Summary
Are you applying to inspect and certify organic production in the Walloon Region? To become an organic control body (CB), you must be approved by SPW Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment (ARNE).
By becoming an accredited control body in the Walloon Region, you give consumers and producers the assurance that a product meets specific standards. In practice, you check and certify compliance with specifications by organic producers.
The Animal Welfare and Quality Office (Direction de la Qualité et du Bien-être animal, DQBEA) is the accreditation and supervisory authority for control bodies. We ensure that the regulatory framework for organic production is uniformly applied in the Walloon Region.
STRICT CONDITIONS
The accreditation application procedure is free of charge. There is no time limit on the validity of your accreditation. However, it will be suspended or withdrawn if the conditions are not met.
These conditions are strict. In addition to being accredited to the ISO 17065 standard, you must also produce evidence that you have sufficient human and technical resources to perform role of CB. You can find all the conditions and obligations associated with the accreditation application in "Conditions".
WOULD YOU LIKE TO APPLY?
Would you like to complete a new application or extend your current accreditation?
Follow the accreditation application procedure below.
In detail
Any company or non-profit association (ASBL) wishing to inspect organic production in the Walloon Region must apply for and obtain accreditation to become an organic control body (CB).
TO OBTAIN YOUR ACCREDITATION
- You must be ISO 17 065 accredited by your national accreditation body (BELAC in Belgium)
- It is not compulsory to be located in the Walloon Region, but you must have an office in Belgium so that we can review your records
- You must also provide a set of data and supporting documents. All the details are provided under ‘Procedure’
TO MAINTAIN YOUR ACCREDITATION
- You must report on your control activities to the DQBEA
- You must send the following to the DQBEA:
- any changes to your data or procedures
- the list of inspected operators by 31 January of each year
- information on official controls by 31 March of each year
The exhaustive list of required notifications is set out in Chapter 5 of Annex 5 to the AGW on organic production and labelling.
The application for accreditation is free of charge. You can submit the application in French or German.
THE PROCEDURE IN STAGES
- ISO 17065 accreditation
- Submission of your accreditation application to the DQBEA (see required information/documents below) by email
- The application is reviewed within 3 months
- Proposal for accreditation submitted to the Minister for Agriculture
- Ministerial accreditation decree published in the Belgian Official Gazette
YOUR APPLICATION: INFORMATION/SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS YOU MUST PROVIDE
- any references and relevant experience related to the control of agricultural or food products
- any facilities and equipment in Belgium that will enable any relevant activity to be carried out in connection with the control and certification of organic products in the Walloon Region
- any site(s) in Belgian territory where all documents relating to the control and certification of organic products in the Walloon Region can be consulted
- name of the natural person responsible for all activities
- names of the staff responsible for inspections
- names of at least one of the inspectors acting as the technical manager of the control activities
- your undertaking to issue a certificate to at least 25 producers or different groups of producers in the Walloon Region within a period of two years as from the date of your accreditation
- the accreditation certificate confirming that you are certified under the ISO/IEC 17065 standard for controls on organic production
- the risk assessment procedure
- the standard control procedure
- the list of measures for operators/groups of operators where non-compliance is suspected or proven
- provisions to ensure effective monitoring of official control tasks and tasks related to other official activities carried out with operators or groups of operators, and arrangements for reporting on these tasks
WITHDRAWAL OR SUSPENSION OF ACCREDITATION
Your accreditation may be withdrawn or suspended, in whole or in part, by the Minister for Agriculture in the following circumstances:
- if the conditions for accreditation are no longer met
- or if the services provided are considered by the authorities to be of manifestly insufficient quality
- Regulation (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2017 on official controls and other official activities performed to ensure the application of food and feed law, rules on animal health and welfare, plant health and plant protection products
- 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
- Walloon Government Decree (Arrêté du Gouvernement wallon, AGW) of 13 October 2022 on organic production and labelling of organic products, repealing the Walloon Government Decree of 11 February 2010 on the method of production and labelling of organic products (only available in French)