Reportedly, United Kingdom has repealed the mandatory testing for ETO contamination of Indian organic agriculture products.
The UK no longer requires imports of Indian organic products to be tested for ethylene oxide (ETO) contamination from July 1. It is a major revolution and a vote of confidence in the Indian organic certification process, especially in coping with ETO contamination.
According to the UK Soil Association, Indian organic products arriving in the UK no longer require importer testing. However, Defra will still continue to monitor organic product imports from India.
The United Kingdom’s decision to eliminate the requirement for ETO contamination tests may now persuade the European Union (EU) to follow suit. “If the UK takes such a step, the EU may follow.” “Food testing standards in the UK are very high,” he explained.
Until last year, the EU rejected many Indian organic shipments due to the presence of ETO. However, now things have appeared to level off.
This shall help India’s position within the ongoing free trade talks with the EU. However, the UK move comes as India’s authority for organic farming, product production, and exports, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), has begun cracking down on certification irregularities.
It has received approval from all the three certifying bodies. In January 2022, APEDA suspended TQ Cert for similar reasons.
APEDA banned five certifying agencies last year in November after organic products certified for export by them were found to violate the European Commission’s ETO standards. In recent years, India exported approximately $1 billion in organic products, with the most important buyers being the United States, the European Union, and Canada.
Read More: Webinar by APEDA on revised EU regulations on Organic Products for Indian Exporters
