Translation only – Only the original and officially 
approved Arabic Version is legally relevant! 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Standards & Controls  
of Organic Farming Activity  
in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
Contents 
 
 
Topic                                                                                                   Page 
 
Introduction            1 
 
Aim , Scope and Definitions        3 
 
Objectives and Principles for Organic Production      6  
 
Production Rules          9 
 
Production of Processed Feed      16 
 
Production of Processed Food      16 
 
Flexibility         17 
 
Labeling          18 
 
Controls          20 
 
International Trade         24 
 
Final and Transitional Rules      25 
 
Annex 1: Saudi National Logo for Organic Products                        26 
 
 
       
 1 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
On 12th of Safar 1429H (19th of February 2008G) the Standardization Organization for 
G.C.C. (GSO) has adopted a standard for ‘Production, Processing, Labeling and Marke-
ting of Organically Produced Foods ’ (GSO CAC GL 32:2008). On Safar 1430H (February 
2009G) the Saudi Arabian Standards Organization (SASO) adopted these standards on 
national level. 
The Ministry of Agriculture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has prepared these stan-
dards to enhance the production, processing and trade of organic food, and to formu-
late definitions, rules and control measures related to organic activities. They were 
also intended to protect persons working in the areas of organic agriculture and consu-
mers from fraud, and to contribute to the provision of support and supply of organic 
products and its inputs, which lead to strengthen the organic agricultural sector in the 
Kingdom. 
A technical advisory committee was commissioned by the HE the Minister of  Agricul-
ture to review and formulate the standards and regulations related to  organic farming 
to suit the circumstances and the legislation of the Kingdom. The committee includes 
representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, universities, private sector, people wor-
king in the field of organic  agriculture and international control and consultancy groups 
to formulate, review and amend these standards. 
These standards were formulated in line with the new European regulations (EC 
834/2007), which came into force on the 4th of Muharram 1430H (1st of January 
2009G). The European regulation took into account the testimony of the international 
working group (ITF) by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development 
(UNCTAD), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the 
International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM). It should also be 
noted that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia generally prevents from the circulation of 
genetically modified organisms (GMO) and their products. 
The Ministry of Agriculture signed a contract in cooperation with the German Society 
for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) for "Introduction of Organic Agriculture in Saudi 
Arabia" on 19th of Rajab 1426H (24th of August 2005). Among its objectives are the 
formulation and equivalence of these standards and controls that will apply in the 
Kingdom with the international standards, and to support its implementation. 2 
 
 It should be noted that the climatic conditions of the Kingdom and the established official 
guidelines have taken into account the following objectives: 
− Optimal use of water resources. 
− Recognition of regulatory authorities,  
− Develop the technical specifications,  
− Develop the specific lists of production and processing materials of organic food.  
− A list of import requirements. 
 
A Saudi national label for organic products is herewith introduced as marketing 
instrument for certified organic operators and recognition aid for consumers. 
Note that these standards and controls for the activity of organic agriculture will be 
applied as it does not conflict with any laws and regulations in place in the Kingdom. 
In particular the surface relation between plant production and animal production is not 
appropriate to the conditions of climate and availability of renewable irrigation water in 
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Further development and amendment of the legal 
framework will take into account the recommendations of the Saudi Organization for 
Organic Farming (SOFO). Additional technical specifications for organic production are 
defined through the ‘Good Practices for Organic Production ’, established in compliance 
with this regulation. 
The regulation shall apply without prejudice to other national or international provisions, 
such as provisions governing the production, preparation, marketing, labelling and 
control, including legislation on foodstuffs. 
 
Technical Committee Members for Reviewing the Specifications & Controls 
Prof. Dr. Ibrahim M. AL Shahwan (Chairman)  Prof. Dr. Khalid N. AL-Redhaiman 
Eng. Abdulaziz A.AL- Duraywish (MoA)   Eng. Abdulaziz M.AL-Tallas  
Eng. Robert W. Glass (GTZ)           Eng. Riath M. Shnayien (GTZ) 3 
 
 AIM, SCOPE AND DEFINITIONS 
 
Article 1: Aim and Scope  
 
1. These Regulations provide the basis for the sustainable development of 
organic production, while ensuring the effective functionality of the internal 
market, guaranteeing fair competition, ensuring consumer confidence and 
achieve their interests. 
It establishes common objectives and principles to underpin the rules set out 
in the framework of the relevant regulations in all stages of production, 
preparation and distribution of organic products and their control as well as 
labeling and advertising. 
 
 
2. These Regulations shall apply to products of agricultural origin, including 
aquaculture, where such products are placed on the market or are intended 
to be placed on the market and they are: 
 
(a) Live and unprocessed agricultural products; 
(b) Processed agricultural products for use as food; 
(c) Feed; 
(d) Vegetative propagation materials and seeds for cultivation. 
 
 
3. These Regulations shall apply to any operator involved in the activities at any 
stage of production, preparation and distribution. 
 4 
 
 Article 2: Definitions  
 
These definitions mean the following: 
 
(a) "organic production" means the use of the production method compliant with 
the rules established in these Regulations, at all the stages of production, 
preparation and distribution; 
(b) "stages of production, preparation and distribution" means any stage of the 
primary production of organic products including the stages of storage, 
processing, transport, sale or supply to the consumer, and activities related to 
labeling, advertising, import, export and subcontracting; 
(c) "organic" means product of, or related to, organic production; 
(d) "operator" means a natural or legal person responsible for ensuring and control 
that the requirements of these Regulations are met within the framework of 
the organic activities; 
(e)  "plant production" means production of agricultural crops including the 
collection of all wild plant products for commercial purposes; 
(f) "livestock production" means the production of domestic or domesticated 
terrestrial animals (including insects); 
(g) "aquaculture" means the rearing or cultivation of aquatic organisms using 
techniques designed to increase the production of the organisms beyond the 
natural capacity of the environment; 
(h) "conversion" means the transition from non organic to organic farming within a 
given period of time, during which the provisions concerning the organic 
production have been applied; 
(i) "preparation" means the operations of preserving and/or processing of organic 
products, including slaughtering and cutting of livestock products, and also 
packaging, labelling and/or alterations made to the labelling concerning the 
organic production method; 
(j) "labelling" means any phrases, words, particulars, trade marks, brand name, 
pictorial matter or symbols related to the packaging or placed on the 
packaging, document, notice, label, board, ring or collar accompanying or 
referring to the product; 
(k) "advertising" means any representation to the public, by any means other than 5 
 
 a label, that is intended or is likely to influence the formation of attitudes, 
habits and behaviors in order to promote directly or indirectly the sale of 
organic products; 
(l) "competent authority" means the Department for Organic Agriculture in the 
Ministry of Agriculture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Or similar correspond-
ding authority in other countries; 
(m) "control body" means an independent, private third party carrying out 
inspection and certification in the field of organic production in accordance 
with the provisions set out in the framework of these regulations; it shall also 
include, where appropriate, any body corresponding to these Regulations in 
another country; 
(n) "Genetically modified organism (GMO)" means organisms, the genetic constituents 
of which have been modified unnaturally, i.e., by asexual mating or re-natural 
union. While 'Organisms' means any biological organism capable of reproducing 
or of transferring genetic constituents. 
(o) "produced from GMOs" means the products that in whole or partially derived 
from GMOs, but not consisting of GMOs themselves; 
(p) "produced by GMOs" means the products derived using GMO as the last living 
organism in the production process, but does not contain or consist of GMOs 
and not produced from them; 
(q) "equivalent", to describe different systems or measures, and means those sys-
tems and arrangements that are capable of meeting the same objectives and 
principles though applying rules which ensure the same level of assurance and 
conformity; 
(r) "feeding stuffs" shall mean natural products of plant or animal origin, whether 
fresh or frozen, and materials derived from the manufacturing of the feeding 
stuffs. This is in addition to the organic and non-organic stuffs used separately 
or mixed. They might or might not have additives used in the animal nutrition. 
(s) "processing aid" means any substance not consumed as food ingredient by it-
self, intentionally used in the processing of raw materials, foods stuffs or their 
ingredients, and that to fulfill a certain technological purpose during treatment 
or processing and which may result in the unintentional but technically 
unavoidable presence of residues of the substance or its derivatives in the final 
product, provided that these residues do not present any health risk and do 
not have any technological effect on the final product; 6 
 
 OBJECTIVES AND PRINCIPLES FOR 
 ORGANIC PRODUCTION 
 
Article 3: Objectives  
Organic production shall pursue the following general objectives: 
(a) Establish a sustainable management system for agriculture that: 
(i) respects nature's systems and its cycles and sustains and enhances the 
health of soil and water, plants and animals and the balance among them; 
(ii) contributes to a high level of biodiversity; 
(iii) aims at the responsible use of energy and natural resources, such as water, 
soil, organic matter and air; 
(iv) respects the requirements of welfare and behavioral aspects of animals. 
(b) Aims at producing high quality products; 
(c) Aims at producing a wide variety of foods and other agricultural products that 
respond to consumers ’ demand for goods produced by the use of processes that 
do not harm the environment, human health, plant health and the health and 
welfare of the animal. 
 
Article 4: General Principles:  
The organic production shall be based on the following principles: 
(a) The appropriate design and management of the biological processes that is 
based on ecological systems by the following methods: 
(i) use of living organisms and mechanical production methods; 
(ii) practice crop production, livestock production and/or aquaculture which 
complies with the principle of the sustainable optimum use of agriculture; 
(iii) exclude the use of GMOs and products produced from or by GMOs; 
(iv) are based on risk assessment, and the use of precautionary and preventive 
measures, when necessary; 
 
(b) Limit the use of external inputs, and where the external inputs are necessary or 
for the lack of the appropriate management practices and techniques, the 
external inputs shall be limited to the followings: 
(i) Inputs from organic production; 
(ii) Natural or naturally-derived materials; 7 
 
 (c) the strict limitation of the use of chemically synthesized inputs in these 
exceptional cases with the coordination with the regulatory: 
(i)  where the appropriate management practices do not exist;  
(ii)  the inputs are not available in the market;  
(iii) where the use of external  inputs do not contribute to unacceptable envi-
ronmental impacts; 
 
 
Article 5: Specific principles applicable to farming  
In addition to the general principles, organic farming shall be based on 
the following specific principles: 
(a) the maintenance and enhancement of soil life and natural soil fertility, soil 
stability and soil biodiversity that prevent and combat soil compaction and soil 
erosion, and primarily the nourishment of plants through the soil ecosystem; 
(b) the minimization of the use of non-renewable resources; 
(c) the recycling of wastes and secondary by-products of plant and animal origin 
as input in plant and animal production; 
(d) taking into account the local or regional ecological balance when making pro-
duction decisions; 
(e) the maintenance of animal health through the promotion of the natural 
immunity of the animal, as well as through the selection of the appropriate 
breeds and husbandry practices; 
(f) the maintenance of plant health by preventative measures, such as the choice 
of appropriate species and varieties resistant to pests and diseases, 
appropriate crop rotations, mechanical and physical methods and the 
protection of natural enemies of pests; 
(g) shall use the livestock that has been adapted to the cite; 
(h) the preservation the life of the animal by taking in account the species-specific 
needs; 
(i) select the animal breeds capable of adaptation to local and biological 
conditions, and resisting to diseases and health problems; 
(j) feeding of livestock with organic feed composed of agricultural ingredients 
from organic farming and natural non-agricultural materials; 
(k) application of the animal husbandry practices that enhance the natural 
immune system and strengthen the natural defence against diseases, and in 
particular the exercise of freedom of movement; 8 
 
 (l) exclusion of rearing the artificially induced polyploidy animals; 
(m) maintenance of the biodiversity in natural aquatic ecosystems, and the 
continuing health of the aquatic environment and the quality of aquatic 
ecosystems and surrounding terrestrial in aquaculture production; 
(n) feeding of aquatic organisms with feed that sustains exploitation of fisheries 
or with organic feed that contains agricultural ingredients from organic 
farming and natural non-agricultural materials. 
 
 
Article 6: Specific Principles Applicable to Processing of Organic Food  
The production of processed organic food shall be based on the following 
applicable principles: 
(a) the production of organic food from organic agricultural ingredients, unless 
where an ingredient is not available on the market in organic form; 
(b) the restriction of the use of food additives of inorganic components to the 
functions or the work of the technological components, sensory, micronutrients 
and processing aids, as they are used to a minimum extent and only in case of 
essential technological need or for particular nutritional purposes; 
(c) the exclusion of materials and processing methods that might be misleading as 
to the true nature of the product; 
(d) when processing  food, it is preferred the use of biological, physical and 
mechanical methods. 
 
 
Article 7: Specific Principles to the Processing of Organic Feed  
The production of processed organic feed shall be based on the following 
specific principles: 
(a) the production of organic feed from organic feed materials, except where the 
feed materials are not available on the market in organic form; 
(b) the restriction of the use of feed additives and processing aids to the minimum 
level only in the cases of the essential technology or the needs of biotech-
nology or for particular nutritional purposes; 
(c) the exclusion of materials and processing methods that might be misleading as 
to the true nature of the product; 
(d) where processing feed, it is preferred the use of biological, physical and 
mechanical methods. 9 
 
  
PRODUCTION RULES 
 
Article 8: General Requirements  
Operators working in organic farming shall comply with the production rules in 
accordance to the technical specifications for organic production, that is published 
by the competent authority.  
 
 
Article 9: Prohibition the use of GMOs  
GMOs and products produced from GMOs shall not be used in the organic 
production of food, feed, additives or processing aids, fertilizers, products used for 
plant protection, soil conditioners, seeds, vegetative propagating material and the 
micro-organisms and animals. 
 
 
Article 10: Prohibition of the use of Ionizing Radiation  
The use of ionizing radiation is prohibited for the treatment of organic food or feed, 
or for the raw materials used in organic food or feed. 
 
 
Article 11: General rules for Farm Production  
The entire agricultural holding shall be managed in compliance with the require-
ments that apply to organic production. 
A holding may be divided into clearly separated units that are not all managed 
under the organic production management. As regard to animals, it is possible to 
breed different species, and as regard to aquaculture the same species may be 
involved, provided that there is adequate clear separation between the production 
sites. As regard to plants, different varieties can be cultivated provided that it can 
be easily differentiated. 
Where not all the units of a holding are in use for organic production, the operator 
shall keep the land, animals, and the organic products separate from the non-
organic units and to keep adequate records to clarify the separation. 
 10 
 
 Article 12: Plant Production Rules  
1. The following rules shall apply to organic plant production: 
(a) Organic plant production shall use tillage and cultivation practices that 
maintain or increase soil fertility, enhance soil stability and soil biodiversity, 
and prevent soil compaction and soil erosion; 
(b) the fertility and biological activity of the soil shall be maintained and increased 
by applying multi-crops rotation including legumes, and where applying live-
stock manure or fermented organic material, it is preferred to be from organic 
source or not intensive source; 
(c) the use of the biodynamic processing is allowed; 
(d) in addition, fertilizers and soil conditioners may only be used if it has been 
authorized for use in organic production according to Article 16; 
(e) mineral nitrogen fertilizers shall not be used; 
(f) all plant production techniques used shall be prevented or minimized from any 
contribution to the contamination of the environment; 
(g) to prevent the of damage caused by pests, diseases and weeds, shall rely 
primarily on the protection by natural enemies, selection of resistant species 
and varieties, crop rotation, cultivation techniques and thermal processes; 
(h) in the case of an established threat to the crop, it is only the plant protection 
products that may be used if they have been authorized for use in organic 
production according to Article 16; 
(i) for the production of other products than seeds and vegetative propagation 
materials only organically produced seeds and propagation materials shall be 
used. To this end, the parent stock in the case of seeds and source plants in 
the case of vegetative propagation materials shall have been produced in 
accordance with the rules laid down in this Regulation for at least one 
generation, or, in the case of perennial crops, two growing seasons; 
(j) products for cleaning and disinfection used in plant production shall be only 
the ones been authorized for use in organic production according to Article 16. 
 
2. The collection of wild plants or, parts thereof, naturally growing in natural areas, 
forests and agricultural areas is considered an organic production method 
provided that: 
(a) those areas have not  received any worth noting treatments with products 
other than those authorized for use in organic production for a period of at 
least three years before the collection according to Article 16; 
(b) the collection should not be inequitable to affect the stability of the natural 
habitat or the preservation of the species in the collection area. 11 
 
 Article 13: Seaweed Production Rules  
1. The collection of wild seaweeds or parts thereof, that grows naturally in the sea, is 
considered as an organic production method provided that: 
(a) the growing areas are of high ecological quality and appropriate from a health 
point of view. 
(b) the collection does not affect the long term stability of the natural habitat or the 
preservation of the species in the collection area. 
2. For farming of seaweeds: 
(a) sustainable practices shall be used in all stages of production, from the 
collection of small seaweeds to harvesting, to maintain a broad genetic pool; 
(b) the collection on a regular basis of small seaweed found in the wild should take 
place to supplement sustainable indoor culture stock; 
(c) fertilizers shall not be used except in indoor facilities provided that they have 
been authorized for use in organic production according to Article 16. 
 
 
Article 14: Livestock Production Rules  
1. The following rules shall apply to livestock production: 
(a) with regard to the origin of the animals: 
(i) organic livestock shall be born and raised on organic holdings; 
(ii) for breeding purposes, non-organically raised animals may be brought 
onto a holding and to be maintained under specific conditions. Such 
animals and their products may be deemed organic after compliance with 
the conversion period. 
(iii) animals existing on the holding at the beginning of the conversion period 
may be deemed and their products organic after the compliance with the 
conversion period. 
 
(b) in regard to husbandry practices and housing conditions: 
(i) husbandry practices, including housing conditions, shall ensure that the, 
physiological and ethological development needs of animals are met; 
(ii) the livestock shall have permanent access to shaded areas and in addition 
to open air areas, whenever weather conditions and the state of the 
ground permits; 
(iii) in case of non-intensive production, the stocking rate of livestock shall be 
determined by the range management, with a view to reducing 12 
 
 overgrazing; 
(iv) organic livestock shall be kept separate from other livestock. However, 
grazing of open land by organic animals is permitted under the condition 
that the grazing land have only received treatments with products authori-
zed in organic production for a period not less than three years; 
(v) tethering or isolation of livestock shall be prohibited, unless for individual 
animals and for a limited period of time, and in so far as this is justified for 
safety, welfare or veterinary reasons; 
(vi) duration of transport of livestock shall be reduced; 
(vii) any suffering, including mutilation, shall be kept to a minimum during the 
entire life of the animal; 
(viii) apiaries shall be placed in areas which ensure the access to nectar and 
pollen sources which consists essentially of organically produced crops and 
as necessary, the beehives should be placed near spontaneous vegetation 
or crops that are only treated with low environmental impact methods. 
Apiaries shall be kept at sufficient distances from sources that may lead to 
the contamination of beekeeping products or impair the health of the 
bees; 
(ix) hives and materials used in beekeeping shall be mainly manufactured from 
natural materials; 
(x) the destruction of bees in the combs as a method associated with the har-
vesting of beekeeping products is prohibited; 
 
(c) in regard to breeding: 
(i) reproduction shall use natural methods and however, artificial insemina-
tion is allowed; 
(ii) hormones or similar substances shall not be used in reproduction; 
(iii) appropriate breeds shall be selected. 
 
(d) in regard to feed: 
(i) priority one is to obtaining feed for livestock from organic origin; 
(ii) livestock shall be fed with organic feed that meets the animal's nutritional 
requirements at the various stages of its development. The ration may con-
tain feed from holdings which are in the transition stage to organic farming; 
(iii) non organic feed materials from plant origin or animal and mineral origins, 
feed additives and some of the materials used in animal nutrition and pro-
cessing aids is approved for use provided they have been authorized for use 
in organic production according to Article 16; 
(iv) growth promoters and synthetic amino-acids shall not be used; 13 
 
 (v) suckling mammals shall be fed with natural milk; 
(e) in regard to disease prevention and veterinary treatment: 
(i) disease prevention shall be based on the appropriate  breed and strain 
selection, sound husbandry management practices, high quality feed, free-
dom of movement with appropriate stocking density and adequate and 
appropriate housing with the preservation of good hygienic conditions; 
(ii) disease shall be treated immediately to avoid suffering to the animal; 
chemically synthesised allopathic veterinary medicinal products including 
antibiotics may be used where necessary and under strict conditions, and 
that when the use of phytotherapeutic, homeopathic and other products is 
inappropriate. The withdrawal periods shall be twice the period prescribed 
for conventional production; 
(iii) the use of veterinary vaccines is allowed; 
 
(f) in regard to cleaning and disinfection, products for cleaning and disinfection in 
livestock buildings and installations, shall be used only if they have been 
authorized for use in organic production according to Article 16. 
 
 
Article 15: Rules for Aquaculture Production   
1. The following rules shall apply to aquaculture production: 
(a) in regard to the origin of the aquaculture: 
(i) organic aquaculture shall be based on the rearing of group of young stock 
originating from organic broodstock and organic holdings; 
(ii) where young stock from organic broodstock or holdings are not available, 
non-organically produced aquaculture may be brought onto the holding; 
 
(b) in regard to husbandry practices: 
(i) husbandry practices, including feeding, design of installations, stocking den-
sities and water quality shall ensure that the developmental, physiological 
and behavioural needs of animals are met; 
(ii) husbandry practices shall reduce negative environmental impacts of the 
holdings, including the escape of aquaculture from fish farms; 
(iii) organic aquaculture shall be kept separate from other inorganic aquacul-
ture; 
(iv) ensure that the welfare of aquaculture is preserved during transport; 
(v) any suffering of the aquaculture shall be kept to a minimum; 14 
 
  
(c) in regard to breeding: 
(i) artificial reproduction shall not be used (induction of polyploidy, artificial 
hybridisation, cloning and production of mono-sex strains); 
(d) in regard to feed for fish and crustaceans: 
(i) aquaculture animals shall be fed with feed that meets the animal's nutritional 
requirements for the various stages of its development; 
(ii) the plant fraction of feed shall be from organic production origin and the 
feed fraction derived from aquaculture shall originates from sustainable fishe-
ries; 
(iii) non-organic feed materials from plant, animal or mineral origin, feed addi-
tives and some of the materials used in feeding aquaculture and processing 
aids shall be used only if they have been authorised for use in organic 
production according to Article 16; 
(iv) growth promoters and synthetic amino-acids shall not be used; 
(e) in regard to mollusks and other species which are not fed by man but feed on 
natural plankton: 
(i) aquaculture which feeds on suspended particles in water (filter feeding 
animals) shall receive all their nutritional requirements from nature, except 
in the case of the young ones that reared in hatcheries and nurseries; 
(ii) the growing areas shall be of high ecological quality 
(f) in regard to disease prevention and veterinary treatment: 
(i) disease prevention shall be based on keeping the aquaculture in the optimal 
appropriate conditions by selection of cite and design of the installations, 
including regular cleaning and disinfection of working premises, and the 
selection of the appropriate herd and its stocking density and the 
appropriate quality of feed; 
(ii) disease shall be treated immediately to avoid suffering to the aquaculture; 
chemically synthesized allopathic veterinary medicinal products including 
antibiotics may be used where necessary and under strict conditions, and 
that when the use of phytotherapeutic, homeopathic and other products is 
inappropriate. The withdrawal periods shall be twice the period prescribed 
for conventional production; 
(iii) the use of veterinary vaccines is allowed; 
(g) in regard to cleaning and disinfection, products for cleaning and disinfection in 
ponds, cages, buildings and installations, shall be used only if they have been 
authorised for use in organic production according to Article 16. 15 
 
  
Article 16: Practices, Products and Materials used in Organic Production  
 
1. The Competent Authority shall publish technical specifications for good practices 
in organic production, including a list of authorized products and materials. 
 
2. The use of all authorized products and materials is subjected to the objectives 
and principles laid down in the general and specific rules. 
 
3. Requests for amendment or withdrawal of authorized products and materials 
shall be directed to the Competent Authority. Their decisions thereon shall be 
published. 
 
 
 
Article 17: Conversion  
 
1. The following rules shall apply to a farm starting to transform to organic 
production: 
 
(a) the conversion period shall start at the earliest when the operator has notified 
his activity to the competent authorities and subjected his holding to the control 
system in accordance with Article 28/(2); 
 
(b) during the conversion period all rules established by this Regulation shall apply; 
 
(c) The duration of conversion is specified according to the type of crop as follows: 
(i) at least two years before sowing,  
(ii) in the case of pasture at least two years before its exploitation as feeding 
stuff from organic farming, 
(iii)  in the case of perennial crops, three years before the first harvest of 
products; 
 16 
 
 Production of Processed Feed 
 
Article 18: General Rules on the Production of Processed Feed  
1. Production of processed organic feed shall be kept separate in time or space 
from production of non organic processed feed. 
2. Any feed material used or included in organic production shall not have been 
processed with the aid of chemically synthesised solvents. 
 
 
 
Production of Processed Food 
 
Article 19: General Rules on the Production of Processed Food  
1. Production of processed organic food shall be kept separate in time or space 
from non-organic food. 
2. The following conditions shall apply to the components of the organic processed 
food: 
(a) the product shall be produced from ingredients of agricultural origin, and in 
order to determine whether a product is basically produced from ingredients 
of agricultural origin added water and cooking salt shall not be taken into 
account; 
(b) only additives, processing aids, flavourings, water, salt, preparations of 
micro-organisms and enzymes, minerals, trace elements, vitamins, as well 
as amino acids and other micronutrients in foodstuffs may be used for 
particular nutritional purposes, which  have been authorized for use in 
organic production according to Article 21; 
(c) non-organic agricultural ingredients may only be used if they have been 
authorized for use in organic production in accordance with Article 21; 
 
 
Article 20: General Rules on the use of Yeast  
Non-organic yeasts may only be used if they have been authorized for use in 
organic production in accordance with Article 21. 
 
 17 
 
 Article 21: Controls for Processing Products and Materials  
 
1. The authorizations, conditions and limitations of the use of products and 
materials in the organic production shall be published by the Competent 
Authority in a specific list as part of the technical specifications for good 
practices in organic production.  
2. Requests for amendment or withdrawal of authorized products and materials in  
the preceding paragraph (1) shall be directed to the Competent Authority. 
Decisions thereon shall be published. 
 
 
 
Flexibility 
 
Article 22: Exceptional Production Rules  
1. After consulting the “Technical Committee for Organic Production ”, the 
competent authority, in accordance with the related objectives and principles, 
may grant exceptions from the production rules. 
 
2. Exceptions shall be kept to a minimum. And where appropriate, shall be limited 
in time and may only given in the following cases: 
(a) where it is necessary in order to ensure the initiation or the preservation of 
the organic production on holdings confronted with climatic, geographical or 
structural constraints; 
(b) where it is necessary and to ensure access to fodder, seeds and vegetative 
propagation materials, live animals and other farm inputs, and that where 
such inputs are not available on the market in organic form; 
(c) where it is necessary it is possible to get non organic components of 
agricultural origin, where such components are not available on the market 
in organic form; 
(d) where it is necessary in order to resolve specific problems related to the 
management of organic livestock husbandry and wealth at the farm; 
(e) when taking important temporary measures it is allowed to continue or 
recommence the organic production in the case of catastrophic circum-
stances; 
(f) where the use of food additives or other materials required on the basis of 
regulations of the Kingdom. 18 
 
 Labeling 
 
Article 23: Use of Specific Terms in Organic Production  
1. A product shall be regarded as a reference to the method of production laid down 
in this regulation where the labeling, advertising material, the commercial docu-
ment, the product or its ingredients has been described to be produced by organic 
method. 
And in particular the following terms: 
In English:  organic 
In Arabic:   ﻮﻳﺔﻋﻀ    
In French:  biologique 
 
In the labeling and advertising of live or unprocessed agricultural products the 
reference terms may be used only if all the ingredients have been produced in 
accordance with the requirements laid down in this regulation. 
 
 
2. The terms ﻏﻀﻮيorganic or biologique shall not be used in the labeling, adveti-
sing and marketing documents of the product which does not satisfy the require-
ments of this Regulation, unless it is not used as an agricultural products. 
 
 
3. As regards to processed food, the terms ﻋﻀﻮيorganic or biologique may be 
used: 
(a) in the sales description it is required that at least 95 % by weight of its 
ingredients of organic agricultural origin; 
(b) in the list of the ingredients, and when one or more ingredients have been 
produced in accordance with this regulation; in this case, it is possible to 
indicate the percent of the organic ingredients. 
 
4.  The competent authority shall take the necessary measures in cooperation with 
the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) or the Saudi Arabian Standards 
Organization (SASO) to ensure the compliance with this Article. 
 19 
 
 Article 24: Mandatory Instructions  
1. At a maximum period of 12 months from the adoption of this regulation and 
controls, the name or code number of the control body the product  is subject to 
in its latest stage of the product, and must be included in the labeling; 
2. The instructions shall be marked in a conspicuous place, easily visible, clearly 
legible and cannot be indelible. 
 
 
Article 25: Saudi National Logo for Organic Agriculture Products   
1. The national logo for organic agriculture products specified in Annex I may be 
placed in the labeling, presentation and advertising of products which satisfy the 
requirements of this regulation. 
2. The national organic agriculture products logo shall not be used in the case of in-
conversion products. 
 
 
Article 26: Specific Labeling Requirements  
The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) or the Saudi Arabian Standards Organi-
zation (SASO) may establish additional requirements for labeling and the compo-
nents of organic food in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 33. 
 20 
 
 CONTROLS 
 
Article 27: Control System  
1. The control system set up under this Regulation shall comprise the application 
of control and precautionary measures adopted by the competent authority in 
accordance with the procedures referred to in Article 33. 
2. In the context of this Regulation the nature of the controls and its frequency 
shall be determined on the basis of the risk assessment of the occurrence of 
irregularities and abuse. In any case, all operators shall be subjected to 
verification of compliance at least once a year, and that with the exception of 
wholesalers dealing only with pre-packaged products and operators selling only 
to the final consumer or user. 
3. The competent authority confers its control competences to private control 
bodies. The control bodies shall offer adequate guarantees of objectivity and 
impartiality, and have the qualified staff and resources necessary to carry out 
their functions. 
Also, the competent authority is responsible for the approval and supervision of 
such bodies. 
 
4. The competent authority shall approve private control bodies if: 
(a) the control body has a resident representative in the Kingdom of Saudi 
Arabia; 
(b) there is proof that the control body has the required control expertise, 
equipment and infrastructure; sufficient number of suitable qualified and 
experienced staff; and is impartial and free from any conflict of interest as 
regards to the delegated tasks; 
(c) the control body is accredited to ISO Guide 65 (General requirements for 
bodies operating product certification systems) or an equivalent system (as 
European Standard EN 45011 or IOAS); 
(d) the control body informed the competent authority with the results of the 
controls operations that it carried out at a regular basis, and whenever the 
competent authority so requested. If the results of the control operation 
indicates non-compliance or point to the likelihood of non-compliance, the 
control body shall immediately inform the competent authority; 
(e) there is an effective coordination between the competent authority and the 
control body. 21 
 
 5. The competent authority shall take into account the following criteria at the  
approval of the control body: 
(a) the standard control procedure to be followed shall contains a detailed 
description of the control measures and precautions that the body 
undertakes to impose on operators subject to its control; 
(b) the measures that the control body intends to apply where irregularities 
and/or abuse are found. 
 
6. The control bodies shall ensure that at least the precautionary and control 
measures are applied to operators subject to their control. 
 
7. The competent authority may organize audits of control bodies. If, as a result of 
an audit, it appears that such bodies are failing to carry out properly the tasks 
delegated to them, the competent authority shall withdraw the approval of the 
certification body. 
 
8. The competent authority shall: 
(a) ensure that the controls carried out by the control body are objective and 
independent; 
(b) verify the effectiveness of its controls; 
(c) take cognizance of any irregularities or infringements found and apply 
corrective measures; 
 
9. Control bodies shall give access to their offices and facilities and provide any 
information and assistance deemed necessary by the competent authority for 
the fulfilment of their obligations. 
 
10. By the end of Rabia I (March) of each year at the latest, the control bodies shall 
provide a list of the operators which were subject to their controls on the end of 
DhulHaj (November/December) of the previous year together with summary 
report of the control activities carried out during the previous year to the 
competent authority. 
 
 22 
 
 Article 28: Adherence to the Control System  
1. With a transition period of 6 month from the beginning of the enforcement of this 
regulation, any operator who imports organic products or products in conversion 
stage to organic for commercial purposes shall notify this activity to the competent 
authority. 
Where an operator contracts out any of the activities to a third party, that operator 
and the subcontracted activities shall be subject to the control system. 
2. The control bodies shall keep an updated list containing the names and addresses 
of operators registered under their control. This list shall be made available to the 
interested parties.  
3. If necessary, the competent authority shall provide rules for the submission 
procedures and specify details with regard to the required information included in 
the notification. 
 
 
 
Article 29: Documentary Evidence  
1. The control bodies shall provide documentary evidence to any operator who is 
subject to their controls in the range of his activities related to this Regulation. The 
documentary evidence shall at least permit the identification of the operator and 
the type and range of products as well as the period of validity. 
2. The operator shall verify the documentary evidence of his suppliers. 
 
 23 
 
 Article 30: Measures in Case of Infringements and Irregularities  
1. Where irregularities are found as regards to compliance with the requirements laid 
down in this Regulation, the control body shall ensure that no reference to the 
organic production method is made in the labelling of the entire affected lot or 
production cycle, where this would be proportionate to the relevance of the 
requirement that has been violated and to the nature and circumstances of the 
irregularity. 
Where a severe infringement or an infringement with prolonged effect is found, 
the control body shall prohibit the operator concerned from marketing products 
which refer to the organic production method in the labelling and advertisement 
for a period to be agreed with the competent authority. 
 
2. Information on cases of irregularities or infringements affecting the membership 
status of the operator shall be immediately communicated between the control 
bodies and the competent authority. The level of communication shall depend on 
the severity and the extent of the irregularity or infringement found. 
 
 
Article 31: Exchange of information  
Upon a request duly justified by the necessity to guarantee that a product has been 
produced in accordance with this Regulation, the competent authority and the 
control bodies shall exchange relevant information on the results of their controls 
with other competent authorities and control bodies.  
They may also exchange such information on their own initiative. 
 
 24 
 
 INTERNATIONAL TRADE 
 
Article 32: Import of Products with Equivalent Guarantees  
1. A product imported from outside Saudi Arabia may be placed on the national 
market as organic product provided that: 
a. the product has been produced in accordance with production rules 
equivalent to those of this regulation; 
b. the operators have been subjected to control measures of equivalent 
effectiveness and such control measures have been permanently and 
effectively applied; 
c. the operators at all stages of production, have prepared and distributed  in 
the country of origin their activities to a control system or control body 
recognized by the competent authority; 
d. the product is covered by a certificate of inspection issued by the competent 
authority or control bodies of the country of origin, which confirms that the 
product satisfies the conditions set out in this regulation. 
e. The original certificate referred to in this paragraph shall accompany the 
goods to the premises of the first consignee; thereafter the importer must 
keep the certificate at the disposal of the control body for not less than two 
years. 
 
2. The competent authority may recognize countries and/or control bodies whose 
system of production is equivalent to principles and production rules of this 
regulation and whose control measures are of effectiveness, and the competent 
authority should draw up a list of these countries, in accordance with the 
procedure referred to in Article 33. The assessment of equivalency shall take 
into account Codex Alimentarius guidelines CAC/GL 32. 
When examining requests for recognition, the competent authority may invite a 
third country or control body to supply all the necessary information. The 
competent authority may entrust experts with the task of examining on-the-spot 
the rules of production and the control measures of the control body in the 
concerned country of origin. 
Based on these assessment reports, the competent authority shall ensure ap-
propriate supervision of recognised control bodies by regularly reviewing their 
recognition. The nature of the supervision shall be determined on the basis of 
risk assessment of the occurrence of irregularities or infringements of the provi-
sions set out in this Regulation. 25 
 
 Final and Transitional Rules 
 
Article 33: Technical Committee for Organic Production  
1. The Competent Authority shall be assisted by the “Technical Committee for 
Organic Production ” for amendments of the technical specifications and specific 
lists of authorized products and materials in the organic production. 
2. The technical specifications and specific lists of authorized products and 
materials shall in particular include the followings: 
(a) specifications as regards the specific requirements and conditions to be 
respected by operators; 
(b) specifications as regards to the labeling; 
(c) specifications of the control system, in particular with regard to the 
minimum control requirements, the specific criteria for delegation of tasks 
to control bodies in the private sector and the criteria for granting and 
withdrawal of power these certificates for authentication; 
(d) specifications of the rules on imports of organic products, in particular as 
regards the recognition of equivalence of organic regulations laid down in 
other countries of origin for imported organic products, control bodies 
outside the Kingdom and certificates issued under their standards; 
(e) rules as regard to the free movement of organic products within the GCC. 
 
 
Article 34: Transitional Measures  
Where necessary, measures to facilitate the transition and successful establishment 
of this Regulation shall be adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in 
Article 33. 
 
 
Article 35: Entry of Enforcement and Application  
These articles shall enter into force since the approval of His Excellency the Minister 
of Agriculture on 16/04/1430 H – 12 April 2009G. 
 26 
 
 
Annex 1: Saudi National Logo for Organic Products