 5 and 6,  mutatis 
mutandis  with the principles laid down in Article 7, and with the 
general production rules laid down in Articles 9 to 11;  
(b) a Member State may, as regards products referred to in paragraph 1, 
apply detailed national production rules, provided that those rules 
are in accordance with this Regulation, and provided that they do 
not prohibit, restrict or impede the placing on the market of 
products which have been produced outside its territory and 
which comply with this Regulation.  
Article 22  
Adoption of exceptional production rules  
1. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 54 supplementing this Regulation by laying 
down:  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 27  
(a) the criteria to determine whether a situation qualifies as catastrophic 
circumstances deriving from an ‘adverse climatic event’, ‘animal 
diseases’, an ‘environmental incident’, a ‘natural disaster’ or a ‘cat ­
astrophic event’, as defined in points (h), (i), (j), (k) and (l) of 
Article 2(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013, respectively, as 
well as any comparable situation;  
(b) specific rules, including possible derogations from this Regulation, 
on how Member States are to deal with such catastrophic circum ­
stances if they decide to apply this Article; and  
(c) specific rules on monitoring and reporting in such cases.  
Those criteria and rules shall be subject to the principles of organic 
production laid down in Chapter II.  
2. Where a Member State has formally recognised an event as a 
natural disaster as referred to in Article 18(3) or Article 24(3) of Regu ­
lation (EU) No 1305/2013, and that event makes it impossible to 
comply with the production rules laid down in this Regulation, that 
Member State may grant derogations from the production rules for a 
limited period until organic production can be re-established, subject to 
the principles laid down in Chapter II and to any delegated act adopted 
in accordance with paragraph 1.  
3. Member States may adopt measures in accordance with the 
delegated act referred to in paragraph 1 to allow organic production 
to continue or recommence in the event of catastrophic circumstances.  
Article 23  
Collection, packaging, transport and storage  
1. Operators shall ensure that organic products and in-conversion 
products are collected, packaged, transported and stored in accordance 
with the rules set out in Annex III.  
2. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 54 amending:  
(a) Section 2 of Annex III;  
(b) Sections 3, 4 and 6 of Annex III by adding further special rules for 
the transport and reception of the products concerned, or by 
amending those added rules.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 28  
Article 24  
Authorisation of products and substances for use in organic 
production  
1. The Commission may authorise certain products and substances 
for use in organic production, and shall include any such authorised 
products and substances in restrictive lists, for the following purposes:  
(a) as active substances to be used in plant protection products;  
(b) as fertilisers, soil conditioners and nutrients;  
(c) as non-organic feed material of plant, algal, animal or yeast origin 
or as feed material of microbial or mineral origin;  
(d) as feed additives and processing aids;  
(e) as products for the cleaning and disinfection of ponds, cages, tanks, 
raceways, buildings or installations used for animal production;  
(f) as products for the cleaning and disinfection of buildings and instal ­
lations used for plant production, including for storage on an agri ­
cultural holding;  
(g) as products for cleaning and disinfection in processing and storage 
facilities.  
2. In addition to products and substances authorised in accordance 
with paragraph 1, the Commission may authorise certain products and 
substances for use in the production of processed organic food and of 
yeast used as food or feed, and shall include any such authorised 
products and substances in restrictive lists, for the following purposes:  
(a) as food additives and processing aids;  
(b) as non-organic agricultural ingredients to be used for the production 
of processed organic food;  
(c) as processing aids for the production of yeast and yeast products.  
3. The authorisation of the products and substances referred to in 
paragraph 1 for use in organic production shall be subject to the prin ­
ciples laid down in Chapter II and to the following criteria, which shall 
be evaluated as a whole:  
(a) they are essential for sustained production and for the use for which 
they are intended;  
(b) all of the products and substances concerned are of plant, algal, 
animal, microbial or mineral origin, except in cases where 
products or substances from such sources are not available in 
sufficient quantities or qualities or where alternatives are not 
available;  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 29  
(c) in the case of products referred to in point (a) of paragraph 1:  
(i) their use is essential for the control of a pest for which other 
biological, physical or breeding alternatives, cultivation 
practices or other effective management practices are not 
available;  
(ii) if such products are not of plant, algal, animal, microbial or 
mineral origin and are not identical to their natural form, their 
conditions for use preclude any direct contact with the edible 
parts of the crop;  
(d) in the case of products referred to in point (b) of paragraph 1, their 
use is essential for building or maintaining the fertility of the soil or 
to fulfil specific nutritional requirements of crops, or for specific 
soil-conditioning purposes;  
(e) in the case of products referred to in points (c) and (d) of 
paragraph 1:  
(i) their use is necessary to maintain animal health, animal welfare 
and vitality and contributes to an appropriate diet fulfilling the 
physiological and behavioural needs of the species concerned 
or their use is necessary to produce or preserve feed because 
the production or preservation of feed is not possible without 
having recourse to such substances;  
(ii) feed of mineral origin, trace elements, vitamins or provitamins 
are of natural origin, except in cases where products or 
substances from such sources are not available in sufficient 
quantities or qualities or where alternatives are not available;  
(iii) the use of non-organic feed material of plant or animal origin is 
necessary because feed material of plant or animal origin 
produced in accordance with organic production rules is not 
available in sufficient quantity;  
(iv) the use of non-organic spices, herbs and molasses is necessary 
because such products are not available in organic form; they 
have to be produced or prepared without chemical solvents and 
their use is limited to 1 % of the feed ration for a given 
species, calculated annually as a percentage of the dry matter 
of feed from agricultural origin.  
4. The authorisation of the products and substances referred to in 
paragraph 2 for use in the production of processed organic food or 
for the production of yeast used as food or feed shall be subject to 
the principles laid down in Chapter II and to the following criteria, 
which shall be evaluated as a whole:  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 30  
(a) alternative products or substances authorised in accordance with this 
Article or techniques compliant with this Regulation are not 
available;  
(b) it would be impossible to produce or preserve the food or to fulfil 
given dietary requirements provided for on the basis of Union legis ­
lation without having recourse to those products and substances;  
(c) they are to be found in nature and may only have undergone mech ­
anical, physical, biological, enzymatic or microbial processes, 
except in cases where products or substances from such sources 
are not available in sufficient quantities or qualities;  
(d) the organic ingredient is not available in sufficient quantity.  
5. The authorisation of the use of chemically synthesised products 
and substances, in accordance with paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article, 
shall be strictly limited to cases where the use of external inputs referred 
to in point (g) of Article 5 would contribute to unacceptable impacts on 
the environment.  
6. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 54 amending paragraphs 3 and 4 of this 
Article by adding further criteria for the authorisation of products and 
substances referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article for use in 
organic production in general, and in the production of processed 
organic food in particular, as well as further criteria for the withdrawal 
of such authorisations, or by amending those added criteria.  
7. Where a Member State considers that a product or substance 
should be added to or withdrawn from the lists of authorised products 
and substances referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2, or that the specifi ­
cations of use referred to in the production rules should be amended, it 
shall ensure that a dossier giving the reasons for the inclusion, with ­
drawal or other amendments is officially sent to the Commission and to 
the other Member States and is made publicly available, subject to 
Union and national legislation on data protection.  
The Commission shall publish any requests referred to in this paragraph.  
8. The Commission shall regularly review the lists referred to in this 
Article.  
The list of non-organic ingredients referred to in point (b) of paragraph 
2 shall be reviewed at least once a year.  
9. The Commission shall adopt implementing acts concerning the 
authorisation or withdrawal of authorisation of products and substances 
in accordance with paragraphs 1 and 2 that may be used in organic 
production in general and in the production of processed organic food in 
particular, and establishing the procedures to be followed for such auth ­
orisations and the lists of such products and substances and, where 
appropriate, their description, compositional requirements and 
conditions for use.  
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the exa ­
mination procedure referred to in Article 55(2).  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 31  
Article 25  
Authorisation of non-organic agricultural ingredients for processed 
organic food by Member States  
1. Where it is necessary in order to ensure access to certain agri ­
cultural ingredients, and where such ingredients are not available in 
organic form in sufficient quantity, a Member State may, at the 
request of an operator, provisionally authorise the use of non-organic 
agricultural ingredients for the production of processed organic food on 
its territory for a period of maximum six months. That authorisation 
shall apply to all operators in that Member State.  
2. The Member State shall immediately notify the Commission and 
the other Member States, via a computer system that enables the elec ­
tronic exchange of documents and information made available by the 
Commission, of any authorisation granted for its territory in accordance 
with paragraph 1.  
3. The Member State may prolong the authorisation provided for in 
paragraph 1 two times for a maximum of six months each, provided that 
no other Member State has objected by indicating, via the system 
referred to in paragraph 2, that such ingredients are available in 
organic form in sufficient quantity.  
4. A control authority or a control body recognised in accordance 
with Article 46(1) may grant a provisional authorisation, as referred to 
in paragraph 1 of this Article, for a maximum of six months to operators 
in third countries that request such an authorisation and that are subject 
to controls by that control authority or control body, provided that the 
conditions of that paragraph are fulfilled in the third country concerned. 
The authorisation may be prolonged for a maximum of two times six 
months each.  
5. Where, after two prolongations of a provisional authorisation, a 
Member State considers, on the basis of objective information, that the 
availability of such ingredients in organic form remains insufficient to 
meet the qualitative and quantitative needs of operators, it may make a 
request to the Commission in accordance with Article 24(7).  
Article 26  
Collection of data concerning the availability on the market of 
organic and in-conversion plant reproductive material, organic 
animals and organic aquaculture juveniles  
1. Each Member State shall ensure that a regularly updated database 
is established for the listing of the organic and in-conversion plant 
reproductive material, excluding seedlings but including seed potatoes, 
which is available on its territory.  
2. Member States shall have in place systems that allow operators 
that market organic or in-conversion plant reproductive material, organic 
animals or organic aquaculture juveniles, and that are able to supply 
them in sufficient quantities and within a reasonable period, to make 
public on a voluntary basis, free of charge, together with their names 
and contact details, information on the following:  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 32  
(a) the organic and in-conversion plant reproductive material, such as 
plant reproductive material of organic heterogeneous material or of 
organic varieties suitable for organic production, excluding 
seedlings but including seed potatoes, which is available; the 
quantity in weight of that material; and the period of the year of 
its availability; such material shall be listed using at least the Latin 
scientific name;  
(b) the organic animals for which derogation may be provided in 
accordance with point 1.3.4.4 of Part II of Annex II; the number 
of available animals categorised by sex; information, if relevant, 
relating to the different species of animals as regards the breeds 
and strains available; the races of the animals; the age of the 
animals; and any other relevant information;  
(c) the organic aquaculture juveniles available on the holding and their 
health status in accordance with Council Directive 2006/88/EC (  1 ) 
and the production capacity for each aquaculture species.  
3. Member States may also set up systems which allow operators that 
market breeds and strains adapted to organic production in accordance 
with point 1.3.3 of Part II of Annex II or organic pullets and that are 
able to supply those animals in sufficient quantities and within a 
reasonable period to make public the relevant information on a 
voluntary basis, free of charge, together with names and contact details.  
4. Operators that opt to include information on plant reproductive 
material, animals or aquaculture juveniles in the systems referred to in 
paragraphs 2 and 3 shall ensure that the information is updated regu ­
larly, and shall ensure that the information is withdrawn from the lists 
once the plant reproductive material, animals or aquaculture juveniles 
are no longer available.  
5. For the purpose of paragraphs 1, 2 and 3, Member States may 
continue to use relevant information systems that are already in 
existence.  
6. The Commission shall make public the link to each of the national 
databases or systems on a dedicated website of the Commission, in 
order to allow users to have access to such databases or systems 
throughout the Union.  
7. The Commission may adopt implementing acts providing:  
(a) technical details for establishing and maintaining the databases 
referred to in paragraph 1 and the systems referred to in paragraph 2;  ▼B 
( 1 ) Council Directive 2006/88/EC of 24 October 2006 on animal health 
requirements for aquaculture animals and products thereof, and on the 
prevention and control of certain diseases in aquatic animals (OJ L 328, 
24.11.2006, p. 14). 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 33  
(b) specifications as regards the collection of information referred to in 
paragraph 1 and 2;  
(c) specifications as regards the arrangements for participation in the 
databases referred to in paragraph 1 and in the systems referred to 
in paragraphs 2 and 3; and  
(d) details as regards the information to be provided by Member States 
in accordance with Article 53(6).  
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the exa ­
mination procedure referred to in Article 55(2).  
Article 27  
Obligations and actions in the event of suspicion of non-compliance  
Where an operator suspects that a product it has produced, prepared, 
imported or has received from another operator does not comply with 
this Regulation, that operator shall, subject to Article 28(2):  
(a) identify and separate the product concerned;  
(b) check whether the suspicion can be substantiated;  
(c) not place the product concerned on the market as an organic or 
in-conversion product and not use it in organic production, unless 
the suspicion can be eliminated;  
(d) where the suspicion has been substantiated or where it cannot be 
eliminated, immediately inform the relevant competent authority, or, 
where appropriate, the relevant control authority or control body, 
and provide it with available elements, where appropriate;  
(e) fully cooperate with the relevant competent authority, or, where 
appropriate, with the relevant control authority or control body, in 
verifying and identifying the reasons for the suspected 
non-compliance.  
Article 28  
Precautionary measures to avoid the presence of non-authorised 
products and substances  
1. In order to avoid contamination with products or substances that 
are not authorised in accordance with the first subparagraph of 
Article 9(3) for use in organic production, operators shall take the 
following precautionary measures at every stage of production, prep ­
aration and distribution:  
(a) put in place and maintain measures that are proportionate and 
appropriate to identify the risks of contamination of organic 
production and products with non-authorised products or 
substances, including systematic identification of critical procedural 
steps;  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 34  
(b) put in place and maintain measures that are proportionate and 
appropriate to avoid risks of contamination of organic production 
and products with non-authorised products or substances;  
(c) regularly review and adjust such measures; and  
(d) comply with other relevant requirements of this Regulation that 
ensure the separation of organic, in-conversion and non-organic 
products.  
2. Where an operator suspects, due to the presence of a product or 
substance that is not authorised pursuant to the first subparagraph of 
Article 9(3) for use in organic production in a product that is intended 
to be used or marketed as an organic or in-conversion product, that the 
latter product does not comply with this Regulation, the operator shall:  
(a) identify and separate the product concerned;  
(b) check whether the suspicion can be substantiated;  
(c) not place the product concerned on the market as an organic or 
in-conversion product and not use it in organic production unless 
the suspicion can be eliminated;  
(d) where the suspicion has been substantiated or where it cannot be 
eliminated, immediately inform the relevant competent authority, or, 
where appropriate, the relevant control authority or control body, 
and provide it with available elements, where appropriate;  
(e) fully cooperate with the relevant competent authority, or, where 
appropriate, with the relevant control authority or control body, in 
identifying and verifying the reasons for the presence of 
non-authorised products or substances.  
3. The Commission may adopt implementing acts laying down 
uniform rules to specify:  
(a) the procedural steps to be followed by operators in accordance with 
points (a) to (e) of paragraph 2 and the relevant documents to be 
provided by them;  
(b) the proportionate and appropriate measures to be adopted and 
reviewed by operators to identify and avoid risks of contamination 
in accordance with points (a), (b) and (c) of paragraph 1.  
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the exa ­
mination procedure referred to in Article 55(2).  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 35  
Article 29  
Measures to be taken in the event of the presence of non-authorised 
products or substances  
1. Where the competent authority, or, where appropriate, the control 
authority or control body, receives substantiated information about the 
presence of products or substances that are not authorised pursuant to 
the first subparagraph of Article 9(3) for use in organic production, or 
has been informed by an operator in accordance with point (d) of 
Article 28(2), or detects such products or substances in an organic or 
an in-conversion product:  
(a) it shall immediately carry out an official investigation in accordance 
with Regulation (EU) 2017/625 with a view to determining the 
source and the cause in order to verify compliance with the first 
subparagraph of Article 9(3) and with Article 28(1); such investi ­
gation shall be completed as soon as possible, within a reasonable 
period, and shall take into account the durability of the product and 
the complexity of the case;  
(b) it shall provisionally prohibit both the placing on the market of the 
products concerned as organic or in-conversion products and their 
use in organic production pending the results of the investigation 
referred to in point (a).  
2. The product concerned shall not be marketed as an organic or 
in-conversion product or used in organic production where the 
competent authority, or, where appropriate, the control authority or 
control body, has established that the operator concerned:  
(a) has used products or substances not authorised pursuant to the first 
subparagraph of Article 9(3) for use in organic production;  
(b) has not taken the precautionary measures referred to in Article 28(1); 
or 
(c) has not taken measures in response to relevant previous requests 
from the competent authorities, control authorities or control bodies.  
3. The operator concerned shall be given an opportunity to comment 
on the results of the investigation referred to in point (a) of paragraph 1. 
The competent authority, or, where appropriate, the control authority or 
control body, shall keep records of the investigation it has carried out.  
Where required, the operator concerned shall take such corrective 
measures as necessary to avoid future contamination.  
4. By 31 December 2024, the Commission shall present a report to 
the European Parliament and the Council on the implementation of this 
Article, on the presence of products and substances not authorised 
pursuant to the first subparagraph of Article 9(3) for use in organic 
production and on the assessment of the national rules referred to in 
paragraph 5 of this Article. That report may be accompanied, where 
appropriate, by a legislative proposal for further harmonisation.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 36  
5. Member States having in place rules providing for products that 
contain more than a certain level of products or substances not auth ­
orised pursuant to the first subparagraph of Article 9(3) for use in 
organic production not to be marketed as organic products may 
continue to apply those rules, provided that those rules do not 
prohibit, restrict or impede the placing on the market of products 
produced in other Member States as organic products, where those 
products were produced in compliance with this Regulation. Member 
States that make use of this paragraph shall inform the Commission 
without delay.  
6. The competent authorities shall document the results of the inves ­
tigations referred to in paragraph 1, as well as any measures they have 
taken for the purpose of formulating best practices and further measures 
to avoid the presence of products and substances not authorised 
pursuant to the first subparagraph of Article 9(3) for use in organic 
production.  
Member States shall make such information available to the other 
Member States and to the Commission via a computer system that 
enables the electronic exchange of documents and information made 
available by the Commission.  
7. Member States may take appropriate measures on their territory to 
avoid the unintended presence in organic agriculture of products and 
substances not authorised pursuant to the first subparagraph of 
Article 9(3) for use in organic production. Such measures shall not 
prohibit, restrict or impede the placing on the market of products 
produced in other Member States as organic or in-conversion 
products, where those products were produced in compliance with this 
Regulation. Member States that make use of this paragraph shall inform 
the Commission and the other Member States without delay.  
8. The Commission shall adopt implementing acts laying down 
uniform rules to specify:  
(a) the methodology to be applied by competent authorities, or, where 
appropriate, by control authorities or control bodies, for the 
detection and evaluation of the presence of products and substances 
not authorised pursuant to the first subparagraph of Article 9(3) for 
use in organic production;  
(b) the details and format of the information to be made available by 
Member States to the Commission and other Member States in 
accordance with paragraph 6 of this Article.  
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the exa ­
mination procedure referred to in Article 55(2).  
9. By 31 March of each year, Member States shall electronically 
transmit to the Commission relevant information about cases 
involving contamination with non-authorised products or substances in 
the previous year, including information collected at border control 
posts, concerning the nature of contamination detected, and in particular 
the cause, the source and the level of contamination as well as the 
volume and nature of products contaminated. This information shall 
be collected by the Commission through the computer system made 
available by the Commission and shall be used to facilitate the formu ­
lation of best practices for avoiding contamination.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 37  
CHAPTER IV  
LABELLING  
Article 30  
Use of terms referring to organic production  
1. For the purposes of this Regulation, a product shall be regarded as 
bearing terms referring to organic production where, in the labelling, 
advertising material or commercial documents, such a product, its 
ingredients or feed materials used for its production are described in 
terms suggesting to the purchaser that the product, ingredients or feed 
materials have been produced in accordance with this Regulation. In 
particular, the terms listed in Annex IV and their derivatives and 
diminutives, such as ‘bio’ and ‘eco’, whether alone or in combination, 
may be used throughout the Union and in any language listed in that 
Annex for the labelling and advertising of products referred to in 
Article 2(1) which comply with this Regulation.  
2. For the products referred to in Article 2(1), the terms referred to in 
paragraph 1 of this Article shall not be used anywhere in the Union, in 
any language listed in Annex IV, for the labelling, advertising material 
or commercial documents of a product which does not comply with this 
Regulation.  
Furthermore, no terms, including terms used in trademarks or company 
names, or practices shall be used in labelling or advertising if they are 
liable to mislead the consumer or user by suggesting that a product or 
its ingredients comply with this Regulation.  
3. Products that have been produced during the conversion period 
shall not be labelled or advertised as organic products or as 
in-conversion products.  
However, plant reproductive material, food products of plant origin and 
feed products of plant origin that have been produced during the 
conversion period, which comply with Article 10(4), may be labelled 
and advertised as in-conversion products by using the term ‘in- 
conversion’ or a corresponding term, together with the terms referred 
to in paragraph 1.  
4. The terms referred to in paragraph 1 and 3 shall not be used for a 
product for which Union law requires the labelling or advertising to 
state that the product contains GMOs, consists of GMOs or is produced 
from GMOs.  
5. For processed food, the terms referred to in paragraph 1 may be 
used:  
(a) in the sales description, and in the list of ingredients where such a 
list is mandatory pursuant to Union legislation, provided that:  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 38  
(i) the processed food complies with the production rules set out 
in Part IV of Annex II and with the rules laid down in 
accordance with Article 16(3);  
(ii) at least 95 % of the agricultural ingredients of the product by 
weight are organic; and  
(iii) in the case of flavourings, they are only used for natural 
flavouring substances and natural flavouring preparations 
labelled in accordance with Article 16(2), (3) and (4) of Regu ­
lation (EC) No 1334/2008 and all of the flavouring 
components and carriers of flavouring components in the 
flavouring concerned are organic;  
(b) only in the list of ingredients, provided that:  
(i) less than 95 % of the agricultural ingredients of the product by 
weight are organic, and provided that those ingredients comply 
with the production rules set out in this Regulation; and  
(ii) the processed food complies with the production rules set out in 
points 1.5, 2.1(a), 2.1(b) and 2.2.1 of Part IV of Annex II and 
with the rules laid down in accordance with Article 16(3);  
(c) in the sales description and in the list of ingredients, provided that:  
(i) the main ingredient is a product of hunting or fishing;  
(ii) the term referred to in paragraph 1 is clearly related in the sales 
description to another ingredient which is organic and different 
from the main ingredient;  
(iii) all other agricultural ingredients are organic; and  
(iv) the food complies with points 1.5, 2.1(a), 2.1(b) and 2.2.1 of 
Part IV of Annex II and with the rules laid down in accordance 
with Article 16(3).  
The list of ingredients referred to in points (a), (b) and (c) of the first 
subparagraph shall indicate which ingredients are organic. The 
references to organic production may only appear in relation to the 
organic ingredients.  
The list of ingredients referred to in points (b) and (c) of the first 
subparagraph shall include an indication of the total percentage of 
organic ingredients in proportion to the total quantity of agricultural 
ingredients.  
The terms referred to in paragraph 1, when used in the list of 
ingredients referred to in points (a), (b), and (c) of the first subparagraph 
of this paragraph, and the indication of the percentage referred to in the 
third subparagraph of this paragraph shall appear in the same colour, 
identical size and style of lettering as the other indications in the list of 
ingredients.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 39  
6. For processed feed, the terms referred to in paragraph 1 may be 
used in the sales description and in the list of ingredients, provided that:  
(a) the processed feed complies with the production rules set out in 
Parts II, III and V of Annex II and with the specific rules laid down 
in accordance with Article 16(3);  
(b) all of the ingredients of agricultural origin that are contained in the 
processed feed are organic; and  
(c) at least 95 % of the dry matter of the product are organic.  
7. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 54 amending:  
(a) this Article by adding further rules on the labelling of products 
listed in Annex I, or by amending those added rules; and  
(b) the list of terms set out in Annex IV, taking into account linguistic 
developments within the Member States.  
8. The Commission may adopt implementing acts to set detailed 
requirements for the application of paragraph 3 of this Article.  
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the exa ­
mination procedure referred to in Article 55(2).  
Article 31  
Labelling of products and substances used in crop production  
Notwithstanding the scope of this Regulation as set out in Article 2(1), 
products and substances used in plant protection products or as ferti ­
lisers, soil conditioners or nutrients that have been authorised in 
accordance with Articles 9 and 24 may bear a reference indicating 
that those products or substances have been authorised for use in 
organic production in accordance with this Regulation.  
Article 32  
Compulsory indications  
1. Where products bear terms as referred to in Article 30(1), 
including products labelled as in-conversion products in accordance 
with Article 30(3):  
(a) the code number of the control authority or control body to which 
the operator that carried out the last production or preparation 
operation is subject shall also appear in the labelling; and  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 40  
(b) in the case of prepacked food, the organic production logo of the 
European Union referred to in Article 33 shall also appear on the 
packaging, except in cases referred to in Article 30(3) and points (b) 
and (c) of Article 30(5).  
2. Where the organic production logo of the European Union is used, 
an indication of the place where the agricultural raw materials of which 
the product is composed have been farmed shall appear in the same 
visual field as the logo and shall take one of the following forms, as 
appropriate:  
(a) ‘EU Agriculture’, where the agricultural raw material has been 
farmed in the Union;  
(b) ‘non-EU Agriculture’, where the agricultural raw material has been 
farmed in third countries;  
(c) ‘EU/non-EU Agriculture’, where a part of the agricultural raw 
materials has been farmed in the Union and a part of it has been 
farmed in a third country.  
For the purposes of the first subparagraph, the word ‘Agriculture’ may 
be replaced by ‘Aquaculture’ where appropriate and the words ‘EU’ and 
‘non-EU’ may be replaced or supplemented by the name of a country, 
or by the name of a country and a region, if all of the agricultural raw 
materials of which the product is composed have been farmed in that 
country and, if applicable, in that region.  
For the indication of the place where the agricultural raw materials of 
which the product is composed have been farmed, as referred to in the 
first and third subparagraphs, small quantities by weight of ingredients 
may be disregarded, provided that the total quantity of the disregarded 
ingredients does not exceed 5 % of the total quantity by weight of 
agricultural raw materials.  
The words ‘EU’ or ‘non-EU’ shall not appear in a colour, size and style 
of lettering that is more prominent than the name of the product.  
3. The indications referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article 
and in Article 33(3) shall be marked in a conspicuous place in such a 
way as to be easily visible, and shall be clearly legible and indelible.  
4. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 54 amending paragraph 2 of this Article and 
Article 33(3) by adding further rules on labelling, or by amending those 
added rules.  
5. The Commission shall adopt implementing acts relating to:  
(a) practical arrangements for the use, presentation, composition and 
size of the indications referred to in point (a) of paragraph 1 and 
in paragraph 2 of this Article and in Article 33(3);  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 41  
(b) the assignment of code numbers to control authorities and control 
bodies;  
(c) the indication of the place where the agricultural raw materials were 
farmed, in accordance with paragraph 2 of this Article and with 
Article 33(3).  
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the exa ­
mination procedure referred to in Article 55(2).  
Article 33  
Organic production logo of the European Union  
1. The organic production logo of the European Union may be used 
in the labelling, presentation and advertising of products which comply 
with this Regulation.  
The organic production logo of the European Union may also be used 
for information and educational purposes related to the existence and 
advertising of the logo itself, provided that such use is not liable to 
mislead the consumer as regards the organic production of specific 
products, and provided that the logo is reproduced in accordance with 
the rules set out in Annex V. In such case, the requirements of 
Article 32(2) and point 1.7 of Annex V shall not apply.  
The organic production logo of the European Union shall not be used 
for processed food as referred to in points (b) and (c) of Article 30(5) 
and for in-conversion products as referred to in Article 30(3).  
2. Except where used in accordance with the second subparagraph of 
paragraph 1, the organic production logo of the European Union is an 
official attestation in accordance with Articles 86 and 91 of 
Regulation (EU) 2017/625.  
3. The use of the organic production logo of the European Union 
shall be optional for products imported from third countries. Where that 
logo appears in the labelling of such products, the indication referred to 
in Article 32(2) shall also appear in the labelling.  
4. The organic production logo of the European Union shall follow 
the model set out in Annex V, and shall comply with the rules set out in 
that Annex.  
5. National logos and private logos may be used in the labelling, 
presentation and advertising of products which comply with this Regu ­
lation.  
6. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 54 amending Annex V as regards the organic 
production logo of the European Union and the rules relating thereto.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 42  
CHAPTER V  
CERTIFICATION  
Article 34  
Certification system  
1. Prior to placing any products on the market as ‘organic’ or as ‘in- 
conversion’ or prior to the conversion period, operators and groups of 
operators referred to in Article 36 which produce, prepare, distribute or 
store organic or in-conversion products, which import such products 
from a third country or export such products to a third country, or 
which place such products on the market, shall notify their activity to 
the competent authorities of the Member State in which it is carried out 
and in which their undertaking is subject to the control system.  
Where the competent authorities have conferred their responsibilities or 
delegated certain official control tasks or certain tasks related to other 
official activities to more than one control authority or control body, the 
operators or groups of operators shall indicate in the notification 
referred to in the first subparagraph which control authority or control 
body verifies whether their activity complies with this Regulation and 
provides the certificate referred to in Article 35(1).  
2. Operators that sell prepacked organic products directly to the final 
consumer or user shall be exempted from the notification obligation 
referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article and from the obligation to 
be in the possession of a certificate referred to in Article 35(2) provided 
that they do not produce, prepare, store other than in connection with 
the point of sale, or import such products from a third country, or 
subcontract such activities to another operator.  
3. Where operators or groups of operators subcontract any of their 
activities to third parties, both the operators or groups of operators and 
the third parties to whom those activities have been subcontracted shall 
comply with paragraph 1, unless the operator or group of operators has 
declared in the notification referred to in paragraph 1 that it remains 
responsible as regards organic production and that it has not transferred 
that responsibility to the subcontractor. In such cases, the competent 
authority, or, where appropriate, the control authority or control body, 
shall verify that the subcontracted activities comply with this Regu ­
lation, in the context of the control it carries out on the operators or 
groups of operators that have subcontracted their activities.  
4. Member States may designate an authority or approve a body 
which is to receive the notifications referred to in paragraph 1.  
5. Operators, groups of operators and subcontractors shall keep 
records in accordance with this Regulation on the different activities 
they engage in.  
6. Member States shall keep updated lists containing the names and 
addresses of operators and groups of operators that have notified their 
activities in accordance with paragraph 1 and shall make public in an  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 43  
appropriate manner, including by means of links to a single internet 
website, a comprehensive list of this data, together with the information 
relating to the certificates provided to those operators and groups of 
operators in accordance with Article 35(1). When doing so, Member 
States shall comply with the requirements for the protection of personal 
data under Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and 
of the Council (  1 ). 
7. Member States shall ensure that any operator or group of operators 
that complies with this Regulation and, in cases where a fee is collected 
in accordance with Articles 78 and 80 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, 
that pays a reasonable fee covering the cost of controls is entitled to be 
covered by the control system. Member States shall ensure that any fees 
that may be collected are made public.  
8. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 54 amending Annex II as regards the 
requirements for keeping records.  
9. The Commission may adopt implementing acts to provide details 
and specifications regarding:  
(a) the format and technical means of the notification referred to in 
paragraph 1;  
(b) the arrangements for the publication of the lists referred to in 
paragraph 6; and  
(c) the procedures and the arrangements for publication of the fees 
referred to in paragraph 7.  
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the exa ­
mination procedure referred to in Article 55(2).  
Article 35  
Certificate  
1. Competent authorities, or, where appropriate, control authorities or 
control bodies, shall provide a certificate to any operator or group of 
operators that has notified its activity in accordance with Article 34(1) 
and complies with this Regulation. The certificate shall:  
(a) be issued in electronic form wherever possible;  
(b) allow at least the identification of the operator or group of operators 
including the list of the members, the category of products covered 
by the certificate and its period of validity;  ▼B 
( 1 ) Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 
27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the 
processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and 
repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation) (OJ L 119, 
4.5.2016, p. 1). 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 44  
(c) certify that the notified activity complies with this Regulation; and  
(d) be issued in accordance with the model set out in Annex VI.  
2. Without prejudice to paragraph 8 of this Article and to 
Article 34(2), operators and groups of operators shall not place 
products referred to in Article 2(1) on the market as organic products 
or in-conversion products unless they are already in possession of a 
certificate as referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article.  
3. The certificate referred to in this Article shall be an official cer ­
tificate within the meaning of point (a) of Article 86(1) of Regu ­
lation (EU) 2017/625.  
4. An operator or a group of operators shall not be entitled to obtain 
a certificate from more than one control body in relation to activities 
carried out in the same Member State regarding the same category of 
products, including cases in which that operator or group of operators 
operates at different stages of production, preparation and distribution.  
5. Members of a group of operators shall not be entitled to obtain an 
individual certificate for any of the activities covered by the certification 
of the group of operators to which they belong.  
6. Operators shall verify the certificates of those operators that are 
their suppliers.  
7. For the purposes of paragraphs 1 and 4 of this Article, products 
shall be classified in accordance with the following categories:  
(a) unprocessed plants and plant products, including seeds and other 
plant reproductive material;  
(b) livestock and unprocessed livestock products;  
(c) algae and unprocessed aquaculture products;  
(d) processed agricultural products, including aquaculture products, for 
use as food;  
(e) feed;  
(f) wine;  
(g) other products listed in Annex I to this Regulation or not covered 
by the previous categories.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 45  
8. Member States may exempt from the obligation to be in the 
possession of a certificate, provided for in paragraph 2, operators that 
sell unpacked organic products other than feed directly to the final 
consumer, provided that those operators do not produce, prepare, store 
other than in connection with the point of sale, or import such products 
from a third country, or subcontract such activities to a third party, and 
provided that:  
(a) such sales do not exceed 5 000 kg per year;  
(b) such sales do not represent an annual turnover in relation to 
unpacked organic products exceeding EUR 20 000; or  
(c) the potential certification cost of the operator exceeds 2 % of the 
total turnover on unpacked organic products sold by that operator.  
If a Member State decides to exempt the operators referred to in the first 
subparagraph, it may set stricter limits than those set in the first 
subparagraph.  
Member States shall inform the Commission and the other Member 
States of any decision to exempt operators pursuant to the first subpara ­
graph and of the limits up to which such operators are exempted.  
9. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 54 amending the model of the certificate set 
out in Annex VI.  
10. The Commission shall adopt implementing acts to provide details 
and specifications regarding the form of the certificate referred to in 
paragraph 1 and the technical means by which it is issued.  
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the exa ­
mination procedure referred to in Article 55(2).  
Article 36  
Group of operators  
1. Each group of operators shall:  
(a) only be composed of members who are farmers or operators that 
produce algae or aquaculture animals and who in addition may be 
engaged in processing, preparation or placing on the market of food 
or feed;  
(b) only be composed of members:  
(i) of which the individual certification cost represents more than 
2 % of each member’s turnover or standard output of organic 
production and whose annual turnover of organic production is 
not more than EUR 25 000 or whose standard output of organic 
production is not more than EUR 15 000 per year; or  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 46  
(ii) who have each holdings of maximum:  
— five hectares,  
— 0,5 hectares, in the case of greenhouses, or  
— 15 hectares, exclusively in the case of permanent grassland;  
(c) be established in a Member State or a third country;  
(d) have legal personality;  
(e) only be composed of members whose production activities take 
place in geographical proximity to each other;  
(f) set up a joint marketing system for the products produced by the 
group; and  
(g) establish a system for internal controls comprising a documented set 
of control activities and procedures in accordance with which an 
identified person or body is responsible for verifying compliance 
with this Regulation of each member of the group.  
2. Competent authorities, or, where appropriate, control authorities or 
control bodies, shall withdraw the certificate referred to in Article 35 for 
the whole group where deficiencies in the set-up or functioning of the 
system for internal controls referred to in paragraph 1, in particular as 
regards failures to detect or address non-compliance by individual 
members of the group of operators, affect the integrity of organic and 
in-conversion products.  
3. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 54 amending paragraphs 1 and 2 of this 
Article by adding provisions, or by amending those added provisions, 
in particular as regards:  
(a) the responsibilities of the individual members of a group of 
operators;  
(b) the criteria to determine the geographical proximity of the members 
of the group, such as the sharing of facilities or sites;  
(c) the set-up and functioning of the system for internal controls, 
including the scope, content and frequency of the controls to be 
carried out and the criteria to identify deficiencies in the set-up or 
functioning of the system for internal controls.  
4. The Commission may adopt implementing acts laying down 
specific rules concerning:  
(a) the composition and dimension of a group of operators;  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 47  
(b) the documents and record-keeping systems, the system for internal 
traceability and the list of operators;  
(c) the exchange of information between a group of operators and the 
competent authority or authorities, control authorities or control 
bodies, and between the Member States and the Commission.  
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the exa ­
mination procedure referred to in Article 55(2).  
CHAPTER VI  
OFFICIAL CONTROLS AND OTHER OFFICIAL ACTIVITIES  
Article 37  
Relationship with Regulation (EU) 2017/625 and additional rules for 
official controls and other official activities in relation to organic 
production and labelling of organic products  
The specific rules of this Chapter shall apply, in addition to the rules 
laid down in Regulation (EU) 2017/625, save as otherwise provided for 
in Article 40(2) of this Regulation, and in addition to Article 29 of this 
Regulation, save as otherwise provided for in Article 41(1) of this 
Regulation, to the official controls and other official activities 
performed to verify throughout the entire process at all stages of 
production, preparation and distribution that the products referred to 
in Article 2(1) of this Regulation have been produced in compliance 
with this Regulation.  
Article 38  
Additional rules on official controls and on action to be taken by 
the competent authorities  
1. Official controls performed in accordance with Article 9 of Regu ­
lation (EU) 2017/625 for the verification of compliance with this Regu ­
lation shall include, in particular:  
(a) the verification of the application by operators of preventive and 
precautionary measures, as referred to in Article 9(6) and in 
Article 28 of this Regulation, at every stage of production, prep ­
aration and distribution;  
(b) where the holding includes non-organic or in-conversion production 
units, the verification of the records and of the measures or 
procedures or arrangements in place to ensure the clear and 
effective separation between organic, in-conversion and 
non-organic production units as well as between the respective 
products produced by those units, and of the substances and 
products used for organic, in-conversion and non-organic 
production units; such verification shall include checks on parcels 
for which a previous period was recognised retroactively as part of 
the conversion period, and checks on the non-organic production 
units;  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 48  
(c) where organic, in-conversion and non-organic products are collected 
simultaneously by operators, are prepared or stored in the same 
preparation unit, area or premises, or are transported to other 
operators or units, the verification of the records and of the 
measures, procedures or arrangements in place to ensure that oper ­
ations are carried out separated by place or time, that suitable 
cleaning measures and, where appropriate, measures to prevent 
substitution of products are implemented, that organic products 
and in-conversion products are identified at all times and that 
organic, in-conversion and non-organic products are stored, before 
and after the preparation operations, separated by place or time from 
each other;  
(d) the verification of the set-up and functioning of the internal control 
system of groups of operators;  
(e) where operators are exempted from the notification obligation in 
accordance with Article 34(2) of this Regulation or from the 
obligation to be in the possession of a certificate in accordance 
with Article 35(8) of this Regulation, the verification that the 
requirements for that exemption have been fulfilled and the verifi ­
cation of the products sold by those operators.  
2. Official controls performed in accordance with Article 9 of Regu ­
lation (EU) 2017/625 for the verification of compliance with this Regu ­
lation shall be performed throughout the entire process at all stages of 
production, preparation and distribution on the basis of the likelihood of 
non-compliance as defined in point (57) of Article 3 of this Regulation, 
which shall be determined taking into account, in addition to the 
elements referred to in Article 9 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, in 
particular the following elements:  
(a) the type, size and structure of the operators and groups of operators;  
(b) the length of time during which operators and groups of operators 
have been involved in organic production, preparation and 
distribution;  
(c) the results of the controls performed in accordance with this Article;  
(d) the point in time relevant for the activities carried out;  
(e) the product categories;  
(f) the type, quantity and value of products and their development over 
time;  
(g) the possibility of commingling of products or contamination with 
non-authorised products or substances;  
(h) the application of derogations or exceptions to the rules by 
operators and groups of operators;  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 49  
(i) the critical points for non-compliance and the likelihood of 
non-compliance at every stage of production, preparation and 
distribution;  
(j) subcontracting activities.  
3. In any case, all operators and groups of operators, with the 
exception of those referred to in Articles 34(2) and 35(8), shall be 
subject to a verification of compliance at least once a year.  
The verification of compliance shall include a physical on-the-spot 
inspection, except where the following conditions have been satisfied:  
(a) the previous controls of the operator or group of operators 
concerned have not revealed any non-compliance affecting the 
integrity of organic or in-conversion products during at least three 
consecutive years; and  
(b) the operator or group of operators concerned has been assessed on 
the basis of the elements referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article 
and in Article 9 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625 as presenting a low 
likelihood of non-compliance.  
In this case, the period between two physical on-the-spot inspections 
shall not exceed 24 months.  
4. Official controls performed in accordance with Article 9 of Regu ­
lation (EU) 2017/625 for the verification of compliance with this Regu ­
lation shall:  
(a) be performed in accordance with Article 9(4) of Regulation (EU) 
2017/625 while ensuring that a minimum percentage of all official 
controls of operators or groups of operators are carried out without 
prior notice;  
(b) ensure that a minimum percentage of additional controls to those 
referred in paragraph 3 of this Article are carried out;  
(c) be carried out by taking a minimum number of the samples that 
have been taken in accordance with point (h) of Article 14 of 
Regulation (EU) 2017/625;  
(d) ensure that a minimum number of operators that are members of a 
group of operators are controlled in connection with the verification 
of compliance referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article.  
5. The delivery or renewal of the certificate referred to in 
Article 35(1) shall be based on the results of the verification of 
compliance referred to in paragraphs 1 to 4 of this Article.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 50  
6. The written record to be drawn up regarding each official control 
that has been performed to verify compliance with this Regulation in 
accordance with Article 13(1) of Regulation (EU) 2017/625 shall be 
countersigned by the operator or groups of operators as confirmation 
of their receipt of that written record.  
7. Article 13(1) of Regulation (EU) 2017/625 shall not apply to 
audits and inspections carried out by competent authorities in the 
context of their supervisory activities over control bodies to which 
certain official control tasks or certain tasks related to other official 
activities have been delegated.  
8. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 54:  
(a) supplementing this Regulation by laying down specific criteria and 
conditions for the performance of official controls conducted to 
ensure the traceability at all stages of production, preparation and 
distribution, and compliance with this Regulation, concerning:  
(i) checks of documentary accounts;  
(ii) controls performed on specific categories of operators;  
(iii) where appropriate, the period within which the controls 
provided for in this Regulation, including the physical 
on-the-spot inspections referred to in paragraph 3 of this 
Article, are to be performed and the particular premises in or 
area on which they are to be performed;  
(b) amending paragraph 2 of this Article by adding further elements 
based on practical experience, or by amending those added 
elements.  
9. The Commission may adopt implementing acts to specify:  
(a) the minimum percentage of all official controls of operators or 
groups of operators that are to be carried out without prior notice 
as referred to in point (a) of paragraph 4;  
(b) the minimum percentage of additional controls referred to in 
point (b) of paragraph 4;  
(c) the minimum number of samples referred to in point (c) of 
paragraph 4;  
(d) the minimum number of operators that are members of a group of 
operators referred to in point (d) of paragraph 4.  
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the exa ­
mination procedure referred to in Article 55(2).  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 51  
Article 39  
Additional rules on actions to be taken by the operators and groups 
of operators  
1. In addition to the obligations laid down in Article 15 of Regu ­
lation (EU) 2017/625, operators and groups of operators shall:  
(a) keep records to demonstrate their compliance with this Regulation;  
(b) make all declarations and other communications that are necessary 
for official controls;  
(c) take relevant practical measures to ensure compliance with this 
Regulation;  
(d) provide, in form of a declaration to be signed and updated as 
necessary:  
(i) the full description of the organic or in-conversion production 
unit and of the activities to be performed in accordance with 
this Regulation;  
(ii) the relevant practical measures to be taken to ensure 
compliance with this Regulation;  
(iii) an undertaking:  
— to inform in writing and without undue delay buyers of the 
products and to exchange relevant information with the 
competent authority, or, where appropriate, with the 
control authority or control body, in the event that a 
suspicion of non-compliance has been substantiated, that 
a suspicion of non-compliance cannot be eliminated, or 
that non-compliance that affects the integrity of the 
products in question has been established,  
— to accept the transfer of the control file in the case of 
change of control authority or control body or, in the 
case of withdrawal from organic production, the keeping 
of the control file for at least five years by the last control 
authority or control body,  
— to immediately inform the competent authority or the 
authority or body designated in accordance with 
Article 34(4) in the event of withdrawal from organic 
production, and  
— to accept the exchange of information among those auth ­
orities or bodies in the event that subcontractors are subject 
to controls by different control authorities or control bodies.  
2. The Commission may adopt implementing acts to provide details 
and specifications regarding:  
(a) the records for demonstrating compliance with this Regulation;  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 52  
(b) the declarations and other communications that are necessary for 
official controls;  
(c) the relevant practical measures for ensuring compliance with this 
Regulation.  
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the exa ­
mination procedure referred to in Article 55(2).  
Article 40  
Additional rules on the delegation of official control tasks and tasks 
related to other official activities  
1. Competent authorities may delegate to control bodies certain 
official control tasks and certain tasks related to other official activities 
only if the following conditions, in addition to those set out in Chapter 
III of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, are satisfied:  
(a) the delegation contains a detailed description of the delegated 
official control tasks and tasks related to other official activities, 
including reporting obligations and other specific obligations, and 
of the conditions under which the control body may carry them out. 
In particular, the control body shall have submitted the following to 
the competent authorities for prior approval:  
(i) its risk assessment procedure, which is to determine, in 
particular, the basis for the intensity and frequency of the 
verification of compliance of the operators and groups of oper ­
ators, which is to be established on the basis of the elements 
referred to in Article 9 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625 and of 
Article 38 of this Regulation, and which is to be followed for 
official controls on operators and groups of operators;  
(ii) the standard control procedure, which is to contain a detailed 
description of the control measures that the control body 
undertakes to apply to the operators and groups of operators 
that are subject to its controls;  
(iii) a list of measures that are in conformity with the common 
catalogue referred to in Article 41(4), and that are to be 
applied to operators and groups of operators in cases of 
suspected or established non-compliance;  
(iv) the arrangements for the effective monitoring of the official 
control tasks and tasks related to other official activities 
carried out in relation to operators and groups of operators 
and the arrangements for reporting on those tasks.  
The control body shall notify subsequent amendment of the 
elements referred to in points (i) to (iv) to the competent authority;  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 53  
(b) those competent authorities have procedures and arrangements in 
place to ensure the supervision of control bodies, including to 
verify that the delegated tasks are carried out effectively, indepen ­
dently and objectively, in particular as regards the intensity and 
frequency of the verification of compliance.  
At least once a year, competent authorities shall, pursuant to point (a) of 
Article 33 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, organise audits of the control 
bodies to whom they have delegated official control tasks or tasks 
related to other official activities.  
2. By way of derogation from Article 31(3) of Regulation (EU) 
2017/625, competent authorities may delegate to a control body the 
decision concerning the tasks provided for in point (b) of Article 138(1) 
and in Article 138(2) and (3) of that Regulation.  
3. For the purpose of point (b)(iv) of Article 29 of Regulation (EU) 
2017/625, the standard for the delegation of certain official control tasks 
and certain tasks related to other official activities to verify compliance 
with this Regulation which is relevant in relation to the scope of this 
Regulation is the most recently notified version of the international 
harmonised standard for ‘Conformity assessment – Requirements for 
bodies certifying products, processes and services’, the reference of 
which has been published in the  Official Journal of the European 
Union . 
4. Competent authorities shall not delegate the following official 
control tasks and tasks related to other official activities to control 
bodies:  
(a) the supervision and audit of other control authorities or control 
bodies;  
(b) the power to grant derogations other than derogations for the use of 
plant reproductive material not obtained from organic production;  
(c) the authority to receive notifications of activities by operators or 
groups of operators under Article 34(1) of this Regulation;  
(d) the assessment of the likelihood of non-compliance with the 
provisions of this Regulation that determine the frequency with 
which physical checks are to be performed on organic consignments 
prior to their release for free circulation into the Union in 
accordance with Article 54 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625;  
(e) the establishment of the common catalogue of measures referred to 
in Article 41(4) of this Regulation.  
5. Competent authorities shall not delegate official control tasks or 
tasks related to other official activities to natural persons.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 54  
6. Competent authorities shall ensure that information received from 
control bodies pursuant to Article 32 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625 and 
information on the measures applied by control bodies in the case of 
established or likely non-compliance is collected and used by the 
competent authorities in order to supervise the activities of those 
controls bodies.  
7. Where a competent authority has fully or partially withdrawn the 
delegation of certain official control tasks or certain tasks related to 
other official activities in accordance with point (b) of Article 33 of 
Regulation (EU) 2017/625, it shall decide whether any certificates 
issued by the control bodies concerned before the date of that partial 
or full withdrawal are to remain valid, and shall inform the operators 
concerned of that decision.  
8. Without prejudice to point (b) of Article 33 of Regulation (EU) 
2017/625, before fully or partly withdrawing the delegation of official 
control tasks or tasks related to other official activities in the cases 
referred to in that point, competent authorities may fully or partly 
suspend that delegation:  
(a) for a period that shall not exceed 12 months, during which the 
control body is to remedy the shortcomings identified during 
audits and inspections or to address the non-compliance about 
which information was shared with other control authorities and 
control bodies, with competent authorities as well as with the 
Commission in accordance with Article 43 of this Regulation; or  
(b) for the period during which the accreditation referred to in 
point (b)(iv) of Article 29 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, in 
connection with Article 40(3) of this Regulation, is suspended.  
Where the delegation of official control tasks or tasks related to other 
official activities has been suspended, the control bodies concerned shall 
not issue certificates referred to in Article 35 for those parts for which 
the delegation has been suspended. Competent authorities shall decide 
whether any certificates issued by the control bodies concerned before 
the date of that partial or full suspension are to remain valid, and shall 
inform the operators concerned of that decision.  
Without prejudice to Article 33 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, the 
competent authorities shall lift the suspension of the delegation of 
official control tasks or tasks related to other official activities as 
soon as possible once the control body has remedied the shortcomings 
or non-compliances referred to in point (a) of the first subparagraph or 
once the accreditation body has lifted the suspension of the accreditation 
referred to in point (b) of the first subparagraph.  
9. Where a control body to whom competent authorities have 
delegated certain official control tasks or certain tasks related to other 
official activities has also been recognised by the Commission in 
accordance with Article 46(1) of this Regulation to carry out control 
activities in third countries, and the Commission intends to withdraw or 
has withdrawn the recognition of that control body, competent auth ­
orities shall organise audits or inspections on the control body as  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 55  
regards its activities in the Member State(s) concerned in accordance 
with point (a) of Article 33 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625.  
10. The control bodies shall transmit to the competent authorities:  
(a) a list of the operators which were subject to their controls on 31 
December of the previous year by 31 January of each year; and  
(b) information on the official controls and other official activities 
carried out in the previous year to support the preparation of the 
part on organic production and labelling of organic products of the 
annual report referred to in Article 113 of Regulation (EU) 
2017/625 by 31 March of each year.  
11. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 54 supplementing this Regulation as regards 
conditions for the delegation of official control tasks and tasks related 
to other official activities to control bodies additional to the conditions 
laid down in paragraph 1 of this Article.  
Article 41  
Additional rules on actions in case of non-compliance  
1. Subject to Article 29, where a competent authority, or, where 
appropriate, a control authority or control body, suspects or receives 
substantiated information, including information from other competent 
authorities, or, where appropriate, from other control authorities or 
control bodies, that an operator intends to use or to place on the 
market a product which may not be in compliance with this Regulation 
but which bears terms referring to the organic production, or where such 
competent authority, control authority or control body has been 
informed by an operator of a suspicion of non-compliance in accordance 
with Article 27:  
(a) it shall immediately carry out an official investigation in accordance 
with Regulation (EU) 2017/625 with a view to verifying compliance 
with this Regulation; such investigation shall be completed as soon 
as possible, within a reasonable period, and shall take into account 
the durability of the product and the complexity of the case;  
(b) it shall provisionally prohibit both the placing on the market of the 
products concerned as organic or in-conversion products and their 
use in organic production pending the results of the investigation 
referred to in point (a). Before taking such a decision, the competent 
authority, or, where appropriate, the control authority or control 
body, shall give the operator an opportunity to comment.  
2. In the event that the results of the investigation referred to in 
point (a) of paragraph 1 do not show any non-compliance affecting 
the integrity of organic or in-conversion products, the operator shall 
be allowed to use the products concerned or to place them on the 
market as organic or in-conversion products.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 56  
3. Member States shall take any measures, and provide for any 
necessary sanctions, to prevent fraudulent use of the indications 
referred to in Chapter IV of this Regulation.  
4. Competent authorities shall provide a common catalogue of 
measures for cases of suspected non-compliance and established 
non-compliance to be applied in their territory, including by control 
authorities and control bodies.  
5. The Commission may adopt implementing acts to specify uniform 
arrangements for the cases where competent authorities are to take 
measures in relation to suspected or established non-compliance.  
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the exa ­
mination procedure referred to in Article 55(2).  
Article 42  
Additional rules on measures in the event of non-compliance  
1. In the event of non-compliance affecting the integrity of organic or 
in-conversion products throughout any of the stages of production, 
preparation and distribution, for example as result of the use of 
non-authorised products, substances or techniques, or commingling 
with non-organic products, competent authorities, and, where appro ­
priate, control authorities and control bodies, shall ensure, in addition 
to the measures to be taken in accordance with Article 138 of Regu ­
lation (EU) 2017/625, that no reference is made to organic production in 
the labelling and advertising of the entire lot or production run 
concerned.  
2. In the event of serious, or repetitive or continued non-compliance, 
competent authorities, and, where appropriate, control authorities and 
control bodies, shall ensure that the operators or the groups of 
operators concerned, in addition to the measures laid down in 
paragraph 1 and any appropriate measures taken in particular in 
accordance with Article 138 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, are 
prohibited from marketing products which refer to organic production 
for a given period, and that their certificate referred to in Article 35 be 
suspended or withdrawn, as appropriate.  
Article 43  
Additional rules on the exchange of information  
1. In addition to the obligations laid down in Article 105(1) and 
Article 106(1) of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, competent authorities 
shall immediately share information with other competent authorities, 
as well as with the Commission, on any suspicion of non–compliance 
that affects the integrity of organic or in-conversion products.  
Competent authorities shall share that information with other competent 
authorities and the Commission via a computer system that enables the 
electronic exchanges of documents and information made available by 
the Commission.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 57  
2. In cases where suspected or established non-compliance has been 
identified with regard to products under the control of other control 
authorities or control bodies, control authorities and control bodies 
shall immediately inform those other control authorities or control 
bodies.  
3. Control authorities and control bodies shall exchange other 
relevant information with other control authorities and control bodies.  
4. Upon receiving a request for information that is justified by the 
need to guarantee that a product has been produced in accordance with 
this Regulation, control authorities and control bodies shall exchange 
with other competent authorities, as well as with the Commission, 
information on the results of their controls.  
5. Competent authorities shall exchange information on the super ­
vision of the control bodies with national accreditation bodies as 
defined in point (11) of Article 2 of Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 of 
the European Parliament and of the Council (  1 ). 
6. Competent authorities shall take appropriate measures and 
establish documented procedures in order to ensure that information 
about the results of controls is communicated to the paying agency in 
accordance with its needs for the purpose of Article 58 of Regu ­
lation (EU) No 1306/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Coun ­
cil (  2 ) and the acts adopted on the basis of that Article.  
7. The Commission may adopt implementing acts to specify the 
information to be provided by the competent authorities, control auth ­
orities and control bodies in charge of the official controls and other 
official activities in accordance with this Article, the relevant recipients 
of that information and the procedures in accordance with which this 
information is to be provided, including the functionalities of the 
computer system referred to in paragraph 1.  
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the exa ­
mination procedure referred to in Article 55(2).  
CHAPTER VII  
TRADE WITH THIRD COUNTRIES  
Article 44  
Export of organic products  
1. A product may be exported from the Union as an organic product 
and may bear the organic production logo of the European Union, 
provided that it complies with the rules for organic production under 
this Regulation.  ▼B 
( 1 ) Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council 
of 9 July 2008 setting out the requirements for accreditation and market 
surveillance relating to the marketing of products and repealing 
Regulation (EEC) No 339/93 (OJ L 218, 13.8.2008, p. 30). 
( 2 ) Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council of 17 December 2013 on the financing, management and monitoring 
of the common agricultural policy and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) 
No 352/78, (EC) No 165/94, (EC) No 2799/98, (EC) No 814/2000, (EC) 
No 1290/2005 and (EC) No 485/2008 (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 549). 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 58  
2. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 54 supplementing this Regulation as regards 
documents intended for customs authorities in third countries, in 
particular as regards the issuing of organic export certificates in elec ­
tronic form wherever possible and the provision of assurances that 
exported organic products comply with this Regulation.  
Article 45  
Import of organic and in-conversion products  
1. A product may be imported from a third country for the purpose 
of placing that product on the market within the Union as an organic 
product or as an in-conversion product, provided that the following 
three conditions are met:  
(a) the product is a product as referred to in Article 2(1);  
(b) one of the following applies:  
(i) the product complies with Chapters II, III and IV of this Regu ­
lation, and all operators and groups of operators referred to in 
Article 36, including exporters in the third country concerned, 
have been subject to controls by control authorities or control 
bodies recognised in accordance with Article 46, and those 
authorities or bodies have provided all such operators, groups 
of operators and exporters with a certificate confirming that 
they comply with this Regulation;  
(ii) in cases where the product comes from a third country which is 
recognised in accordance with Article 47, that product 
complies with the conditions laid down in the relevant trade 
agreement; or  
(iii) in cases where the product comes from a third country which is 
recognised in accordance with Article 48, that product 
complies with the equivalent production and control rules of 
that third country and is imported with a certificate of 
inspection confirming this compliance that was issued by the 
competent authorities, control authorities or control bodies of 
that third country; and  
(c) the operators in third countries are able at any time to provide the 
importers and the national authorities in the Union and in those 
third countries with information allowing the identification of the 
operators that are their suppliers and the control authorities or 
control bodies of those suppliers, with a view to ensuring the tracea ­
bility of the organic or in-conversion product concerned. That 
information shall also be made available to the control authorities 
or control bodies of the importers.  
2. The Commission may, in accordance with the procedure set out in 
Article 24(9), grant specific authorisations for the use of products and 
substances in third countries and in the outermost regions of the Union, 
taking into account differences in the ecological balance in plant or 
animal production, specific climatic conditions, traditions and local 
conditions in those areas. Such specific authorisations may be granted 
for a renewable period of two years and shall be subject to the prin ­
ciples laid down in Chapter II and to the criteria set out in Article 24(3) 
and (6).  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 59  
3. When providing for the criteria for determining whether a situation 
qualifies as catastrophic circumstances, and when laying down specific 
rules on how to deal with such circumstances in accordance with 
Article 22, the Commission shall take into account differences in the 
ecological balance, climate and local conditions in third countries and in 
the outermost regions of the Union.  
4. The Commission shall adopt implementing acts to lay down 
specific rules concerning the content of the certificates referred to in 
point (b) of paragraph 1, the procedure to be followed for their issuance, 
their verification and the technical means by which the certificate is 
issued, in particular as regards the role of competent authorities, 
control authorities and control bodies, ensuring the traceability and 
compliance of imported products intended to be placed on the Union 
market as organic products or as in-conversion products as referred to in 
paragraph 1.  
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the exa ­
mination procedure referred to in Article 55(2).  
5. Compliance with the conditions and measures for the import of 
organic products and in-conversion products referred to in paragraph 1 
into the Union shall be ascertained at border control posts, in 
accordance with Article 47(1) of Regulation (EU) 2017/625. The 
frequency of the physical checks referred to in Article 49(2) of that 
Regulation shall depend on the likelihood of non-compliance as 
defined in point (57) of Article 3 of this Regulation.  
Article 46  
Recognition of control authorities and control bodies  
1. The Commission may adopt implementing acts to recognise 
control authorities and control bodies that are competent to carry out 
controls and to issue organic certificates in third countries, to withdraw 
the recognition of such control authorities and control bodies, and to 
establish a list of recognised control authorities and control bodies.  
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the exa ­
mination procedure referred to in Article 55(2).  
2. Control authorities or control bodies shall be recognised in 
accordance with paragraph 1 of this Article for the control of import 
of the categories of products listed in Article 35(7) if they fulfil the 
following criteria:  
(a) they are legally established in one Member State or third country;  
(b) they have the capacity to carry out controls to ensure that the 
conditions set out in points (a), (b)(i) and (c) of Article 45(1) and 
in this Article are met in relation to organic products and 
in-conversion products intended for import into the Union;  
(c) they offer adequate guarantees of objectivity and impartiality and 
are free from any conflict of interest as regards the exercise of their 
control tasks;  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 60  
(d) in the case of control bodies, they are accredited under the relevant 
harmonised standard for ‘Conformity assessment – Requirements 
for bodies certifying products, processes and services’, the 
reference of which has been published in the  Official Journal of 
the European Union ; 
(e) they have the expertise, equipment and infrastructure required to 
carry out control tasks, and have a sufficient number of suitable 
qualified and experienced staff; and  
(f) they meet any additional criteria that may be laid down in a 
delegated act adopted pursuant to paragraph 7.  
3. The accreditation referred to in point (d) of paragraph 2 may only 
be granted by:  
(a) a national accreditation body in the Union in accordance with 
Regulation (EC) No 765/2008; or  
(b) an accreditation body outside the Union that is a signatory of a 
multilateral recognition arrangement under the auspices of the Inter ­
national Accreditation Forum.  
4. Control authorities and control bodies shall submit a request for 
recognition to the Commission. Such request shall consist of a technical 
dossier containing all information that is necessary to ensure that the 
criteria set out in paragraph 2 are met.  
The control authorities shall provide the latest assessment report issued 
by the competent authority, and the control bodies shall provide the 
accreditation certificate issued by the accreditation body. Where appro ­
priate, control authorities or control bodies shall also provide latest 
reports on the regular on-the-spot evaluation, surveillance and multi ­
annual re-assessment of their activities.  
5. Based on the information referred to under paragraph 4 and on 
any other relevant information relating to the control authority or control 
body, the Commission shall ensure appropriate supervision of the 
recognised control authorities and control bodies by regularly 
reviewing their performance and recognition. For the purposes of that 
supervision, the Commission may request additional information from 
the accreditation bodies or the competent authorities, as appropriate.  
6. The nature of the supervision referred to in paragraph 5 shall be 
determined on the basis of an assessment of the likelihood of 
non-compliance, taking into account, in particular, the activity of the 
control authority or control body, the type of products and operators 
under its control and the changes in the production rules and control 
measures.  
The recognition of control authorities or of control bodies referred to in 
paragraph 1 shall in particular be withdrawn without delay, in 
accordance with the procedure referred to in that paragraph, where 
serious or repetitive infringements as regards the certification or the 
controls and actions laid down in accordance with paragraph 8 have 
been detected and where the control authority or control body concerned 
has failed to take appropriate and timely remedial action in reaction to a  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 61  
request by the Commission within a period determined by the 
Commission. Such period shall be determined in accordance with the 
severity of the problem and in general shall not be less than 30 days.  
7. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 54:  
(a) amending paragraph 2 of this Article by adding further criteria to 
those laid down therein for the recognition of the control authorities 
and control bodies referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article and for 
the withdrawal of such recognition, or by amending those added 
criteria;  
(b) supplementing this Regulation as regards:  
(i) the exercise of the supervision of the control authorities and 
control bodies recognised by the Commission in accordance 
with paragraph 1, including on-the-spot examinations; and  
(ii) the controls and other actions to be performed by those control 
authorities and control bodies.  
8. The Commission may adopt implementing acts to ensure the 
application of the measures to be taken in relation to cases of 
suspected or established non-compliance, in particular those affecting 
the integrity of organic or in-conversion products imported under the 
recognition provided for in this Article. Such measures may consist in 
particular in the verification of the integrity of organic or in-conversion 
products before placing the products on the market within the Union 
and, where appropriate, in the suspension of the authorisation for the 
placing on the market of such products within the Union as organic 
products or in-conversion products.  
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the exa ­
mination procedure referred to in Article 55(2).  
9. On duly justified imperative grounds of urgency relating to unfair 
practices or practices which are incompatible with the principles and 
rules on organic production, the protection of consumers’ confidence or 
the protection of fair competition between operators, the Commission 
shall adopt immediately applicable implementing acts in accordance 
with the procedure referred to in Article 55(3) to take the measures 
referred to in paragraph 8 of this Article or to decide on the withdrawal 
of the recognition of the control authorities and control bodies referred 
to in paragraph 1 of this Article.  
Article 47  
Equivalence under a trade agreement  
A recognised third country referred to in point (b)(ii) of Article 45(1) is 
a third country which the Union has recognised under a trade agreement 
as having a system of production meeting the same objectives and 
principles by applying rules which ensure the same level of assurance 
of conformity as those of the Union.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 62  
Article 48  
Equivalence under Regulation (EC) No 834/2007  
1. A recognised third country referred to in point (b)(iii) of 
Article 45(1) is a third country which has been recognised for the 
purposes of equivalence under Article 33(2) of Regulation (EC) 
No 834/2007, including those recognised under the transitional 
measure provided for in Article 58 of this Regulation.  
That recognition shall expire on 31 December 2025.  
2. On the basis of annual reports to be sent to the Commission, by 31 
March of each year, by the third countries referred to in paragraph 1 
regarding the implementation and enforcement of the control measures 
established by them, and in the light of any other information received, 
the Commission shall ensure appropriate supervision of the recognised 
third countries by regularly reviewing their recognition. For this 
purpose, the Commission may request the assistance of Member 
States. The nature of the supervision shall be determined on the basis 
of an assessment of the likelihood of non-compliance, taking into 
account in particular the volume of exports to the Union from the 
third country concerned, the results of the monitoring and supervisory 
activities carried out by the competent authority and the results of 
previous controls. The Commission shall regularly report to the 
European Parliament and the Council on the outcome of its review.  
3. The Commission shall, by means of an implementing act, establish 
a list of the third countries referred to in paragraph 1 and may amend 
that list by means of implementing acts.  
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the exa ­
mination procedure referred to in Article 55(2).  
4. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 54 supplementing this Regulation as regards 
the information to be sent by the third countries listed in accordance 
with paragraph 3 of this Article which is necessary for the supervision 
of their recognition by the Commission, as well as the exercise of that 
supervision by the Commission, including through on-the-spot 
examination.  
5. The Commission may adopt implementing acts to ensure the 
application of measures in relation to cases of suspected or established 
non-compliance, in particular those affecting the integrity of organic or 
in-conversion products imported from third countries referred to in this 
Article. Such measures may consist in particular in the verification of 
the integrity of organic or in-conversion products before placing the 
products on the market within the Union and, where appropriate, in 
the suspension of the authorisation for the placing on the market of 
such products within the Union as organic products or in-conversion 
products.  
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the exa ­
mination procedure referred to in Article 55(2).  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 63  
Article 49  
Report from the Commission on the application of Articles 47 and 48  
By 31 December 2021, the Commission shall present a report to the 
European Parliament and the Council on the state of application of 
Articles 47 and 48, in particular as regards the recognition of third 
countries for the purpose of equivalence.  
CHAPTER VIII  
GENERAL PROVISIONS  
SECTION 1  
Free movement of organic and in-conversion products  
Article 50  
Non-prohibition and non-restriction of the marketing of organic 
and in-conversion products  
Competent authorities, control authorities and control bodies shall not, 
on grounds that relate to the production, labelling or presentation of the 
products, prohibit or restrict the marketing of organic or in-conversion 
products subject to control by another competent authority, control 
authority or control body located in another Member State where 
those products comply with this Regulation. In particular, no official 
controls and other official activities other than those under 
Regulation (EU) 2017/625 shall be performed and no fees for official 
controls and other official activities other than those provided for in 
Chapter VI of that Regulation shall be collected.  
SECTION 2  
Information, reporting and related derogations  
Article 51  
Information relating to the organic sector and trade  
1. Each year Member States shall transmit to the Commission the 
information necessary for the implementation and monitoring of the 
application of this Regulation. As far as possible, such information 
shall be based on established sources of data. The Commission shall 
take into account the data needs and synergies between potential data 
sources, in particular their use for statistical purposes where appropriate.  
2. The Commission shall adopt implementing acts as regards the 
system to be used for transmitting the information referred to in 
paragraph 1, the details of information to be transmitted, and the date 
by which that information is to be transmitted.  
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the exa ­
mination procedure referred to in Article 55(2).  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 64  
Article 52  
Information relating to the competent authorities, control 
authorities and control bodies  
1. Members States shall keep a regularly updated list of:  
(a) the names and addresses of the competent authorities; and  
(b) the names, addresses and code numbers of the control authorities 
and control bodies.  
Member States shall transmit those lists, and any change thereof, to the 
Commission and make them public, except where such transmission and 
publication has already taken place in accordance with Article 4(4) of 
Regulation (EU) 2017/625.  
2. Based on the information provided for under paragraph 1, the 
Commission shall regularly publish on the internet an updated list of 
control authorities and control bodies referred to in point (b) of 
paragraph 1.  
Article 53  
Derogations, authorisations and report  
1. The derogations from the use of organic plant reproductive 
material and from the use of organic animals provided in points 1.8.5 
of Part I of Annex II and points 1.3.4.3 and 1.3.4.4 of Part II of 
Annex II, with the exception of point 1.3.4.4.2 of Part II of 
Annex II, shall expire on 31 December 2035.  
2. From 1 January 2028, based on the conclusions as regards avail ­
ability of organic plant reproductive material and animals presented in 
the report provided for in paragraph 7 of this Article, the Commission 
shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with 
Article 54 amending this Regulation by:  
(a) ending the derogations referred to in point 1.8.5 of Part I of 
Annex II and in points 1.3.4.3 and 1.3.4.4 of Part II of Annex II, 
with the exception of point 1.3.4.4.2 of Part II of Annex II, at an 
earlier date than 31 December 2035 or extending them beyond that 
date; or  
(b) ending the derogation referred to in point 1.3.4.4.2 of Part II of 
Annex II.  
3. From 1 January 2026, the Commission shall be empowered to 
adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 54 amending 
point (b) of Article 26(2) to extend the scope of the information 
system referred to in Article 26(2) to pullets and point 1.3.4.3 of Part 
II of Annex II to base the derogations concerning pullets on the data 
collected in accordance with this system.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 65  
4. From 1 January 2025, the Commission shall be empowered to 
adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 54, based on the 
information as regards availability of organic protein feed for poultry 
and porcine animals made available by Member States in accordance 
with paragraph 6 of this Article or presented in the report referred to in 
paragraph 7 of this Article, ending the authorisations to use non-organic 
protein feed in the nutrition of poultry and porcine animals referred to in 
points 1.9.3.1(c) and 1.9.4.2(c) of Part II of Annex II at an earlier date 
than 31 December 2025 or extending them beyond that date.  
5. When extending the derogations or authorisations referred to in 
paragraphs 2, 3 and 4, the Commission shall do so only for as long as it 
has information, in particular information provided by Member States in 
accordance with paragraph 6, that confirms the unavailability on the 
Union market of the plant reproductive material, animal or feed 
concerned.  
6. By 30 June of each year, Member States shall make available to 
the Commission and to the other Member States:  
(a) information provided in the database referred to in Article 26(1) and 
in the systems referred to in Article 26(2) and, if relevant, in the 
systems referred to in Article 26(3);  
(b) information on the derogations granted in accordance with 
point 1.8.5 of Part I of Annex II and points 1.3.4.3 and 1.3.4.4 
of Part II of Annex II; and  
(c) information on the availability on the Union market of organic 
protein feed for poultry and porcine animals and on the authoris ­
ations granted in accordance with points 1.9.3.1(c) and 1.9.4.2(c) of 
Part II of Annex II.  
7. By 31 December 2025, the Commission shall present a report to 
the European Parliament and the Council on the availability on the 
Union market of and, if relevant, on the causes of limited access to:  
(a) organic plant reproductive material;  
(b) organic animals covered by the derogations referred to in points 
1.3.4.3 and 1.3.4.4 of Part II of Annex II;  
(c) organic protein feed intended for the nutrition of poultry and 
porcine animals subject to the authorisations referred to in points 
1.9.3.1(c) and 1.9.4.2(c) of Part II of Annex II.  
In drawing up that report, the Commission shall take into account, in 
particular, the data collected in accordance with Article 26 and the 
information relating to the derogations and the authorisations referred 
to in paragraph 6 of this Article.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 66  
CHAPTER IX  
PROCEDURAL, TRANSITIONAL AND FINAL PROVISIONS  
SECTION 1  
Procedural provisions  
Article 54  
Exercise of the delegation  
1. The power to adopt delegated acts is conferred on the Commission 
subject to the conditions laid down in this Article.  
2. ►C1 The power to adopt delegated acts referred to in Article 2(6), 
Article 9(11), Article 10(5), Article 12(2), Article 13(3), Article 14(2), 
Article 15(2), Article 16(2), Article 17(2), Article 18(2), Article 19(2), 
Article 21(1), Article 22(1), Article 23(2), Article 24(6), Article 30(7), 
Article 32(4), Article 33(6), Article 34(8), Article 35(9), Article 36(3), 
Article 38(8), Article 40(11), Article 44(2), Article 46(7), Article 48(4), 
Article 53(2), (3) and (4), Article 57(3) and Article 58(2) shall be 
conferred on the Commission for a period of five years from 
17 June 2018. ◄ The Commission shall draw up a report in respect 
of the delegation of power no later than nine months before the end of 
the five-year period. The delegation of power shall be tacitly extended 
for periods of an identical duration, unless the European Parliament or 
the Council opposes such extension not later than three months before 
the end of each period.  
3. The delegation of power referred to in Article 2(6), Article 9(11), 
Article 10(5), Article 12(2), Article 13(3), Article 14(2), Article 15(2), 
Article 16(2), Article 17(2), Article 18(2), Article 19(2), Article 21(1), 
Article 22(1), Article 23(2), Article 24(6), Article 30(7), Article 32(4), 
Article 33(6), Article 34(8), Article 35(9), Article 36(3), Article 38(8), 
Article 40(11), Article 44(2), Article 46(7), Article 48(4), Article 53(2), 
(3) and (4), Article 57(3) and Article 58(2) may be revoked at any time 
by the European Parliament or by the Council. A decision to revoke 
shall put an end to the delegation of the power specified in that 
decision. It shall take effect on the day following the publication of 
the decision in the  Official Journal of the European Union  or at a later 
date specified therein. It shall not affect the validity of any delegated 
acts already in force.  
4. Before adopting a delegated act, the Commission shall consult 
experts designated by each Member State in accordance with the prin ­
ciples laid down in the Interinstitutional Agreement of 13 April 2016 on 
Better Law-Making.  
5. As soon as it adopts a delegated act, the Commission shall notify 
it simultaneously to the European Parliament and to the Council.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 67  
6. A delegated act adopted pursuant to Article 2(6), Article 9(11), 
Article 10(5), Article 12(2), Article 13(3), Article 14(2), Article 15(2), 
Article 16(2), Article 17(2), Article 18(2), Article 19(2), Article 21(1), 
Article 22(1), Article 23(2), Article 24(6), Article 30(7), Article 32(4), 
Article 33(6), Article 34(8), Article 35(9), Article 36(3), Article 38(8), 
Article 40(11), Article 44(2), Article 46(7), Article 48(4), Article 53(2), 
(3) and (4), Article 57(3) and Article 58(2) shall enter into force only if 
no objection has been expressed either by the European Parliament or 
by the Council within a period of two months of notification of that act 
to the European Parliament and the Council or if, before the expiry of 
that period, the European Parliament and the Council have both 
informed the Commission that they will not object. That period shall 
be extended by two months at the initiative of the European Parliament 
or of the Council.  
Article 55  
Committee procedure  
1. The Commission shall be assisted by a committee called the 
‘Organic Production Committee’. That committee shall be a 
committee within the meaning of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011.  
2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Article 5 of Regu ­
lation (EU) No 182/2011 shall apply.  
3. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Article 8 of Regu ­
lation (EU) No 182/2011, in conjunction with Article 5 thereof, shall 
apply.  
4. Where the Committee delivers no opinion, the Commission shall 
not adopt the draft implementing act and the third subparagraph of 
Article 5(4) of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 shall apply.  
SECTION 2  
Repeal and transitional and final provisions  
Article 56  
Repeal  
Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 is repealed.  
However, that Regulation shall continue to apply for the purpose of 
completing the examination of pending applications from third coun ­
tries, as provided for in Article 58 of this Regulation.  
References to the repealed Regulation shall be construed as references 
to this Regulation.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 68  
Article 57  
Transitional measures relating to control authorities and control 
bodies recognised under Article 33(3) of Regulation (EC) 
No 834/2007  
1. The recognition of control authorities and control bodies granted 
under Article 33(3) of Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 shall expire by 
31 December 2023 at the latest.  
2. The Commission shall, by means of an implementing act, establish 
a list of the control authorities and control bodies recognised under 
Article 33(3) of Regulation (EC) No 834/2007, and may amend that 
list by means of implementing acts.  
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the exa ­
mination procedure referred to in Article 55(2).  
3. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 54 supplementing this Regulation as regards 
the information to be sent by the control authorities and control 
bodies referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article which is necessary 
for the purpose of the supervision of their recognition by the 
Commission, as well as the exercise of that supervision by the 
Commission, including through on-the-spot examination.  
Article 58  
Transitional measures relating to applications from third countries 
submitted under Article 33(2) of Regulation (EC) No 834/2007  
1. The Commission shall complete the examination of applications 
from third countries which have been submitted under Article 33(2) of 
Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 and which are pending on 17 June 2018. 
That Regulation shall apply to the examination of such applications.  
2. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 54 supplementing this Regulation by laying 
down the procedural rules necessary for the examination of the appli ­
cations referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article, including on the 
information to be submitted by third countries.  
Article 59  
Transitional measures relating to the first recognition of control 
authorities and control bodies  
By way of derogation from the date of application referred to in the 
second paragraph of Article 61, Article 46 shall apply from 17 June 
2018 insofar as necessary in order to allow a timely recognition of 
control authorities and control bodies.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 69  
Article 60  
Transitional measures for stocks of organic products produced in 
accordance with Regulation (EC) No 834/2007  
Products produced in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 
before 1 January 2021 may be placed on the market after that date until 
stocks are exhausted.  
Article 61  
Entry into force and application  
This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day following that of 
its publication in the  Official Journal of the European Union . 
It shall apply from 1 January 2021.  
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in 
all Member States.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 70  
ANNEX I  
OTHER PRODUCTS REFERRED TO IN ARTICLE 2(1)  
— Yeasts used as food or feed,  
— maté, sweetcorn, vine leaves, palm hearts, hop shoots, and other similar 
edible parts of plants and products produced therefrom,  
— sea salt and other salts for food and feed,  
— silkworm cocoon suitable for reeling,  
— natural gums and resins,  
— beeswax,  
— essential oils,  
— cork stoppers of natural cork, not agglomerated, and without any binding 
substances,  
— cotton, not carded or combed,  
— wool, not carded or combed,  
— raw hides and untreated skins,  
— plant-based traditional herbal preparations.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 71  
ANNEX II  
DETAILED PRODUCTION RULES REFERRED TO IN CHAPTER III  
Part I: Plant production rules  
In addition to the production rules laid down in Articles 9 to 12, the rules set out 
in this Part shall apply to organic plant production.  
1. General requirements  
1.1. Organic crops, except those which are naturally grown in water, shall 
be produced in living soil, or in living soil mixed or fertilised with 
materials and products allowed in organic production, in connection 
with the subsoil and bedrock.  
1.2. Hydroponic production, which is a method of growing plants which do 
not naturally grow in water with their roots in a nutrient solution only 
or in an inert medium to which a nutrient solution is added, is 
prohibited.  
1.3. By way of derogation from point 1.1, the production of sprouts by 
moistening of seeds and the obtaining of chicory heads including by 
dipping in clear water shall be allowed.  
1.4. By way of derogation from point 1.1, the following practices shall be 
allowed:  
(a) growing plants for the production of ornamentals and herbs in pots 
to be sold together with the pot to the final consumer;  
(b) growing seedlings or transplants in containers for further 
transplanting.  
1.5. By way of derogation from point 1.1, growing crops in demarcated 
beds shall only be allowed for the surfaces that have been certified as 
organic for that practice before 28 June 2017 in Finland, Sweden and 
Denmark. No extension of those surfaces shall be permitted.  
That derogation shall expire on 31 December 2030.  
By 31 December 2025, the Commission shall present a report to the 
European Parliament and the Council on the use of demarcated beds in 
organic agriculture. That report may be accompanied, where appro ­
priate, by a legislative proposal on the use of demarcated beds in 
organic agriculture.  
1.6. All plant production techniques used shall prevent or minimise any 
contribution to the contamination of the environment.  
1.7. Conversion  
1.7.1. For plants and plant products to be considered as organic products, the 
production rules laid down in this Regulation shall have been applied 
with respect to the parcels during a conversion period of at least two 
years before sowing, or, in the case of grassland or perennial forage, 
during a period of at least two years before its use as organic feed, or, 
in the case of perennial crops other than forage, during a period of at 
least three years before the first harvest of organic products.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 72  
1.7.2. Where the land or one or more parcels thereof have been contaminated 
with products or substances not authorised for use in organic 
production, the competent authority may decide to extend the 
conversion period for the land or parcels concerned beyond the 
period referred to in point 1.7.1.  
1.7.3. In the case of treatment with a product or a substance not authorised 
for use in organic production, the competent authority shall require a 
new conversion period in accordance with point 1.7.1.  
That period may be shortened in the following two cases:  
(a) treatment with a product or a substance not authorised for use in 
organic production as part of a compulsory control measure for 
pests or weeds, including quarantine organisms or invasive 
species, imposed by the competent authority of the Member 
State concerned;  
(b) treatment with a product or a substance not authorised for use in 
organic production as part of scientific tests approved by the 
competent authority of the Member State concerned.  
1.7.4. In the cases referred to in points 1.7.2 and 1.7.3, the length of the 
conversion period shall be fixed taking into account the following 
requirements:  
(a) the process of degradation of the product or substance concerned 
must guarantee, at the end of the conversion period, an insig ­
nificant level of residues in the soil and, in the case of a 
perennial crop, in the plant;  
(b) the harvest following the treatment may not be placed on the 
market as organic or in-conversion products.  
1.7.4.1. Member States shall inform the Commission and the other Member 
States of any decision taken by them which lays down compulsory 
measures related to treatment with a product or a substance not auth ­
orised for use in organic production.  
1.7.4.2. In the case of treatment with a product or a substance which is not 
authorised for use in organic production, point 1.7.5(b) shall not apply.  
1.7.5. In the case of land associated with organic livestock production:  
(a) the conversion rules shall apply to the whole area of the 
production unit on which animal feed is produced;  
(b) notwithstanding point (a), the conversion period may be reduced to 
one year for pasturages and open air areas used by non-herbivore 
species.  
1.8. Origin of plants including plant reproductive material  
1.8.1. For the production of plants and plant products other than plant repro ­
ductive material, only organic plant reproductive material shall be 
used. ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 73  
1.8.2. To obtain organic plant reproductive material to be used for the 
production of products other than plant reproductive material, the 
mother plant and, where relevant, other plants intended for plant repro ­
ductive material production shall have been produced in accordance 
with this Regulation for at least one generation, or, in the case of 
perennial crops, for at least one generation during two growing 
seasons.  
1.8.3. When choosing organic plant reproductive material, operators shall 
give preference to organic plant reproductive material suitable for 
organic agriculture.  
1.8.4. For the production of organic varieties suitable for organic production, 
the organic breeding activities shall be conducted under organic 
conditions and shall focus on enhancement of genetic diversity, 
reliance on natural reproductive ability, as well as agronomic 
performance, disease resistance and adaptation to diverse local soil 
and climate conditions.  
All multiplication practices except meristem culture shall be carried 
out under certified organic management.  
1.8.5. Use of in-conversion and non-organic plant reproductive material  
1.8.5.1. By way of derogation from point 1.8.1, where the data collected in the 
database referred to in Article 26(1) or the system referred to in 
point (a) of Article 26(2) shows that the qualitative or quantitative 
needs of the operator regarding relevant organic plant reproductive 
material, excluding seedlings, are not met, competent authorities may 
authorise the use of in-conversion or non-organic plant reproductive 
material under the conditions laid down in points 1.8.5.3, 1.8.5.4 and 
1.8.5.5.  
Prior to requesting any such derogation, the operator shall consult the 
database referred to in Article 26(1) or the system referred to in 
point (a) of Article 26(2) in order to verify whether his or her 
request is justified.  
1.8.5.2. Control authorities or control bodies recognised in accordance with 
Article 46(1) may authorise operators in third countries to use 
in-conversion or non-organic plant reproductive material in an 
organic production unit when organic plant reproductive material is 
not available in sufficient quality or quantity in the territory of the 
third country in which the operator is located, under the conditions laid 
down under points 1.8.5.3, 1.8.5.4 and 1.8.5.5.  
1.8.5.3. Non-organic plant reproductive material shall not be treated with plant 
protection products other than those authorised for the treatment of 
seed in accordance with Article 24(1) of this Regulation, unless 
chemical treatment has been prescribed in accordance with 
Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 for phytosanitary purposes by the 
competent authority of the Member State concerned for all varieties 
of a given species in the area in which the plant reproductive material 
is to be used.  
1.8.5.4. The authorisation to use in-conversion or non-organic plant repro ­
ductive material shall be obtained before the sowing of the crop.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 74  
1.8.5.5. The authorisation to use in-conversion or non-organic plant repro ­
ductive material shall be granted only to individual users for one 
season at a time, and the competent authority responsible for author ­
isations shall list the quantities of the authorised plant reproductive 
material.  
1.9. Soil management and fertilisation  
1.9.1. In organic plant production, tillage and cultivation practices shall be 
used that maintain or increase soil organic matter, enhance soil 
stability and soil biodiversity, and prevent soil compaction and soil 
erosion.  
1.9.2. The fertility and biological activity of the soil shall be maintained and 
increased:  
(a) except in the case of grassland or perennial forage, by the use of 
multiannual crop rotation including mandatory leguminous crops 
as the main or cover crop for rotating crops and other green 
manure crops;  
(b) in the case of greenhouses or perennial crops other than forage, by 
the use of short-term green manure crops and legumes as well as 
the use of plant diversity; and  
(c) in all cases, by the application of livestock manure or organic 
matter, both preferably composted, from organic production.  
1.9.3. Where the nutritional needs of plants cannot be met by the measures 
provided for in points 1.9.1 and 1.9.2, only fertilisers and soil 
conditioners that have been authorised pursuant to Article 24 for use 
in organic production shall be used, and only to the extent necessary. 
Operators shall keep records of the use of those products.  
1.9.4. The total amount of livestock manure, as defined in Directive 
91/676/EEC, used in the in-conversion and organic production units 
shall not exceed 170 kg of nitrogen per year/hectare of agricultural 
area used. That limit shall only apply to the use of farmyard manure, 
dried farmyard manure and dehydrated poultry manure, composted 
animal excrement, including poultry manure, composted farmyard 
manure and liquid animal excrement.  
1.9.5. Operators of agricultural holdings may establish written cooperation 
agreements exclusively with operators of other agricultural holdings 
and undertakings which comply with the organic production rules, for 
the purpose of spreading surplus manure from organic production 
units. The maximum limit referred to in point 1.9.4 shall be calculated 
on the basis of all of the organic production units involved in such 
cooperation.  
1.9.6. Preparations of micro-organisms may be used to improve the overall 
condition of the soil or to improve the availability of nutrients in the 
soil or in the crops.  
1.9.7. For compost activation, appropriate plant-based preparations and prep ­
arations of micro-organisms may be used.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 75  
1.9.8. Mineral nitrogen fertilisers shall not be used.  
1.9.9. Biodynamic preparations may be used.  
1.10. Pest and weed management  
1.10.1. The prevention of damage caused by pests and weeds shall rely 
primarily on the protection by:  
— natural enemies,  
— the choice of species, varieties and heterogeneous material,  
— crop rotation,  
— cultivation techniques such as biofumigation, mechanical and 
physical methods, and  
— thermal processes such as solarisation and, in the case of protected 
crops, shallow steam treatment of the soil (to a maximum depth of 
10 cm).  
1.10.2. Where plants cannot adequately be protected from pests by measures 
provided for in point 1.10.1 or in the case of an established threat to a 
crop, only products and substances authorised pursuant to Articles 9 
and 24 for use in organic production shall be used, and only to the 
extent necessary. Operators shall keep records proving the need for the 
use of such products.  
1.10.3. In relation to products and substances used in traps or in dispensers of 
products and substances other than pheromones, the traps or dispensers 
shall prevent the products and substances from being released into the 
environment and shall prevent contact between the products and 
substances and the crops being cultivated. All traps, including 
pheromone traps, shall be collected after use and shall be safely 
disposed of.  
1.11. Products used for cleaning and disinfection  
Only those products for cleaning and disinfection in plant production 
authorised pursuant to Article 24 for use in organic production shall be 
used for that purpose.  
1.12. Record-keeping obligation  
Operators shall keep records regarding the parcels concerned and the 
amount of the harvest.  
1.13. Preparation of unprocessed products  
If preparation operations other than processing are carried out on 
plants, the general requirements laid down in points 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 
1.5 and 2.2.3 of Part IV shall apply  mutatis mutandis  to such 
operations.  
2. Detailed rules for specific plants and plant products  
2.1. Rules on mushroom production  
For the production of mushrooms, substrates may be used if they are 
composed only of the following components:  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 76  
(a) farmyard manure and animal excrement:  
(i) either from organic production units or from in-conversion 
units in their second year of conversion; or  
(ii) referred to in point 1.9.3, only when the product referred to in 
point (i) is not available, provided that that farmyard manure 
and animal excrement do not exceed 25 % of the weight of 
total components of the substrate, excluding the covering 
material and any added water, before composting;  
(b) products of agricultural origin, other than those referred to in 
point (a), from organic production units;  
(c) peat, not treated with chemical products;  
(d) wood, not treated with chemical products after felling;  
(e) mineral products referred to in point 1.9.3, water and soil.  
2.2. Rules concerning the collection of wild plants  
The collection of wild plants and parts thereof growing naturally in 
natural areas, forests and agricultural areas is considered as organic 
production, provided that:  
(a) for a period of at least three years before the collection, those areas 
were not treated with products or substances other than those 
authorised pursuant to Articles 9 and 24 for use in organic 
production;  
(b) the collection does not affect the stability of the natural habitat or 
the maintenance of the species in the collection area.  
Part II: Livestock production rules  
In addition to the production rules laid down in Articles 9, 10, 11 and 14, the 
rules laid down in this Part shall apply to organic livestock production.  
1. General requirements  
1.1. Except in the case of beekeeping, landless livestock production, where 
the farmer intending to produce organic livestock does not manage 
agricultural land and has not established a written cooperation 
agreement with a farmer as regards the use of organic production 
units or in-conversion production units for that livestock, shall be 
prohibited.  
1.2. Conversion  
1.2.1. In the case of simultaneous start of conversion of the production unit, 
including pasturage or any land used for animal feed, and of the 
animals existing on this production unit at the beginning of the 
conversion period of this production unit as referred to in points 
1.7.1 and 1.7.5(b) of Part I, animals and animal products may be 
considered organic at the end of the conversion period of the 
production unit, even if the conversion period laid down in 
point 1.2.2 of this Part for the type of animal concerned is longer 
than the conversion period for the production unit.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 77  
By derogation from point 1.4.3.1, in the case of such simultaneous 
conversion and during the conversion period of the production unit, 
animals present in this production unit since the beginning of the 
conversion period may be fed with in-conversion feed produced on 
the in-conversion production unit during the first year of conversion 
and/or with feed in accordance with point 1.4.3.1 and/or with organic 
feed.  
Non-organic animals may be introduced into an in-conversion 
production unit after the start of the conversion period in accordance 
with point 1.3.4.  
1.2.2. Conversion periods specific to the type of animal production are set 
out as follows:  
(a) 12 months in the case of bovine animals and equine animals for 
meat production, and in any case no less than three quarters of 
their lifetime;  
(b) six months in the case of ovine animals, caprine animals and 
porcine animals and animals for milk production;  
(c) 10 weeks for poultry for meat production, except for Peking 
ducks, brought in before they are three days old;  
(d) seven weeks for Peking ducks brought in before they are three 
days old;  
(e) six weeks in the case of poultry for egg production brought in 
before they are three days old;  
(f) 12 months for bees.  
During the conversion period, the wax shall be replaced with wax 
coming from organic beekeeping.  
However, non-organic beeswax may be used:  
(i) where beeswax from organic beekeeping is not available on 
the market;  
(ii) where it is proven free of contamination with products or 
substances not authorised for use in organic production; and  
(iii) provided that it comes from the cap;  
(g) three months for rabbits;  
(h) 12 months for cervine animals.  
1.3. Origin of animals  
1.3.1. Without prejudice to the rules on conversion, organic livestock shall 
be born or hatched and raised on organic production units.  
1.3.2. With regard to the breeding of organic animals:  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 78  
(a) reproduction shall use natural methods; however, artificial insemi ­
nation shall be allowed;  
(b) reproduction shall not be induced or impeded by treatment with 
hormones or other substances with a similar effect, except as a 
form of veterinary therapeutic treatment in the case of an indi ­
vidual animal;  
(c) other forms of artificial reproduction, such as cloning and embryo 
transfer, shall not be used;  
(d) the choice of breeds shall be appropriate to the principles of 
organic production, shall ensure a high standard of animal 
welfare and shall contribute to the prevention of any suffering 
and to avoiding the need for the mutilation of animals.  
1.3.3. When choosing breeds or strains, operators shall consider giving pref ­
erence to breeds or strains with a high degree of genetic diversity, the 
capacity of animals to adapt to local conditions, their breeding value, 
their longevity, their vitality and their resistance to disease or health 
problems, all without impairment of their welfare. In addition, breeds 
or strains of animals shall be selected to avoid specific diseases or 
health problems associated with some breeds or strains used in 
intensive production, such as porcine stress syndrome, possibly 
leading to pale-soft-exudative (PSE) meat, sudden death, spontaneous 
abortion and difficult births requiring caesarean operations. Preference 
shall be given to indigenous breeds and strains.  
To choose the breeds and strains in accordance with the first para ­
graph, operators shall use the information available in the systems 
referred to in Article 26(3).  
1.3.4. Use of non-organic animals  
1.3.4.1. By way of derogation from point 1.3.1, for breeding purposes, 
non-organically raised animals may be brought to an organic 
production unit when breeds are in danger of being lost to farming 
as referred to in point (b) of Article 28(10) of Regulation (EU) 
No 1305/2013 and acts adopted on the basis thereof. In such case, 
the animals of those breeds need not necessarily be nulliparous.  
1.3.4.2. By way of derogation from point 1.3.1, for the renovation of apiaries, 
20 % per year of the queen bees and swarms may be replaced by 
non-organic queen bees and swarms in the organic production unit, 
provided that the queen bees and swarms are placed in hives with 
combs or comb foundations coming from organic production units. 
In any case, one swarm or queen bee may be replaced per year by 
a non-organic swarm or a queen bee.  
1.3.4.3. By way of derogation from point 1.3.1, where a flock is constituted for 
the first time, or is renewed or reconstituted, and where the qualitative 
and quantitative needs of farmers cannot be met, the competent 
authority may decide that non-organically reared poultry may be 
brought into an organic poultry production unit, provided that the 
pullets for the production of eggs and poultry for meat production 
are less than three days old. Products derived from them may only 
be considered as organic if the conversion period specified in point 1.2 
has been complied with.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 79  
1.3.4.4. By way of derogation from point 1.3.1, where the data collected in the 
system referred to in point (b) of Article 26(2) shows that the quali ­
tative or quantitative needs of the farmer regarding organic animals are 
not met, competent authorities may authorise the introduction of 
non-organic animals into an organic production unit, subject to the 
conditions provided for in points 1.3.4.4.1 to 1.3.4.4.4.  
Prior to requesting any such derogation, the farmer shall consult the 
data collected in the system referred to in point (b) of Article 26(2) in 
order to verify whether his or her request is justified.  
For operators in third countries, control authorities and control bodies 
recognised in accordance with Article 46(1) may authorise the intro ­
duction of non-organic animals into an organic production unit where 
organic animals are not available in sufficient quality or quantity in the 
territory of the country where the operator is located.  
1.3.4.4.1. For breeding purposes, non-organic young animals may be introduced 
when a herd or flock is constituted for the first time. They shall be 
reared in accordance with the organic production rules immediately 
after they are weaned. In addition, the following restrictions shall 
apply on the date on which those animals enter the herd or flock:  
(a) bovine animals, equine animals and cervine animals shall be less 
than six months old;  
(b) ovine animals and caprine animals shall be less than 60 days old;  
(c) porcine animals shall weigh less than 35 kg;  
(d) rabbits shall be less than three months old.  
1.3.4.4.2. For breeding purposes, non-organic adult male and non-organic nulli ­
parous female animals may be introduced for the renewal of a herd or 
flock. They shall be reared subsequently in accordance with the 
organic production rules. In addition, the number of female animals 
shall be subject to the following restrictions per year:  
(a) up to a maximum of 10 % of adult equine animals or bovine 
animals and 20 % of the adult porcine animals, ovine animals, 
caprine animals, rabbits or cervine animals may be introduced;  
(b) for units with fewer than 10 equine animals, cervine animals or 
bovine animals or rabbits, or with fewer than five porcine animals, 
ovine animals or caprine animals, any such renewal shall be 
limited to a maximum of one animal per year.  
1.3.4.4.3. The percentages set in point 1.3.4.4.2 may be increased up to 40 %, 
provided that the competent authority has confirmed that any of 
following conditions is fulfilled:  
(a) a major extension to the farm has been undertaken;  
(b) one breed has been replaced with another;  
(c) a new livestock specialisation has been initiated.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 80  
1.3.4.4.4. In the cases referred to in points 1.3.4.4.1, 1.3.4.4.2 and 1.3.4.4.3, 
non-organic animals may only be considered as organic if the 
conversion period specified in point 1.2 has been complied with. 
The conversion period laid down in point 1.2.2 shall start, at the 
earliest, once the animals are introduced into the in-conversion 
production unit.  
1.3.4.4.5. In the cases referred to in points 1.3.4.4.1 to 1.3.4.4.4, non-organic 
animals shall either be kept separate from other livestock or shall be 
kept identifiable until the end of the conversion period referred to in 
point 1.3.4.4.4.  
1.4. Nutrition  
1.4.1. General nutrition requirements  
With regard to nutrition, the following rules shall apply:  
(a) feed for livestock shall be obtained primarily from the agricultural 
holding where the animals are kept or shall be obtained from 
organic or in-conversion production units belonging to other 
holdings in the same region;  
(b) livestock shall be fed with organic or in-conversion feed that meets 
the animal’s nutritional requirements at the various stages of its 
development; restricted feeding shall not be permitted in livestock 
production unless justified for veterinary reasons;  
(c) livestock shall not be kept in conditions or on a diet which may 
encourage anaemia;  
(d) fattening practices shall always respect the normal nutritional 
patterns for each species and the animals’ welfare at each stage 
of the rearing process; force-feeding is forbidden;  
(e) with the exception of porcine animals, poultry and bees, livestock 
shall have permanent access to pasture whenever conditions allow 
or shall have permanent access to roughage;  
(f) growth promoters and synthetic amino-acids shall not be used;  
(g) suckling animals shall preferably be fed on maternal milk for a 
minimum period laid down by the Commission in accordance with 
point (a) of Article 14(3); milk replacers containing chemically 
synthesised components or components of plant origin shall not 
be used during that period;  
(h) feed materials of plant, algal, animal or yeast origin shall be 
organic;  
(i) non-organic feed materials of plant, algal, animal or yeast origin, 
feed materials of microbial or of mineral origin, feed additives and 
processing aids may be used only if they have been authorised 
pursuant to Article 24 for use in organic production.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 81  
1.4.2. Grazing  
1.4.2.1. Grazing on organic land  
Without prejudice to point 1.4.2.2, organic animals shall graze on 
organic land. However, non-organic animals may use organic 
pasturage for a limited period each year, provided that they have 
been raised in an environmental friendly way on land supported 
under Articles 23, 25, 28, 30, 31 and 34 of Regulation (EU) 
No 1305/2013 and that they are not present on the organic land at 
the same time as organic animals.  
1.4.2.2. Grazing on common land and transhumance  
1.4.2.2.1. Organic animals may graze on common land, provided that:  
(a) the common land has not been treated with products or substances 
not authorised for use in organic production for at least three 
years;  
(b) any non-organic animals which use the common land have been 
raised in an environmental friendly way on land supported under 
Articles 23, 25, 28, 30, 31 and 34 of Regulation (EU) 
No 1305/2013;  
(c) any livestock products from organic animals that were produced 
during the period when those animals grazed on common land are 
not considered as organic products unless adequate segregation 
from non-organic animals can be proved.  
1.4.2.2.2. During the period of transhumance, organic animals may graze on 
non-organic land when they are being moved on foot from one 
grazing area to another. During that period, organic animals shall be 
kept separate from other animals. The uptake of non-organic feed, in 
the form of grass and other vegetation on which the animals graze, 
shall be allowed:  
(a) for a maximum of 35 days covering both the outward and return 
journeys; or  
(b) for a maximum of 10 % of the total feed ration per year, 
calculated as a percentage of the dry matter of feedstuffs of agri ­
cultural origin.  
1.4.3. In-conversion feed  
1.4.3.1. For agricultural holdings that produce organic livestock:  
(a) up to 25 % on average of the feed formula of rations may 
comprise in-conversion feed from the second year of conversion. 
This percentage may be increased to 100 % if this in-conversion 
feed comes from the holding where the livestock is kept; and  
(b) up to 20 % of the total average amount of feed fed to livestock 
may originate from the grazing or harvesting of permanent 
pastures, perennial forage parcels or protein crops sown under 
organic management on lands in their first year of conversion, 
provided that those lands are part of the holding itself.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 82  
When both types of in-conversion feed referred to in points (a) and (b) 
are being used for feeding, the total combined percentage of such feed 
shall not exceed the percentage fixed in point (a).  
1.4.3.2. The figures in point 1.4.3.1 shall be calculated annually as a 
percentage of the dry matter of feed of plant origin.  
1.5. Health care  
1.5.1. Disease prevention  
1.5.1.1. Disease prevention shall be based on breed and strain selection, 
husbandry management practices, high-quality feed, exercise, appro ­
priate stocking density and adequate and appropriate housing main ­
tained in hygienic conditions.  
1.5.1.2. Immunological veterinary medicinal products may be used.  
1.5.1.3. Chemically synthesised allopathic veterinary medicinal products, 
including antibiotics and boluses of synthesised allopathic chemical 
molecules, shall not be used for preventive treatment.  
1.5.1.4. Substances to promote growth or production (including antibiotics, 
coccidiostatics and other artificial aids for growth promotion 
purposes) and hormones and similar substances for the purpose of 
controlling reproduction or for other purposes (e.g. induction or 
synchronisation of oestrus) shall not be used.  
1.5.1.5. Where livestock is obtained from non-organic production units, special 
measures such as screening tests or quarantine periods shall apply, 
depending on local circumstances.  
1.5.1.6. Only the products for cleaning and disinfection in livestock buildings 
and installations authorised pursuant to Article 24 for use in organic 
production shall be used for that purpose.  
1.5.1.7. Housing, pens, equipment and utensils shall be properly cleaned and 
disinfected to prevent cross-infection and the build-up of disease 
carrying organisms. Faeces, urine and uneaten or spilt feed shall be 
removed as often as necessary to minimise smell and to avoid 
attracting insects or rodents. Rodenticides, to be used only in traps, 
and products and substances authorised pursuant to Articles 9 and 24 
for use in organic production may be used for the elimination of 
insects and other pests in buildings and other installations where 
livestock are kept.  
1.5.2. Veterinary treatment  
1.5.2.1. Where animals become sick or injured despite preventive measures to 
ensure animal health, they shall be treated immediately.  
1.5.2.2. Disease shall be treated immediately to avoid suffering of the animal. 
Chemically synthesised allopathic veterinary medicinal products, 
including antibiotics, may be used where necessary, under strict 
conditions and under the responsibility of a veterinarian, when the 
use of phytotherapeutic, homeopathic and other products is inappro ­
priate. In particular, restrictions with respect to courses of treatment 
and withdrawal periods shall be defined.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 83  
1.5.2.3. Feed materials of mineral origin authorised pursuant to Article 24 for 
use in organic production, nutritional additives authorised pursuant to 
Article 24 for use in organic production, and phytotherapeutic and 
homeopathic products shall be used in preference to treatment with 
chemically synthesised allopathic veterinary medicinal products, 
including antibiotics, provided that their therapeutic effect is 
effective for the species of animal and for the condition for which 
the treatment is intended.  
1.5.2.4. With the exception of vaccinations, treatments for parasites and 
compulsory eradication schemes, where an animal or a group of 
animals receives more than three courses of treatments with chemically 
synthesised allopathic veterinary medicinal products, including anti ­
biotics, within 12 months, or more than one course of treatment if 
their productive lifecycle is less than one year, neither the livestock 
concerned nor produce derived from such livestock shall be sold as 
organic products, and the livestock shall be subject to the conversion 
periods referred to in point 1.2.  
1.5.2.5. The withdrawal period between the last administration to an animal of 
a chemically synthesised allopathic veterinary medicinal product, 
including of an antibiotic, under normal conditions of use, and the 
production of organically produced foodstuffs from that animal shall 
be twice the withdrawal period referred to in Article 11 of Directive 
2001/82/EC, and shall be at least 48 hours.  
1.5.2.6. Treatments related to the protection of human and animal health 
imposed on the basis of Union legislation shall be allowed.  
1.6. Housing and husbandry practices  
1.6.1. Insulation, heating and ventilation of the building shall ensure that air 
circulation, dust level, temperature, relative air humidity and gas 
concentration are kept within limits which ensure the well-being of 
the animals. The building shall permit plentiful natural ventilation and 
light to enter.  
1.6.2. Housing for livestock shall not be mandatory in areas with appropriate 
climatic conditions enabling animals to live outdoors. In such cases, 
animals shall have access to shelters or shady areas to protect them 
from adverse weather conditions.  
1.6.3. The stocking density in buildings shall provide for the comfort, 
well-being and species-specific needs of the animals, and shall 
depend in particular on the species, the breed and the age of the 
animals. It shall also take account of the behavioural needs of the 
animals, which depend in particular on the size of the group and the 
animals’ sex. The density shall ensure the animals’ welfare by 
providing them with sufficient space to stand naturally, to move, to 
lie down easily, to turn round, to groom themselves, to assume all 
natural postures and to make all natural movements, such as stretching 
and wing flapping.  
1.6.4. The minimum surface for indoor and outdoor areas, and the technical 
details relating to housing, laid down in the implementing acts referred 
to in Article 14(3), shall be complied with.  
1.6.5. Open air areas may be partially covered. Verandas shall not be 
considered as open air areas.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 84  
1.6.6. The total stocking density shall not exceed the limit of 170 kg of 
organic nitrogen per year and hectare of agricultural area.  
1.6.7. To determine the appropriate density of livestock referred to in 
point 1.6.6, the competent authority shall set out the livestock units 
equivalent to the limit referred to in point 1.6.6, following the figures 
laid down in each of the specific requirements per type of animal 
production.  
1.6.8. Cages, boxes and flat decks to raise livestock shall not be used for any 
livestock species.  
1.6.9. When livestock is treated individually for veterinary reasons, it shall 
be kept in spaces that have a solid floor and shall be provided with 
straw or appropriate bedding. The animal must be able to turn around 
easily and to lie down comfortably at full length.  
1.6.10. Organic livestock may not be reared in a pen on very wet or marshy 
soil. 
1.7. Animal welfare  
1.7.1. All persons involved in keeping animals and in handling animals 
during transport and slaughter shall possess the necessary basic 
knowledge and skills as regards the health and the welfare needs of 
the animals and shall have followed adequate training, as required in 
particular in Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 (  1 ) and Council 
Regulation No (EC) 1099/2009 (  2 ), to ensure proper application of 
the rules set out in this Regulation.  
1.7.2. Husbandry practices, including stocking densities and housing 
conditions, shall ensure that the developmental, physiological and 
ethological needs of the animals are met.  
1.7.3. Livestock shall have permanent access to open air areas that allow the 
animals to exercise, preferably pasture, whenever weather and seasonal 
conditions and the state of the ground allow, except where restrictions 
and obligations related to the protection of human and animal health 
have been imposed on the basis of Union legislation.  
1.7.4. The number of livestock shall be limited with a view to minimising 
overgrazing, poaching of soil, erosion, and pollution caused by 
animals or by the spreading of their manure.  
1.7.5. Tethering or isolation of livestock shall be prohibited, except in 
relation to individual animals for a limited period and insofar as this 
is justified for veterinary reasons. The isolation of livestock may only 
be authorised, and only for a limited period, where workers’ safety is 
compromised or for animal welfare reasons. Competent authorities 
may authorise the tethering of cattle in farms with a maximum of 
50 animals (excluding young stock) where it is not possible to keep 
the cattle in groups appropriate to their behaviour requirements, 
provided they have access to pastures during the grazing period, and 
have access to open air areas at least twice a week when grazing is not 
possible.  ▼B 
( 1 ) Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 of 22 December 2004 on the protection of animals 
during transport and related operations and amending Directives 64/432/EEC and 
93/119/EC and Regulation (EC) No 1255/97 (OJ L 3, 5.1.2005, p. 1). 
( 2 ) Council Regulation (EC) No 1099/2009 of 24 September 2009 on the protection of 
animals at the time of killing (OJ L 303, 18.11.2009, p. 1). 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 85  
1.7.6. Duration of transport of livestock shall be minimised.  
1.7.7. Any suffering, pain and distress shall be avoided and shall be kept to a 
minimum during the entire life of the animal, including at the time of 
slaughter.  
1.7.8. Without prejudice to developments in Union legislation on animal 
welfare, tail-docking of sheep, beak trimming undertaken in the first 
three days of life, and dehorning may exceptionally be allowed, but 
only on a case-by-case basis and only when those practices improve 
the health, welfare or hygiene of the livestock or where workers’ 
safety would otherwise be compromised. Disbudding may be 
allowed only on a case by case basis when it improves the health, 
welfare or hygiene of the livestock or where workers’ safety would 
otherwise be compromised. The competent authority shall only 
authorise such operations where the operator has duly notified and 
justified the operations to that competent authority and where the 
operation is to be carried out by qualified personnel.  
1.7.9. Any suffering to the animals shall be reduced to a minimum by 
applying adequate anaesthesia and/or analgesia and by carrying out 
each operation at only the most appropriate age by qualified personnel.  
1.7.10. Physical castration shall be allowed in order to maintain the quality of 
products and traditional production practices, but only under the 
conditions set out in point 1.7.9.  
1.7.11. The loading and unloading of animals shall be carried out without the 
use of any type of electrical or other painful stimulation to coerce the 
animals. The use of allopathic tranquillisers, prior to or during 
transport, shall be prohibited.  
1.8. Preparation of unprocessed products  
If preparation operations other than processing are carried out on live ­
stock, the general requirements laid down in points 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5 
and 2.2.3 of Part IV shall apply  mutatis mutandis  to such operations.  
1.9. Additional general rules  
1.9.1. For bovine animals, ovine animals, caprine animals and equine 
animals  
1.9.1.1. Nutrition  
With regard to nutrition, the following rules shall apply:  
(a) at least 60 % of the feed shall come from the farm itself or, if this 
is not feasible or such feed is not available, shall be produced in 
cooperation with other organic or in-conversion production units 
and feed operators using feed and feed material from the same 
region. This percentage shall be raised to 70 % as from 1 January 
2023;  
(b) animals shall have access to pasturage for grazing whenever 
conditions allow;  
(c) notwithstanding point (b), male bovine animals over one year old 
shall have access to pasturage or an open air area;  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 86  
(d) where animals have access to pasturage during the grazing period 
and where the winter housing system allows the animals to move 
freely, the obligation to provide open air areas during the winter 
months may be waived;  
(e) rearing systems shall be based on maximum use of grazing 
pasturage, by reference to the availability of pastures in the 
different periods of the year;  
(f) at least 60 % of the dry matter in daily rations shall consist of 
roughage, fresh or dried fodder, or silage. This percentage may be 
reduced to 50 % for animals in dairy production for a maximum 
period of three months in early lactation.  
1.9.1.2. Housing and husbandry practices  
With regard to housing and husbandry practices, the following rules 
shall apply:  
(a) housing shall have smooth, but not slippery floors;  
(b) housing shall be provided with a comfortable, clean and dry laying 
or rest area of sufficient size, which shall consist of a solid 
construction which is not slatted. Ample dry bedding strewn 
with litter material shall be provided in the rest area. The litter 
shall comprise straw or other suitable natural material. The litter 
may be improved and enriched with any mineral product that is 
authorised pursuant to Article 24 as a fertiliser or soil conditioner 
for use in organic production;  
(c) notwithstanding point (a) of the first subparagraph of Article 3(1) 
and the second subparagraph of Article 3(1) of Council Directive 
2008/119/EC (  1 ), the housing of calves in individual boxes shall be 
forbidden after the age of one week, unless for individual animals 
for a limited period, and insofar as this is justified for veterinary 
reasons;  
(d) when a calf is treated individually for veterinary reasons, it shall 
be kept in spaces that have a solid floor and shall be provided with 
straw bedding. The calf must be able to turn around easily and to 
lie down comfortably at full length.  
1.9.2. For cervine animals  
1.9.2.1. Nutrition  
With regard to nutrition, the following rules shall apply:  
(a) at least 60 % of the feed shall come from the farm itself or, if this 
is not feasible or such feed is not available, shall be produced in 
cooperation with other organic or in-conversion production units 
and feed operators using feed and feed material from the same 
region. This percentage shall be raised to 70 % as from 1 January 
2023;  ▼B 
( 1 ) Council Directive 2008/119/EC of 18 December 2008 laying down minimum standards 
for the protection of calves (OJ L 10, 15.1.2009, p. 7). 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 87  
(b) animals shall have access to pasturage for grazing whenever 
conditions allow;  
(c) where animals have access to pasturage during the grazing period 
and where the winter housing system allows the animals to move 
freely, the obligation to provide open air areas during the winter 
months may be waived;  
(d) rearing systems shall be based on maximum use of grazing 
pasturage by reference to the availability of pastures in the 
different periods of the year;  
(e) at least 60 % of the dry matter in daily rations shall consist of 
roughage, fresh or dried fodder, or silage. This percentage may be 
reduced to 50 % for female cervine animals in milk production for 
a maximum period of three months in early lactation;  
(f) natural grazing shall be ensured in a pen during the period of 
vegetation. Pens that cannot provide feed by grazing during the 
period of vegetation shall not be allowed;  
(g) feeding shall only be allowed in the event of a shortage of grazing 
due to poor weather conditions;  
(h) farmed animals in a pen shall be provided with clean and fresh 
water. If a natural source of water that is easily accessible to 
animals is not available, watering places shall be provided.  
1.9.2.2. Housing and husbandry practices  
With regard to housing and husbandry practices, the following rules 
shall apply:  
(a) cervine animals shall be provided with hiding places, shelters and 
fences that do not harm animals;  
(b) in red deer pens, animals must be able to roll in the mud to ensure 
skin grooming and body temperature regulation;  
(c) any housing shall have smooth, but not slippery floors;  
(d) any housing shall be provided with a comfortable, clean and dry 
laying or rest area of sufficient size, consisting of a solid 
construction which is not slatted. Ample dry bedding strewn 
with litter material shall be provided in the rest area. The litter 
shall comprise straw or other suitable natural material. The litter 
may be improved and enriched with any mineral product auth ­
orised pursuant to Article 24 as a fertiliser or soil conditioner 
for use in organic production;  
(e) feeding places shall be installed in areas protected from the 
weather and accessible both to animals and to persons attending 
to them. The soil where feeding places are located shall be 
consolidated, and the feeding apparatus shall be equipped with a 
roof; ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 88  
(f) if permanent access to feed cannot be ensured, the feeding places 
shall be designed so that all animals can feed at the same time.  
1.9.3. For porcine animals  
1.9.3.1. Nutrition  
With regard to nutrition, the following rules shall apply:  
(a) at least 30 % of the feed shall come from the farm itself or, if this 
is not feasible or such feed is not available, shall be produced in 
cooperation with other organic or in-conversion production units 
and feed operators using feed and feed material from the same 
region;  
(b) roughage, fresh or dried fodder, or silage shall be added to the 
daily ration;  
(c) where farmers are unable to obtain protein feed exclusively from 
organic production, and the competent authority has confirmed 
that organic protein feed is not available in sufficient quantity, 
non-organic protein feed may be used until 31 December 2025 
provided that the following conditions are fulfilled:  
(i) it is not available in organic form;  
(ii) it is produced or prepared without chemical solvents;  
(iii) its use is limited to the feeding of piglets of up to 35 kg with 
specific protein compounds; and  
(iv) the maximum percentage authorised per period of 12 months 
for those animals does not exceed 5 %. The percentage of the 
dry matter of feed from agricultural origin shall be calculated.  
1.9.3.2. Housing and husbandry practices  
With regard to housing and husbandry practices, the following rules 
shall apply:  
(a) the housing shall have smooth, but not slippery floors;  
(b) the housing shall be provided with a comfortable, clean and dry 
laying or rest area of sufficient size, consisting of a solid 
construction which is not slatted. Ample dry bedding strewn 
with litter material shall be provided in the rest area. The litter 
shall comprise straw or other suitable natural material. The litter 
may be improved and enriched with any mineral product auth ­
orised pursuant to Article 24 as a fertiliser or soil conditioner 
for use in organic production;  
(c) there shall always be a bed made of straw or other suitable 
material large enough to ensure that all pigs in a pen can lie 
down at the same time in the most space-consuming way;  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 89  
(d) sows shall be kept in groups, except in the last stages of 
pregnancy and during the suckling period, during which time the 
sow must be able to move freely in her pen and her movement 
shall only be restricted for short periods;  
(e) without prejudice to any additional requirements for straw, a few 
days before expected farrowing, sows shall be provided with a 
quantity of straw or other suitable natural material sufficient to 
enable them to build nests;  
(f) exercise areas shall permit dunging and rooting by porcine 
animals. For the purposes of rooting, different substrates may be 
used.  
1.9.4. For poultry  
1.9.4.1. Origin of animals  
To prevent the use of intensive rearing methods, poultry shall either be 
reared until they reach a minimum age or else shall come from 
slow-growing poultry strains adapted to outdoor rearing.  
The competent authority shall define the criteria of slow-growing 
strains or draw up a list of those strains and provide this information 
to operators, other Member States and the Commission.  
Where slow-growing poultry strains are not used by the farmer, the 
minimum age at slaughter shall be as follows:  
(a) 81 days for chickens;  
(b) 150 days for capons;  
(c) 49 days for Peking ducks;  
(d) 70 days for female Muscovy ducks;  
(e) 84 days for male Muscovy ducks;  
(f) 92 days for Mallard ducks;  
(g) 94 days for guinea fowl;  
(h) 140 days for male turkeys and roasting geese; and  
(i) 100 days for female turkeys.  
1.9.4.2. Nutrition  
With regard to nutrition, the following rules shall apply:  
(a) at least 30 % of the feed shall come from the farm itself or, if this 
is not feasible or such feed is not available, be produced in co ­
operation with other organic or in-conversion production units and 
feed operators using feed and feed material from the same region;  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 90  
(b) roughage, fresh or dried fodder, or silage shall be added to the 
daily ration;  
(c) where farmers are unable to obtain protein feed exclusively from 
organic production for poultry species, and the competent 
authority has confirmed that organic protein feed is not available 
in sufficient quantity, non-organic protein feed may be used until 
31 December 2025, provided that the following conditions are 
fulfilled:  
(i) it is not available in organic form;  
(ii) it is produced or prepared without chemical solvents;  
(iii) its use is limited to the feeding of young poultry with specific 
protein compounds; and  
(iv) the maximum percentage authorised per period of 12 months 
for those animals does not exceed 5 %. The percentage of the 
dry matter of feed of agricultural origin shall be calculated.  
1.9.4.3. Animal welfare  
Live plucking of poultry shall be prohibited.  
1.9.4.4. Housing and husbandry practices  
With regard to housing and husbandry practices, the following rules 
shall apply:  
(a) at least one third of the floor area shall be solid, that is, not of 
slatted or of grid construction, and shall be covered with a litter 
material such as straw, wood shavings, sand or turf;  
(b) in poultry houses for laying hens, a sufficiently large part of the 
floor area available to the hens shall be available for the collection 
of bird droppings;  
(c) buildings shall be emptied of livestock between each batch of 
poultry that has been reared. The buildings and fittings shall be 
cleaned and disinfected during this time. In addition, when the 
rearing of each batch of poultry has been completed, runs shall be 
left empty during a period to be established by the Member States 
in order to allow vegetation to grow back. Those requirements 
shall not apply where poultry are not reared in batches, are not 
kept in runs and are free to roam throughout the day;  
(d) poultry shall have access to an open air area for at least one third 
of their life. However, laying hens and finisher poultry shall have 
access to an open air area for at least one third of their life, except 
where temporary restrictions have been imposed on the basis of 
Union legislation;  
(e) continuous daytime open air access shall be provided from as 
early an age as practically possible and whenever physiological 
and physical conditions allow, except where temporary 
restrictions have been imposed on the basis of Union legislation;  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 91  
(f) by way of derogation from point 1.6.5, in the case of breeding 
birds and pullets aged under 18 weeks, when the conditions 
specified in point 1.7.3 as regards restrictions and obligations 
related to the protection of human and animal health imposed 
on the basis of Union legislation are met and prevent breeding 
birds and pullets aged under 18 weeks from having access to open 
air areas, verandas shall be considered as open air areas and, in 
such cases, shall have a wire mesh barrier to keep other birds out;  
(g) open air areas for poultry shall permit fowl to have easy access to 
adequate numbers of drinking troughs;  
(h) open air areas for poultry shall be covered mainly with vegetation;  
(i) under conditions where feed availability from the range area is 
limited, for example, due to long term snow cover or arid weather 
conditions, supplementary feeding of roughage shall be included 
as part of poultry diets;  
(j) where poultry are kept indoors due to restrictions or obligations 
imposed on the basis of Union legislation, they shall have 
permanent access to sufficient quantities of roughage and 
suitable material in order to meet their ethological needs;  
(k) water fowl shall have access to a stream, pond, lake or a pool 
whenever the weather and hygienic conditions permit, in order to 
respect their species-specific needs and animal welfare require ­
ments; when weather conditions do not permit such access, they 
shall have access to water which enables them to dip their head 
therein so as to clean plumage;  
(l) natural light may be supplemented by artificial means to provide a 
maximum of 16 hours light per day, with a continuous nocturnal 
rest period without artificial light of at least eight hours;  
(m) the total usable surface area for fattening poultry in poultry houses 
of any production unit shall not exceed 1 600 m  2 ; 
(n) not more than 3 000 laying hens shall be allowed in a single 
compartment of a poultry house.  
1.9.5. For rabbits  
1.9.5.1. Nutrition  
With regard to nutrition, the following rules shall apply:  
(a) at least 70 % of the feed shall come from the farm itself or, if this 
is not feasible or such feed is not available, shall be produced in 
cooperation with other organic or in-conversion production units 
and feed operators using feed and feed material from the same 
region;  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 92  
(b) rabbits shall have access to pasturage for grazing whenever 
conditions allow;  
(c) rearing systems shall be based on maximum use of grazing 
pasturage by reference to the availability of pastures in the 
different periods of the year;  
(d) fibrous feed such as straw or hay shall be provided when grass is 
not sufficient. Forage shall comprise at least 60 % of the diet.  
1.9.5.2. Housing and husbandry practices  
With regard to housing and husbandry practices, the following rules 
shall apply:  
(a) housing shall be provided with a comfortable, clean and dry laying 
or rest area of sufficient size, consisting of a solid construction 
which is not slatted. Ample dry bedding strewn with litter material 
shall be provided in the rest area. The litter shall comprise straw or 
other suitable natural material. The litter may be improved and 
enriched with any mineral product authorised pursuant to Article 24 
as a fertiliser or soil conditioner for use in organic production;  
(b) rabbits shall be kept in groups.  
(c) rabbit farms shall use robust breeds adapted to outdoor conditions;  
(d) rabbits shall have access to:  
(i) covered shelter including dark hiding places;  
(ii) an outdoor run with vegetation, preferably pasture;  
(iii) a raised platform on which they can sit, either inside or out;  
(iv) nesting material for all nursing does.  
1.9.6. For bees  
1.9.6.1. Origin of animals  
For beekeeping, preference shall be given to the use of  Apis mellifera  
and their local ecotypes.  
1.9.6.2. Nutrition  
With regard to nutrition, the following rules shall apply:  
(a) at the end of the production season hives shall be left with 
sufficient reserves of honey and pollen for the bees to survive 
the winter;  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 93  
(b) bee colonies may only be fed where the survival of the colony is 
endangered due to climatic conditions. In such case, bee colonies 
shall be fed with organic honey, organic sugar syrups, or organic 
sugar.  
1.9.6.3. Health care  
With regard to health care, the following rules shall apply:  
(a) for the purposes of protecting frames, hives and combs, in 
particular from pests, only rodenticides used in traps, and appro ­
priate products and substances authorised pursuant to Articles 9 
and 24 for use in organic production shall be permitted;  
(b) physical treatments for disinfection of apiaries such as steam or 
direct flame shall be permitted;  
(c) the practice of destroying the male brood shall only be permitted 
for the purpose of isolating the infestation of  Varroa destructor ; 
(d) if, despite all preventive measures, the colonies become sick or 
infested, they shall be treated immediately and, if necessary, may 
be placed in isolation apiaries;  
(e) formic acid, lactic acid, acetic acid and oxalic acid, as well as 
menthol, thymol, eucalyptol or camphor, may be used in cases 
of infestation with  Varroa destructor ; 
(f) if a treatment is applied with chemically synthesised allopathic 
products, including antibiotics, other than products and substances 
authorised pursuant to Articles 9 and 24 for use in organic 
production, for the duration of that treatment, the treated 
colonies shall be placed in isolation apiaries and all the wax 
shall be replaced with wax coming from organic beekeeping. 
Subsequently, the conversion period of 12 months laid down in 
point 1.2.2 shall apply to those colonies.  
1.9.6.4. Animal welfare  
With regard to beekeeping, the following additional general rules shall 
apply:  
(a) the destruction of bees in the combs as a method associated with 
the harvesting of apiculture products shall be prohibited;  
(b) mutilation such as clipping the wings of queen bees shall be 
prohibited.  
1.9.6.5. Housing and husbandry practices  
With regard to housing and husbandry practices, the following rules 
shall apply:  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 94  
(a) apiaries shall be placed in areas which ensure the availability of 
nectar and pollen sources consisting essentially of organically 
produced crops or, where appropriate, of spontaneous vegetation 
or non-organically managed forests or crops that are only treated 
with low environmental impact methods;  
(b) apiaries shall be kept at sufficient distance from sources that may 
lead to the contamination of apiculture products or to the poor 
health of the bees;  
(c) the siting of the apiaries shall be such that, within a radius of 3 km 
from the apiary site, nectar and pollen sources consist essentially 
of organically produced crops or spontaneous vegetation or crops 
treated with low environmental impact methods equivalent to those 
provided for in Articles 28 and 30 of Regulation (EU) 
No 1305/2013 which cannot affect the qualification of beekeeping 
production as being organic. That requirement does not apply 
where flowering is not taking place, or the bee colonies are 
dormant;  
(d) the hives and materials used in beekeeping shall be made basically 
of natural materials presenting no risk of contamination to the 
environment or the apiculture products;  
(e) the beeswax for new foundations shall come from organic 
production units;  
(f) only natural products such as propolis, wax and plant oils may be 
used in the hives;  
(g) synthetic chemical repellents shall not be used during honey 
extraction operations;  
(h) brood combs shall not be used for honey extraction;  
(i) beekeeping shall not be considered as organic when practiced in 
regions or areas designated by Member States as regions or areas 
where organic beekeeping is not practicable.  
Part III: Production rules for algae and aquaculture animals  
1. General requirements  
1.1. Operations shall be situated in locations that are not subject to con ­
tamination with products or substances not authorised for use in 
organic production, or with pollutants that would compromise the 
organic nature of the products.  
1.2. Organic and non-organic production units shall be adequately 
separated in accordance with the minimum separation distances set 
by Member States, where applicable. Such separation measures shall 
be based on the natural situation, separate water distribution systems, 
distances, the tidal flow, and the upstream and the downstream 
location of the organic production unit. Algae and aquaculture 
production shall not be considered as organic when practiced at 
locations or in areas designated by Member State authorities as 
locations or areas which are unsuitable for such activities.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 95  
1.3. An environmental assessment that is appropriate to the production unit 
shall be required for any new operators applying for organic 
production and producing more than 20 tonnes of aquaculture 
products per year to ascertain the conditions of the production unit 
and its immediate environment and likely effects of its operation. The 
operator shall provide the environmental assessment to the control 
authority or control body. The content of the environmental assessment 
shall be based on Annex IV to Directive 2011/92/EU of the European 
Parliament and of the Council (  1 ). If the production unit has already 
been subject to an equivalent assessment, that assessment may be used 
for this purpose.  
1.4. Mangrove destruction shall not be permitted.  
1.5. The operator shall provide a sustainable management plan propor ­
tionate to the production unit for aquaculture and algae harvesting.  
1.6. The plan shall be updated annually and shall detail the environmental 
effects of the operation and the environmental monitoring to be under ­
taken, and shall list the measures to be taken to minimise negative 
impacts on the surrounding aquatic and terrestrial environments, 
including, where applicable, nutrient discharge into the environment 
per production cycle or per annum. The plan shall record the 
surveillance and repair of technical equipment.  
1.7. Defensive and preventive measures taken against predators in 
accordance with Directive 92/43/EEC and national rules shall be 
recorded in the sustainable management plan.  
1.8. Where applicable, coordination shall take place with the neighbouring 
operators in drawing up the management plan.  
1.9. Aquaculture and algae business operators shall draw up as part of the 
sustainable management plan a waste reduction schedule to be put in 
place at the commencement of operations. Where possible, the use of 
residual heat shall be limited to energy from renewable sources.  
1.10. Preparation of unprocessed products  
If preparation operations, other than processing, are carried out on 
algae or aquaculture animals, the general requirements laid down in 
points 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5 and 2.2.3 of Part IV shall apply  mutatis 
mutandis  to such operations.  
2. Requirements for algae  
In addition to the general production rules laid down in Articles 9, 10, 
11 and 15, and where relevant in Section 1 of this Part, the rules laid 
down in this Section shall apply to the organic collection and 
production of algae. Those rules shall apply  mutatis mutandis  to the 
production of phytoplankton.  
2.1. Conversion  
2.1.1. The conversion period for a production unit for algae collection shall 
be six months.  
2.1.2. The conversion period for a production unit for algae cultivation shall 
be a period of six months or one full production cycle, whichever is 
the longer.  ▼B 
( 1 ) Directive 2011/92/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 
2011 on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the 
environment (OJ L 26, 28.1.2012, p. 1). 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 96  
2.2. Production rules for algae  
2.2.1. The collection of wild algae and parts thereof is considered as organic 
production provided that:  
(a) the growing areas are suitable from a health point of view and are 
of high ecological status as defined by Directive 2000/60/EC, or 
are of equivalent quality to:  
— the production zones classed as A and B in Regulation (EC) 
No 854/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council (  1 ), 
until 13 December 2019, or  
— the corresponding classification areas set out in the implemen ­
ting acts adopted by the Commission in accordance with 
Article 18(8) of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, from 14 December 
2019;  
(b) the collection does not affect significantly the stability of the 
natural ecosystem or the maintenance of the species in the 
collection area.  
2.2.2. The cultivation of algae shall take place in areas with environmental 
and health characteristics at least equivalent to those outlined in 
point 2.2.1(a) in order to be considered organic. In addition the 
following production rules shall apply:  
(a) sustainable practices shall be used in all stages of production, from 
the collection of juvenile algae to harvesting;  
(b) to ensure that a wide gene-pool is maintained, the collection of 
juvenile algae in the wild shall take place on a regular basis so as 
to maintain and increase the diversity of indoor culture stock;  
(c) fertilisers shall not be used, except in indoor facilities, and only if 
they have been authorised pursuant to Article 24 for use in organic 
production for this purpose.  
2.3. Algae cultivation  
2.3.1. Algae culture at sea shall only utilise nutrients naturally occurring in 
the environment, or from organic aquaculture animal production, 
preferably located nearby as part of a polyculture system.  
2.3.2. In facilities on land where external nutrient sources are used, the 
nutrient levels in the effluent water shall be verifiably the same, or 
lower, than the inflowing water. Only nutrients of plant or mineral 
origin authorised pursuant to Article 24 for use in organic production 
may be used.  
2.3.3. Culture density or operational intensity shall be recorded and shall 
maintain the integrity of the aquatic environment by ensuring that 
the maximum quantity of algae which can be supported without 
negative effects on the environment is not exceeded.  ▼B 
( 1 ) Regulation (EC) No 854/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 
2004 laying down specific rules for the organisation of official controls on products of 
animal origin intended for human consumption (OJ L 139, 30.4.2004, p. 206). 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 97  
2.3.4. Ropes and other equipment used for growing algae shall be re-used or 
recycled where possible.  
2.4. Sustainable collection of wild algae  
2.4.1. A once-off biomass estimate shall be undertaken at the outset of algae 
collection.  
2.4.2. Documentary accounts shall be maintained in the unit or premises and 
shall enable the operator to identify and the control authority or control 
body to verify that the collectors have supplied only wild algae 
produced in accordance with this Regulation.  
2.4.3. Collection shall be carried out in such a way that the amounts 
collected do not cause a significant impact on the state of the 
aquatic environment. Measures such as collection technique, 
minimum sizes, ages, reproductive cycles or size of remaining algae 
shall be taken to ensure that algae can regenerate and to ensure that 
by-catches are prevented.  
2.4.4. If algae are collected from a shared or common collection area, docu ­
mentary evidence produced by the relevant authority designated by the 
Member State concerned shall be available showing that the total 
collection complies with this Regulation.  
3. Requirements for aquaculture animals  
In addition to the general production rules laid down in Article 9, 10, 
11 and 15, and where relevant in Section 1 of this Part, the rules laid 
down in this Section shall apply to the organic production of species 
of fish, crustaceans, echinoderms and molluscs. Those rules also shall 
apply  mutatis mutandis  to the production of zooplankton, 
micro-crustaceans, rotifers, worms and other aquatic feed animals.  
3.1. General requirements  
3.1.1. Conversion  
The following conversion periods for aquaculture production units 
shall apply for the following types of aquaculture facilities including 
the existing aquaculture animals:  
(a) for facilities that cannot be drained, cleaned and disinfected, a 
conversion period of 24 months;  
(b) for facilities that have been drained, or fallowed, a conversion 
period of 12 months;  
(c) for facilities that have been drained, cleaned and disinfected, a 
conversion period of six months;  
(d) for open water facilities, including those producing bivalve 
molluscs, a conversion period of three months.  
3.1.2. Origin of aquaculture animals  
3.1.2.1. With regard to the origin of the aquaculture animals, the following 
rules shall apply:  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 98  
(a) organic aquaculture shall be based on the rearing of young stock 
originating from organic broodstock and from organic production 
units;  
(b) locally grown species shall be used, and breeding shall aim to 
produce strains which are better adapted to production conditions, 
ensuring good animal health and welfare and good utilisation of 
feed resources. Documentary evidence of their origin and 
treatment shall be provided for the competent authority, or, 
where appropriate, the control authority or control body;  
(c) species shall be chosen which are robust and can be produced 
without causing significant damage to wild stocks;  
(d) for breeding purposes, wild-caught or non-organic aquaculture 
animals may be brought into a holding only in duly justified 
cases where no organic breed is available or where new genetic 
stock for breeding purposes is brought into the production unit 
after an authorisation has been granted by the competent 
authority with a view to improving the suitability of genetic 
stock. Such animals shall be kept under organic management for 
at least three months before they may be used for breeding. For 
animals that are on the IUCN Red List of endangered species, the 
authorisation to use wild-caught specimens may only be granted in 
the context of conservation programmes recognised by the relevant 
public authority in charge of the conservation effort;  
(e) for on-growing purposes, the collection of wild aquaculture 
juveniles shall be specifically restricted to the following cases:  
(i) natural influx of fish or crustacean larvae and juveniles when 
filling ponds, containment systems and enclosures;  
(ii) restocking of wild fry or crustacean larvae of species that are 
not on the IUCN Red List of endangered species in extensive 
aquaculture farming inside wetlands, such as brackish water 
ponds, tidal areas and costal lagoons, provided that:  
— the restocking is in line with management measures 
approved by the relevant authorities to ensure the 
sustainable exploitation of the species concerned, and  
— the animals are fed exclusively with feed naturally 
available in the environment.  
By way of derogation from point (a), Member States may 
authorise the introduction for on-growing purposes on an organic 
production unit of a maximum of 50 % of non-organic juveniles of 
species that were not developed as organic in the Union by 
1 January 2021, provided that at least the latter two thirds of 
the duration of the production cycle are managed under organic 
management. Such derogation may be granted for a maximum 
period of two years and shall not be renewable.  
For aquaculture holdings situated outside the Union, such dero ­
gation may only be granted by control authorities or control bodies 
that have been recognised in accordance with Article 46(1) for 
species that were not developed as organic in either the territory 
of the country in which the holding is located or the Union. Such 
derogation may be granted for a maximum period of two years 
and shall not be renewable.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 99  
3.1.2.2. With regard to breeding, the following rules shall apply:  
(a) hormones and hormone-derivates shall not be used;  
(b) the artificial production of monosex strains, except by 
hand-sorting, the induction of polyploidy, artificial hybridisation 
and cloning shall not be used;  
(c) appropriate strains shall be chosen.  
3.1.3. Nutrition  
3.1.3.1. With regard to feed for fish, crustaceans and echinoderms, the 
following rules shall apply:  
(a) animals shall be fed with feed that meets the animals’ nutritional 
requirements at the various stages of its development;  
(b) feeding regimes shall be designed with the following priorities:  
(i) animal health and welfare;  
(ii) high product quality, including the nutritional composition of 
the product, which shall ensure high quality of the final edible 
product;  
(iii) low environmental impact;  
(c) the plant fraction of feed shall be organic and the feed fraction 
derived from aquatic animals shall originate from organic aqua ­
culture or from fisheries that have been certified as sustainable 
under a scheme recognised by the competent authority in line 
with the principles laid down in Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013;  
(d) non-organic feed materials of plant, animal, algal or yeast origin, 
feed materials of mineral or microbial origin, feed additives, and 
processing aids shall only be used if they have been authorised 
under this Regulation for use in organic production;  
(e) growth promoters and synthetic amino-acids shall not be used.  
3.1.3.2. With regard to bivalve molluscs and other species which are not fed 
by man, but instead feed on natural plankton, the following rules shall 
apply:  
(a) such filter-feeding animals shall receive all their nutritional 
requirements from nature, except in the case of juveniles reared 
in hatcheries and nurseries;  
(b) the growing areas shall be suitable from a health point of view and 
shall either be of high ecological status as defined by Directive 
2000/60/EC or of good environmental status as defined by 
Directive 2008/56/EC or of equivalent quality to:  
— the production zones classed as A in Regulation (EC) 
No 854/2004, until 13 December 2019, or  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 100  
— the corresponding classification areas set out in the implemen ­
ting acts adopted by the Commission in accordance with 
Article 18(8) of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, from 14 December 
2019.  
3.1.3.3. Specific rules on feed for carnivorous aquaculture animals  
Feed for carnivorous aquaculture animals shall be sourced with the 
following priorities:  
(a) organic feed of aquaculture origin;  
(b) fish meal and fish oil from organic aquaculture trimmings sourced 
from fish, crustaceans or molluscs;  
(c) fish meal and fish oil and feed material of fish origin derived from 
trimmings of fish, crustaceans or molluscs already caught for 
human consumption in sustainable fisheries;  
(d) fish meal and fish oil and feed material of fish origin derived from 
whole fish, crustaceans or molluscs caught in sustainable fisheries 
and not used for human consumption;  
(e) organic feed materials of plant or animal origin; plant material 
shall not exceed 60 % of total ingredients.  
3.1.3.4. Specific rules on feed for certain aquaculture animals  
In the grow-out phase, fish in inland waters, penaeid shrimps and 
freshwater prawns and tropical freshwater fish shall be fed as follows:  
(a) they shall be fed with feed naturally available in ponds and lakes;  
(b) where natural feed referred to in point (a) is not available in 
sufficient quantities, organic feed of plant origin, preferably 
grown on the farm itself, or algae may be used. Operators shall 
keep documentary evidence of the need to use additional feed;  
(c) where natural feed is supplemented in accordance with point (b):  
(i) the feed ration of penaeid shrimps and freshwater prawns 
(Macrobrachium  spp.) may consist of a maximum of 25 % 
fishmeal and 10 % fish oil derived from sustainable fisheries;  
(ii) the feed ration of siamese catfish ( Pangasius  spp.) may consist 
of a maximum of 10 % fishmeal or fish oil derived from 
sustainable fisheries.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 101  
3.1.4. Health care  
3.1.4.1. Disease prevention  
With regard to disease prevention, the following rules shall apply:  
(a) disease prevention shall be based on keeping the animals in 
optimal conditions by appropriate siting, taking into account, 
inter alia, the species’ requirements for good water quality, flow 
and exchange rate, the optimal design of the holdings, the appli ­
cation of good husbandry and management practices, including 
regular cleaning and disinfection of premises, high-quality feed, 
appropriate stocking density, and breed and strain selection;  
(b) immunological veterinary medicines may be used;  
(c) an animal health management plan shall detail biosecurity and 
disease prevention practices including a written agreement for 
health counselling, proportionate to the production unit, with 
qualified aquaculture animal health services who shall visit the 
farm at a frequency of not less than once per year or, in the 
case of bivalve shellfish, not less than once every two years;  
(d) holding systems, equipment and utensils shall be properly cleaned 
and disinfected;  
(e) bio-fouling organisms shall be removed only by physical means or 
by hand and where appropriate returned to the sea at a distance 
from the farm;  
(f) only substances for cleaning and disinfection of equipment and 
facilities authorised pursuant to Article 24 for use in organic 
production may be used;  
(g) with regard to fallowing, the following rules shall apply:  
(i) the competent authority, or, where appropriate, control 
authority or control body, shall determine whether fallowing 
is necessary and shall determine the appropriate duration 
which shall be applied and documented after each production 
cycle in open water containment systems at sea;  
(ii) it shall not be mandatory for bivalve mollusc cultivation;  
(iii) during fallowing the cage or other structure used for aqua ­
culture animal production is emptied, disinfected and left 
empty before being used again;  
(h) where appropriate, uneaten fish-feed, faeces and dead animals shall 
be removed promptly to avoid any risk of significant environmen ­
tal damage as regards water status quality, to minimise disease 
risks, and to avoid attracting insects or rodents;  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 102  
(i) ultraviolet light and ozone may only be used in hatcheries and 
nurseries;  
(j) for biological control of ectoparasites, preference shall be given to 
the use of cleaner fish and to the use of freshwater, marine water 
and sodium chloride solutions.  
3.1.4.2. Veterinary treatments  
With regard to veterinary treatments, the following rules shall apply:  
(a) disease shall be treated immediately to avoid suffering to the 
animal. Chemically synthesised allopathic veterinary medicinal 
products, including antibiotics, may be used where necessary, 
under strict conditions and under the responsibility of a veterin ­
arian, where the use of phytotherapeutic, homeopathic and other 
products is inappropriate. Where appropriate, restrictions with 
respect to courses of treatment and withdrawal periods shall be 
defined;  
(b) treatments related to the protection of human and animal health 
imposed on the basis of Union legislation shall be allowed;  
(c) when despite preventive measures to ensure animal health referred 
to in point 3.1.4.1 a health problem arises, veterinary treatments 
may be used in the following order of preference:  
(i) substances from plants, animals or minerals in a homoeo ­
pathic dilution;  
(ii) plants and their extracts not having anaesthetic effects; and  
(iii) substances such as trace elements, metals, natural immunos ­
timulants or authorised probiotics;  
(d) the use of allopathic treatments shall be limited to two courses of 
treatment per year, with the exception of vaccinations and 
compulsory eradication schemes. However, in the cases of a 
production cycle of less than a year, a limit of one allopathic 
treatment shall apply. Where the indicated limits for allopathic 
treatments are exceeded, the aquaculture animals concerned shall 
not be marketed as organic products;  
(e) the use of parasite treatments, other than through compulsory 
control schemes operated by Member States, shall be limited to 
twice per year, or once per year where the production cycle is less 
than 18 months;  
(f) the withdrawal period for allopathic veterinary treatments and 
parasite treatments in accordance with point (d), including 
treatments under compulsory control and eradication schemes, 
shall be twice the withdrawal period referred to in Article 11 of 
Directive 2001/82/EC or, where this period is not specified, 
48 hours;  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 103  
(g) any use of veterinary medicinal products shall be declared to the 
competent authority, or, where appropriate, to the control authority 
or control body, before the animals are marketed as organic 
products. Treated stock shall be clearly identifiable.  
3.1.5. Housing and husbandry practices  
3.1.5.1. Closed recirculation aquaculture animal production facilities shall be 
prohibited, with the exception of hatcheries and nurseries or facilities 
for the production of species used for organic feed organisms.  
3.1.5.2. Artificial heating or cooling of water shall only be permitted in 
hatcheries and nurseries. Natural borehole water may be used to heat 
or cool water at all stages of production.  
3.1.5.3. The husbandry environment of the aquaculture animals shall be 
designed in such a way that, in accordance with their species-specific 
needs, the aquaculture animals:  
(a) have sufficient space for their welfare and have the relevant 
stocking density laid down in the implementing acts referred to 
in Article 15(3);  
(b) are kept in water of good quality with, inter alia, an adequate flow 
and exchange rate, sufficient oxygen levels and keeping a low 
level of metabolites;  
(c) are kept in temperature and light conditions in accordance with the 
requirements of the species and having regard to the geographic 
location.  
In considering the effects of stocking density on the welfare of 
produced fish, the condition of the fish (such as fin damage, other 
injuries, growth rate, behaviour expressed and overall health) and the 
water quality shall be monitored and taken into account.  
In the case of freshwater fish, the bottom type shall be as close as 
possible to natural conditions.  
In the case of carp and similar species:  
— the bottom shall be natural earth,  
— organic and mineral fertilisation of the ponds and lakes shall be 
carried out only with fertilisers and soil conditioners that have been 
authorised pursuant to Article 24 for use in organic production, 
with a maximum application of 20 kg nitrogen/ha,  
— treatments involving synthetic chemicals for the control of hydro ­
phytes and plant coverage present in production waters shall be 
prohibited.  
3.1.5.4. The design and construction of aquatic containment systems shall 
provide flow rates and physiochemical parameters that safeguard the 
animals’ health and welfare, and that provide for their behavioural 
needs.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 104  
The specific characteristics for production systems and containment 
systems for species or group of species laid down in the implementing 
acts referred to in Article 15(3) shall be complied with.  
3.1.5.5. Rearing units on land shall meet the following conditions:  
(a) flow-through systems shall allow the monitoring and control of the 
flow rate and water quality of both in-flowing and out-flowing 
water;  
(b) at least 10 % of the perimeter (‘land-water interface’) area shall 
have natural vegetation.  
3.1.5.6. Containment systems at sea shall meet the following conditions:  
(a) they shall be located where water flow, depth and water-body 
exchange rates are adequate to minimise the impact on the 
seabed and the surrounding water body;  
(b) they shall have suitable cage design, construction and maintenance 
with regard to their exposure to the operating environment.  
3.1.5.7. Containment systems shall be designed, located and operated to 
minimise the risk of escape incidents.  
3.1.5.8. If fish or crustaceans escape, appropriate action shall be taken to 
reduce the impact on the local ecosystem, including recapture where 
appropriate. Records shall be kept.  
3.1.5.9. For aquaculture animal production in fishponds, tanks or raceways, 
farms shall be equipped with either natural-filter beds, settlement 
ponds, biological filters or mechanical filters to collect waste 
nutrients or use algae or animals (bivalves) which contribute to 
improving the quality of the effluent. Effluent monitoring shall be 
carried out at regular intervals where appropriate.  
3.1.6. Animal welfare  
3.1.6.1. All persons involved in keeping aquaculture animals shall possess the 
necessary basic knowledge and skills as regards the health and the 
welfare needs of those animals.  
3.1.6.2. The handling of aquaculture animals shall be minimised, and shall be 
undertaken with the greatest care. Proper equipment and protocols 
shall be used to avoid stress and physical damage associated with 
handling procedures. Broodstock shall be handled in such a manner 
as to minimise physical damage and stress, and shall be handled under 
anaesthesia where appropriate. Grading operations shall be kept to a 
minimum and shall only be used where required to ensure fish welfare.  
3.1.6.3. The following restrictions shall apply to the use of artificial light:  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 105  
(a) for prolonging natural day length, it shall not exceed a maximum 
that respects the ethological needs, geographical conditions and 
general health of the animals; this maximum shall not exceed 
14 hours per day, except where necessary for reproductive 
purposes;  
(b) abrupt changes in light intensity shall be avoided at the 
changeover time through the use of dimmable lights or back ­
ground lighting.  
3.1.6.4. Aeration shall be permitted to ensure animal welfare and health. Mech ­
anical aerators shall be preferably powered by renewable energy 
sources.  
3.1.6.5. Oxygen may only be used for uses linked to animal health and welfare 
requirements and for critical periods of production or transport, and 
only in the following cases:  
(a) exceptional cases of a change in temperature, a drop in atmos ­
pheric pressure or accidental water pollution;  
(b) occasional stock management procedures, such as sampling and 
sorting;  
(c) in order to assure the survival of the farm stock.  
3.1.6.6. Appropriate measures shall be taken to keep the duration of the 
transport of aquaculture animals to a minimum.  
3.1.6.7. Any suffering shall be kept to a minimum during the entire life of the 
animal, including at the time of slaughter.  
3.1.6.8. Eyestalk ablation, including all similar practices such as ligation, 
incision and pinching, is prohibited.  
3.1.6.9. Slaughter techniques shall render fish immediately unconscious and 
insensible to pain. Handling prior to slaughter shall be performed in 
a way that avoids injuries while keeping suffering and stress at a 
minimum. Differences in harvesting sizes, species, and production 
sites shall be taken into account when considering optimal slaughtering 
methods.  
3.2. Detailed rules for molluscs  
3.2.1. Origin of seed  
With regard to the origin of seed, the following rules shall apply:  
(a) wild seed from outside the boundaries of the production unit may 
be used in the case of bivalve shellfish, provided that there is no 
significant damage to the environment, provided that it is 
permitted by local legislation and provided that the wild seed 
comes from:  
(i) settlement beds which are unlikely to survive winter weather 
or are surplus to requirements; or  
(ii) natural settlement of shellfish seed on collectors;  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 106  
(b) for the cupped oyster ( Crassostrea gigas ), preference shall be 
given to stock which is selectively bred to reduce spawning in 
the wild;  
(c) records shall be kept of how, where and when wild seed was 
collected to allow traceability back to the collection area;  
(d) wild seed may only be collected after the competent authority has 
granted authorisation to do so.  
3.2.2. Housing and husbandry practices  
With regard to housing and husbandry practices, the following rules 
shall apply:  
(a) production may be carried out in the same area of water as organic 
finfish and algae production, in a polyculture system that shall be 
documented in the sustainable management plan. Bivalve molluscs 
may also be grown together with gastropod molluscs, such as 
periwinkles, in polyculture;  
(b) organic bivalve mollusc production shall take place within areas 
delimited by posts, floats or other clear markers and shall, where 
appropriate, be restrained by net bags, cages or other man made 
means;  
(c) organic shellfish farms shall minimise risks to species of conser ­
vation interest. If predator nets are used, their design shall not 
permit diving birds to be harmed.  
3.2.3. Cultivation  
With regard to cultivation, the following rules shall apply:  
(a) cultivation on mussel ropes and other methods listed in the im ­
plementing acts referred to in Article 15(3) may be used in organic 
production;  
(b) the bottom cultivation of molluscs is only permitted where no 
significant environmental impact is caused at the collection and 
growing sites. A survey and report supporting the evidence of 
minimal environmental impact shall be added as a separate 
chapter to the sustainable management plan, and shall be 
provided by the operator to the competent authority, or, where 
appropriate, to the control authority or control body, before 
starting operations.  
3.2.4. Management  
With regard to management, the following rules shall apply:  
(a) production shall use a stocking density not in excess of that used 
for non-organic molluscs in the locality. Sorting, thinning and 
stocking density adjustments shall be made according to the 
biomass and to ensure animal welfare and high product quality;  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 107  
(b) biofouling organisms shall be removed by physical means or by 
hand and where appropriate returned to the sea away from mollusc 
farms. Molluscs may be treated once during the production cycle 
with a lime solution to control competing fouling organisms.  
3.2.5. Specific cultivation rules for oysters  
Cultivation in bags on trestles shall be permitted. Those or other 
structures in which the oysters are contained shall be set out so as 
to avoid the formation of a total barrier along the shoreline. Stock shall 
be positioned carefully on the beds in relation to tidal flow to optimise 
production. Production shall meet the requirements set out in the im ­
plementing acts referred to in Article 15(3).  
Part IV: Processed food production rules  
In addition to the general production rules laid down in Articles 9, 11 and 16, the 
rules laid down in this Part shall apply to the organic production of processed 
food.  
1. General requirements for the production of processed food  
1.1. Food additives, processing aids and other substances and ingredients 
used for processing food and any processing practice applied, such as 
smoking, shall comply with the principles of good manufacturing 
practice (  1 ). 
1.2. Operators producing processed food shall establish and update appro ­
priate procedures based on a systematic identification of critical 
processing steps.  
1.3. The application of the procedures referred to in point 1.2 shall ensure 
that the produced processed products comply with this Regulation at 
all times.  
1.4. Operators shall comply with and implement the procedures referred to 
in point 1.2, and, without prejudice to Article 28, shall in particular,:  
(a) take precautionary measures;  
(b) implement suitable cleaning measures, monitor their effectiveness 
and keep records of those operations;  
(c) guarantee that non-organic products are not placed on the market 
with an indication referring to organic production.  
1.5. The preparation of processed organic, in-conversion and non-organic 
products shall be kept separate from each other in time or space. 
Where organic, in-conversion and non-organic products, in any 
combination, are prepared or stored in the preparation unit concerned, 
the operator shall:  
(a) inform the competent authority, or, where appropriate, the control 
authority or control body, accordingly;  ▼B 
( 1 ) Good manufacturing practices (GMPs) as defined in Article 3(a) of Commission Regu ­
lation (EC) No 2023/2006 of 22 December 2006 on good manufacturing practice for 
materials and articles intended to come into contact with food (OJ L 384, 29.12.2006, 
p. 75). 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 108  
(b) carry out the operations continuously until the production run has 
been completed, separately in place or time from similar oper ­
ations performed on any other kind of product (organic, 
in-conversion or non-organic);  
(c) store organic, in-conversion and non-organic products, before and 
after the operations, separate by place or time from each other;  
(d) keep available an updated register of all operations and quantities 
processed;  
(e) take the necessary measures to ensure identification of lots and to 
avoid mixtures or exchanges between organic, in-conversion and 
non-organic products;  
(f) carry out operations on organic or in-conversion products only 
after suitable cleaning of the production equipment.  
1.6. Products, substances and techniques that reconstitute properties that are 
lost in the processing and storage of organic food, that correct the 
results of negligence in the processing of organic food, or that 
otherwise may be misleading as to the true nature of products 
intended to be marketed as organic food, shall not be used.  
2. Detailed requirements for the production of processed food  
2.1. The following conditions shall apply to the composition of processed 
organic food:  
(a) the product shall be produced mainly from agricultural ingredients 
or products intended for use as food listed in Annex I; for the 
purpose of determining whether a product has been produced 
mainly from those products, added water and salt shall not be 
taken into account;  
(b) an organic ingredient shall not be present together with the same 
ingredient in non-organic form;  
(c) an in-conversion ingredient shall not be present together with the 
same ingredient in organic or non-organic form.  
2.2. Use of certain products and substances in processing of food  
2.2.1. Only food additives, processing aids and non-organic agricultural 
ingredients authorised pursuant to Article 24 or Article 25 for use in 
organic production, and the products and substances referred to in 
point 2.2.2 may be used in the processing of food, with the 
exception of products and substances of the wine sector, for which 
point 2 of Part VI shall apply, and with the exception of yeast, for 
which point 1.3 of Part VII shall apply.  
2.2.2. In the processing of food, the following products and substances may 
be used:  
(a) preparations of micro-organisms and food enzymes normally used 
in food processing, provided that food enzymes to be used as food 
additives have been authorised pursuant to Article 24 for use in 
organic production;  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 109  
(b) substances and products defined in points (c) and (d)(i) of 
Article 3(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008 that have been 
labelled as natural flavouring substances or natural flavouring 
preparations in accordance with Article 16(2), (3) and (4) of that 
Regulation;  
(c) colours for stamping meat and eggshells in accordance with 
Article 17 of Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008;  
(d) natural colours and natural coating substances for the traditional 
decorative colouring of the shell of boiled eggs produced with the 
intention of placing them on the market at a given period of the 
year;  
(e) drinking water and organic or non-organic salt (with sodium 
chloride or potassium chloride as basic components) generally 
used in food processing;  
(f) minerals (trace elements included), vitamins, amino acids and 
micronutrients, provided that:  
(i) their use in food for normal consumption is ‘directly legally 
required’, in the meaning of being directly required by 
provisions of Union law or provisions of national law 
compatible with Union law, with the consequence that the 
food cannot be placed at all on the market as food for 
normal consumption if those minerals, vitamins, amino acids 
or micronutrients are not added; or  
(ii) as regards food placed on the market as having particular 
characteristics or effects in relation to health or nutrition or 
in relation to needs of specific groups of consumers:  
— in products referred to in points (a) and (b) of Article 1(1) 
of Regulation (EU) No 609/2013 of the European 
Parliament and of the Council (  1 ) their use is authorised 
by that Regulation and acts adopted on the basis of 
Article 11(1) of that Regulation for the products 
concerned, or  
— in products regulated by Commission Directive 
2006/125/EC (  2 ), their use is authorised by that Directive.  
2.2.3. Only the products for cleaning and disinfection authorised pursuant to 
Article 24 for use in processing shall be used for that purpose.  
2.2.4. For the purpose of the calculation referred to in Article 30(5), the 
following rules shall apply:  ▼B 
( 1 ) Regulation (EU) No 609/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 June 
2013 on food intended for infants and young children, food for special medical purposes, 
and total diet replacement for weight control and repealing Council Directive 92/52/EEC, 
Commission Directives 96/8/EC, 1999/21/EC, 2006/125/EC and 2006/141/EC, Directive 
2009/39/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Commission 
Regulations (EC) No 41/2009 and (EC) No 953/2009 (OJ L 181, 29.6.2013, p. 35). 
( 2 ) Commission Directive 2006/125/EC of 5 December 2006 on processed cereal-based 
foods and baby foods for infants and young children (OJ L 339, 6.12.2006, p. 16). 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 110  
(a) certain food additives authorised pursuant to Article 24 for use in 
organic production shall be calculated as agricultural ingredients;  
(b) preparations and substances referred to in points (a), (c), (d), (e) 
and (f) of point 2.2.2 shall not be calculated as agricultural 
ingredients;  
(c) yeast and yeast products shall be calculated as agricultural 
ingredients.  
Part V: Processed feed production rules  
In addition to the general production rules laid down in Articles 9, 11 and 17, the 
rules laid down in this Part shall apply to the organic production of processed 
feed.  
1. General requirements for the production of processed feed  
1.1. Feed additives, processing aids and other substances and ingredients 
used for processing feed, and any processing practice used, such as 
smoking, shall comply with the principles of good manufacturing 
practice.  
1.2. Operators that produce processed feed shall establish and update 
appropriate procedures based on a systematic identification of the 
critical processing steps.  
1.3. The application of the procedures referred to in point 1.2 shall ensure 
that the produced processed products comply with this Regulation at 
all times.  
1.4. Operators shall comply with and implement the procedures referred to 
in point 1.2, and, without prejudice to Article 28, shall in particular:  
(a) take precautionary measures;  
(b) implement suitable cleaning measures, monitor their effectiveness 
and keep records of those operations;  
(c) guarantee that non-organic products are not placed on the market 
with an indication referring to organic production.  
1.5. The preparation of processed organic, in-conversion and non-organic 
products shall be kept separate from each other in time or space. 
Where organic, in-conversion and non-organic products, in any 
combination, are prepared or stored in the preparation unit concerned, 
the operator shall:  
(a) inform the control authority or control body accordingly;  
(b) carry out the operations continuously until the production run has 
been completed, separately in place or time from similar oper ­
ations performed on any other kind of product (organic, 
in-conversion or non-organic);  
(c) store organic, in-conversion and non-organic products, before and 
after the operations, separate by place or time from each other;  
(d) keep available an updated register of all operations and quantities 
processed;  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 111  
(e) take the necessary measures to ensure identification of lots and to 
avoid mixtures or exchanges between organic, in-conversion and 
non-organic products;  
(f) carry out operations on organic or in-conversion products only 
after suitable cleaning of the production equipment.  
2. Detailed requirements for the production of processed feed  
2.1. Organic feed materials, or in-conversion feed materials, shall not enter 
simultaneously with the same feed materials produced by non-organic 
means into the composition of the organic feed product.  
2.2. Any feed materials used or processed in organic production shall not 
have been processed with the aid of chemically synthesised solvents.  
2.3. Only non-organic feed material of plant, algal, animal or yeast origin, 
feed material of mineral origin, and feed additives and processing aids 
authorised pursuant to Article 24 for use in organic production may be 
used in the processing of feed.  
2.4. Only the products for cleaning and disinfection authorised pursuant to 
Article 24 for use in processing shall be used for that purpose.  
Part VI: Wine  
1. Scope  
1.1. In addition to the general production rules laid down in Articles 9, 10, 
11, 16 and 18, the rules laid down in this Part shall apply to the 
organic production of the products of the wine sector as referred to 
in point (l) of Article 1(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013.  
1.2. Commission Regulations (EC) No 606/2009 (  1 ) and (EC) 
No 607/2009 (  2 ) shall apply, save as explicitly provided otherwise in 
this Part.  
2. Use of certain products and substances  
2.1. Products of the wine sector shall be produced from organic raw 
material.  
2.2. Only products and substances authorised pursuant to Article 24 for use 
in organic production may be used for the making of products of the 
wine sector, including during the oenological practices, processes and 
treatments, subject to the conditions and restrictions laid down in 
Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 and Regulation (EC) No 606/2009, 
and in particular in Annex I A to the latter Regulation.  ▼B 
( 1 ) Commission Regulation (EC) No 606/2009 of 10 July 2009 laying down certain detailed 
rules for implementing Council Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 as regards the categories 
of grapevine products, oenological practices and the applicable restrictions (OJ L 193, 
24.7.2009, p. 1). 
( 2 ) Commission Regulation (EC) No 607/2009 of 14 July 2009 laying down certain detailed 
rules for the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 as regards 
protected designations of origin and geographical indications, traditional terms, 
labelling and presentation of certain wine sector products (OJ L 193, 24.7.2009, p. 60). 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 112  
3. Oenological practices and restrictions  
3.1. Without prejudice to Sections 1 and 2 of this Part and to specific 
prohibitions and restrictions provided for in points 3.2, 3.3 and 3.4, 
only oenological practices, processes and treatments, including the 
restrictions provided for in Article 80 and Article 83(2) of Regu ­
lation (EU) No 1308/2013, in Article 3, Articles 5 to 9 and Articles 
11 to 14 of Regulation (EC) No 606/2009, and in the Annexes to those 
Regulations used before 1 August 2010 shall be permitted.  
3.2. The use of the following oenological practices, processes and 
treatments shall be prohibited:  
(a) partial concentration through cooling in accordance with point (c) 
of Section B.1 of Part I of Annex VIII to Regulation (EU) 
No 1308/2013;  
(b) elimination of sulphur dioxide by physical processes in accordance 
with point 8 of Annex I A to Regulation (EC) No 606/2009;  
(c) electrodialysis treatment to ensure the tartaric stabilisation of the 
wine in accordance with point 36 of Annex I A to Regulation (EC) 
No 606/2009;  
(d) partial dealcoholisation of wine in accordance with point 40 of 
Annex I A to Regulation (EC) No 606/2009;  
(e) treatment with cation exchangers to ensure the tartaric stabilisation 
of the wine in accordance with point 43 of Annex I A to 
Regulation (EC) No 606/2009.  
3.3. The use of the following oenological practices, processes and 
treatments is permitted under the following conditions:  
(a) heat treatments in accordance with point 2 of Annex I A to 
Regulation (EC) No 606/2009, provided that the temperature 
does not exceed 75 °C;  
(b) centrifuging and filtration with or without an inert filtering agent 
in accordance with point 3 of Annex I A to Regulation (EC) 
No 606/2009, provided that the size of the pores is not smaller 
than 0,2 micrometres.  
3.4. Any amendment introduced after 1 August 2010 concerning the oeno ­
logical practices, processes and treatments provided for in 
Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 or Regulation (EC) No 606/2009 
may apply to the organic production of wine only after those 
measures have been included as permitted in this Section and, if 
required, after an evaluation in accordance with Article 24 of this 
Regulation.  
Part VII: Yeast used as food or feed  
In addition to the general production rules laid down in Articles 9, 11, 16, 17 and 
19, the rules laid down in this Part shall apply to the organic production of yeast 
used as food or feed.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 113  
1. General requirements  
1.1. For the production of organic yeast, only organically produced 
substrates shall be used. However, until 31 December 2023, the 
addition of up to 5 % non-organic yeast extract or autolysate to the 
substrate (calculated in weight of dry matter) is allowed for the 
production of organic yeast where operators are unable to obtain 
yeast extract or autolysate from organic production.  
1.2. Organic yeast shall not be present in organic food or feed together 
with non-organic yeast.  
1.3. The following products and substances may be used in the production, 
confection and formulation of organic yeast:  
(a) processing aids authorised pursuant to Article 24 for use in organic 
production;  
(b) products and substances referred to in points (a), (b) and (e) of 
point 2.2.2 of Part IV.  
1.4. Only the products for cleaning and disinfection authorised pursuant to 
Article 24 for use in processing shall be used for that purpose.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 114  
ANNEX III  
COLLECTION, PACKAGING, TRANSPORT AND STORAGE OF 
PRODUCTS  
1. Collection of products and transport to preparation units  
Operators may carry out the simultaneous collection of organic, 
in-conversion and non-organic products only where appropriate measures 
have been taken to prevent any possible mixture or exchange between 
organic, in-conversion and non-organic products and to ensure the identifi ­
cation of the organic and in-conversion products. The operator shall keep 
the information relating to collection days, hours, the circuit and date and 
time of the reception of the products available to the control authority or 
control body.  
2. Packaging and transport of products to other operators or units  
2.1. Operators shall ensure that organic and in-conversion products are trans ­
ported to other operators or 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 Union 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 feedstuff 
accompanied by a reference to organic production;  
(c) the name or the code number of the control authority or control body to 
which the operator is subject; and  
(d) where relevant, the lot identification mark in accordance with a marking 
system either approved at national level or agreed with the control 
authority or control body and which permits the linking of the lot 
with the records referred to in Article 34(5).  
The information referred to in points (a) to (d) 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 accom ­
panying document shall include information on the supplier or the 
transporter.  
2.2. The closing of packaging, containers or vehicles shall not be required 
where:  
(a) the transport takes place directly between two operators, both of which 
are subject to the organic control system;  
(b) the transport includes only organic or only in-conversion products;  
(c) the products are accompanied by a document giving the information 
required under point 2.1; and  
(d) both the expediting and the receiving operators keep documentary 
records of such transport operations available for the control authority 
or control body.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 115  
3. Special rules for transporting feed to other production or preparation units or 
storage premises  
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 are effectively physically separated;  
(b) vehicles or containers which have transported non-organic products are 
only used to transport organic or in-conversion products if:  
(i) suitable cleaning measures, the effectiveness of which has been 
checked, have been carried out before commencing the transport 
of organic or in-conversion products and the operators keep records 
of those operations;  
(ii) all appropriate measures are implemented, depending on the risks 
evaluated in accordance with control arrangements, and where 
necessary, operators guarantee that non-organic products cannot 
be placed on the market with an indication referring to organic 
production;  
(iii) the operator keeps documentary records of such transport oper ­
ations available for the control authority or control body;  
(c) the transport of finished organic or in-conversion feed is 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 is recorded.  
4. Transport of live fish  
4.1. Live fish shall be transported in suitable tanks with clean water which meets 
their physiological needs in terms of temperature and dissolved oxygen.  
4.2. Before transport of organic fish and fish products, tanks shall be thoroughly 
cleaned, disinfected and rinsed.  
4.3. Precautions shall be taken to reduce stress. During transport, the density 
shall not reach a level which is detrimental to the species.  
4.4. Records shall be kept for operations referred to in points 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3.  
5. Reception of products from other operators of units  
On receipt of an organic or in-conversion product, the operator shall check 
the closing of the packaging, container or vehicle where it is required and 
the presence of the indications provided for in Section 2.  
The operator shall cross-check the information on the label referred to in 
Section 2 with the information on the accompanying documents. The result 
of those verifications shall be explicitly mentioned in the records referred to 
in Article 34(5).  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 116  
6. Special rules for the reception of products from a third country  
Where organic or in-conversion products are imported from a third country, 
they shall be transported in appropriate packaging or containers, closed in a 
manner that prevents the substitution of the content and bearing the identi ­
fication of the exporter and any other marks and numbers that serve to 
identify the lot, and shall be accompanied by the certificate of control for 
import from third countries where appropriate.  
On receipt of an organic or in-conversion product imported from a third 
country, the natural or legal person to whom the imported consignment is 
delivered and who receives it for further preparation or marketing shall 
check the closing of the packaging or container and, in the case of 
products imported in accordance with point (b)(iii) of Article 45(1), shall 
check that the certificate of inspection referred to in that Article covers the 
type of product contained in the consignment. The result of this verification 
shall be explicitly mentioned in the records referred to in Article 34(5).  
7. Storage of products  
7.1. Areas for the storage of products shall be managed in such a way as to 
ensure identification of lots and to avoid any mixing or contamination with 
products or substances not in compliance with the organic production rules. 
Organic and in-conversion products shall be clearly identifiable at all times.  
7.2. No input products or substances other than those authorised pursuant to 
Articles 9 and 24 for use in organic production shall be stored in organic 
or in-conversion plant and livestock production units.  
7.3. Allopathic veterinary medicinal products, including antibiotics, may be 
stored in agricultural and aquaculture holdings provided that they have 
been prescribed by a veterinarian in connection with the treatment 
referred to in points 1.5.2.2 of Part II and 3.1.4.2(a) of Part III of 
Annex II, that they are stored in a supervised location and that they are 
entered in the records referred to in Article 34(5).  
7.4. Where operators handle organic, or in-conversion or non-organic products in 
any combination and the organic or in-conversion products are stored in 
storage facilities in which also other agricultural products or foodstuffs are 
stored:  
(a) the organic or in-conversion products shall be kept separate from the 
other agricultural products or foodstuffs;  
(b) every measure shall be taken to ensure identification of consignments 
and to avoid mixtures or exchanges between organic, in-conversion and 
non-organic products;  
(c) suitable cleaning measures, the effectiveness of which has been checked, 
shall have been carried out before the storage of organic or 
in-conversion products and the operators shall keep records of those 
operations.  
7.5. Only the products for cleaning and disinfection authorised pursuant to 
Article 24 for use in organic production shall be used in storage facilities 
for that purpose.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 117  
ANNEX IV  
TERMS REFERRED TO IN ARTICLE 30  
BG: биологичен . 
ES: ecológico, biológico, orgánico.  
CS: ekologické, biologické.  
DA: økologisk.  
DE: ökologisch, biologisch.  
ET: mahe, ökoloogiline.  
EL: βιολογικό . 
EN: organic.  
FR: biologique.  
GA: orgánach.  
HR: ekološki.  
IT: biologico.  
LV: biolo ģisks, ekolo ģisks. 
LT: ekologiškas.  
LU: biologesch, ökologesch.  
HU: ökológiai.  
MT: organiku.  
NL: biologisch.  
PL: ekologiczne.  
PT: biológico.  
RO: ecologic.  
SK: ekologické, biologické.  
SL: ekološki.  
FI: luonnonmukainen.  
SV: ekologisk.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 118  
ANNEX V  
ORGANIC PRODUCTION LOGO OF THE EUROPEAN UNION AND 
CODE NUMBERS  
1. Logo  
1.1. The organic production logo of the European Union shall comply with the 
model below:
  
1.2. The reference colour in Pantone is Green Pantone No 376 and Green (50 % 
Cyan + 100 % Yellow), when a four-colour process is used.  
1.3. The organic production logo of the European Union may also be used in 
black and white as shown, only where it is not practicable to apply it in 
colour:
  
1.4. If the background colour of the packaging or label is dark, the symbols may 
be used in negative format, using the background colour of the packaging or 
label.  
1.5. If a logo is used in colour on a coloured background which makes it 
difficult to see, a delimiting outer line around the logo can be used to 
improve contrast with the background colours.  
1.6. Where there are indications in a single colour on the packaging, the organic 
production logo of the European Union may be used in the same colour.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 119  
1.7. The organic production logo of the European Union shall have a height of at 
least 9 mm and a width of at least 13,5 mm; the proportion ratio 
height/width shall always be 1:1,5. Exceptionally, the minimum size may 
be reduced to a height of 6 mm for very small packages.  
1.8. The organic production logo of the European Union may be associated with 
graphical or textual elements referring to organic production under the 
condition that they do not modify or change the nature of the organic 
production logo of the European Union, nor any of the indications 
defined in accordance with Article 32. When associated to national or 
private logos using a green colour different from the reference colour 
provided for in point 1.2, the organic production logo of the European 
Union may be used in that non-reference colour.  
2. Code numbers  
The general format of the code numbers shall be as follows:  
AB-CDE-999  
where:  
(a) ‘AB’ is the ISO code for the country where the controls take place;  
(b) ‘CDE’ is a term, indicated in three letters to be decided by the 
Commission or each Member State, like ‘bio’ or ‘öko’ or ‘org’ or 
‘eko’ establishing a link with organic production; and  
(c) ‘999’ is the reference number, indicated in maximum three digits, to be 
assigned by:  
(i) each Member State’s competent authority to the control authorities 
or control bodies to which it has delegated control tasks;  
(ii) the Commission, to:  
— the control authorities and control bodies recognised by the 
Commission pursuant to Article 46,  
— to the competent authorities of third countries recognised by the 
Commission pursuant to Article 48.  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 120  
ANNEX VI  
MODEL OF CERTIFICATE  
Certificate pursuant to Article 35(1) of Regulation (EU) 2018/848 on organic production and labelling of organic 
products
  ▼B 02018R0848 — EN — 14.06.2018 — 000.001 — 121
  
Annex – List of members of group of operators as defined in Article 36 of Regulation (EU) 2018/848  
Name of member  Address  ▼B