International trade
Imported organic products must meet standards comparable to those in Switzerland. National authorities or certification bodies in the country of origin are responsible for checking that these standards are met. Equivalence agreements with countries such as the EU member states, US and Canada facilitate trade, as their organic standards are recognised as equivalent.
Importing organic products
In order that imported products and foodstuffs may be sold as organic, they must meet standards that are comparable with those set for products made in Switzerland. There are also procedures that all importers must comply with if they want to market a product as organic in Switzerland. These procedures depend on where the product originates from.
For most organic products, the national authorities of the country of origin are responsible for inspection and certification. Equivalence agreements concerning the import of organic products have been made with these countries (see below), as their standards and inspection measures are equivalent to those in Switzerland. They are commonly referred to as «equivalent» countries. Countries assessed by the FOAG and found to be equivalent are listed in Annex 1 of the FOAG Ordinance on Organic Farming.
In all other countries, the certification bodies or inspection authorities are responsible for inspection and certification. They are independent bodies that apply standards and inspection measures that are equivalent to those in Switzerland or in the EU. In most cases, Switzerland refers to the EU's list of recognised control authorities and control bodies in Annex II of EU Regulation 2325/2021. The FOAG also authorises a small number of certification bodies itself and lists them in Annex 2 of the FOAG Ordinance on Organic Farming.
Exporting organic products
No information can be provided on the specific export requirements of the recipient countries. The authorities in the recipient country are responsible for this.
In some cases, a certificate of inspection or other documents are required from third countries. For the export of organic products to the EU, no additional documents are required for organic labelling.
Equivalency agreements
The authorities of the EU, Canada, Japan, the US, Chile and the UK have confirmed to the Federal Office for Agriculture that they recognise the Swiss organic laws as equivalent to their respective national regulations.
In return, Switzerland recognises the regulations for organic farming, the processing and labelling of organic products and the inspection systems of the aforementioned as equivalent to Swiss organic regulations. This mutual recognition is the result of intensive bilateral negotiations. It facilitates and promotes trade in organic products.
Further information
The FOAG provides a reduced English-language version of its website that does not include all further information such as documents, legislation or links. These can be found on the pages in the three official languages (German, French and Italian).
Index
Contact for questions
Quality and Sales Promotion Unit
Schwarzenburgstrasse 165
Switzerland - 3003 Bern