European Union (EU), United Kingdom (UK), and Switzerland

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Operations in the US   | Operations in Canada   | Operations in Mexico  | Labeling Requirements  | Export Documents

You need to enroll in the Global Market Access (GMA) program for the EU, UK or Switzerland if you: 

  • Plan to export CCOF certified organic products to the EU, UK or Switzerland from the United States or Canada.  
  • Produce wine in the United States or Canada that may be exported to the EU, UK or Switzerland.  
  • Design labels for products that will be sold in the EU, UK or Switzerland.  
  • Sell CCOF certified organic products to any buyer who requires international verification certification.   

To enroll send a completed GMA Application or GMA Wine Approval Application to inbox@ccof.org 

Read the complete GMA Manual   

Operations in the US

US - EU/UK/Swiss- Equivalence Arrangements

Operations located in the United States and certified to the National Organic Program (NOP) can ship to any EU member state through the US/EU Equivalence Arrangement and the UK through the US/UK Equivalence Arrangement. These arrangements recognize the NOP standards and the EU standards as equivalent, with minor critical variances. The UK has adopted the EU standards until further notice.
 
Operations located in the United States and certified to the National Organic Program (NOP) can ship to Switzerland through the US/Swiss Equivalence Arrangement. This arrangement recognizes the NOP standards and the Swiss EAER Ordinances on Organic Farming as equivalent, with minor critical variances.  

Requirements for Exports to the EU, UK or Switzerland from the United States 

  • NOP certified products must be either produced within, or have final processing or packaging occur in the US. 
  • Products must meet the following critical variances: 
    • Wine may not contain any non-organic grapes and must be produced using only the winemaking practices and substances detailed in the EU Organic regulations (EU) 2018/848. Wineries must complete the GMA Wine Approval Application. 
  • Only products covered under the scope of the EU, UK, and Swiss regulations are eligible. The following products are excluded:
    • Cosmetics 

    Additional Equivalence Arrangement Resources

    Operations in Canada

    Canada - EU/UK/Swiss Equivalence Arrangements 

    Operations located in Canada and certified to the Canada Organic Regime (COR) can ship to any EU member state a ship to any EU member state through the Canada/EU Equivalence Arrangement and to the UK through the Canada/UK Equivalence Arrangement. These arrangements recognize the COR standards and the EU organic standards as equivalent, with minor critical variances. The UK has adopted the EU standards until further notice. 

    Operations located in Canada and certified to the National Organic Program (NOP) can ship to Switzerland through the Canada/Swiss Equivalence Arrangement. This arrangement recognizes the COR standards and the Swiss EAER Ordinances on Organic Farming as equivalent, with minor critical variances.  

    Requirements for Exports to the EU,UK or Switzerland from Canada

    • COR certified products must be either produced within Canada, or have final processing occur within Canada. Simply repacking or relabeling imported product without further processing is not eligible. 
      • Unprocessed plant products, live animals or unprocessed animal products and vegetative propagating material and seeds for cultivation have to be grown in Canada.
      • "Processing" means any action that substantially alters the initial product, including heating, smoking, curing, maturing, drying, marinating, extraction, extrusion or a combination of those processes. Packaging is not considered processing for EU, UK, or Swiss compliance.

    Additional Equivalence Arrangement Resources

    • Canadian Organic Regime - EU, UK, Switzerland (includes requirements for products imported into Canada under these arrangements)

    Operations in Mexico 

    You need to enroll in the International Standard Program (ISP) if you:  

    • Are located in Mexico and plan to export CCOF certified organic products to the EU or Switzerland directly from Mexico. 
    • Sell CCOF certified organic products to any buyer who requires international verification certification. 

    To enroll send a completed ISP Application for Growers or Handlers to inbox@ccof.org 

    Read the complete ISP Manual 

    CCOF International Standard Program 

    If you are located in Mexico and plan to ship products directly to the EU or Switzerland, you must enroll in CCOF’s International Standard Program (ISP). All suppliers must also be certified to a program recognized as equivalent or compliant to the EU standards. 

    The CCOF ISP is a private standard equivalent to EU and Swiss organic standards, which focuses on the critical differences in practices, materials, and standards between the USDA National Organic Program and the EU and Swiss Organic standards. See the CCOF ISP Manual for program requirements and additional details. The manual outlines CCOF's International Standard program, practices, and compliance requirements. 

    European Union Regulations: Covers EU food law and the new EU rules on producing and labeling organic products (from 2022). 

    CCOF Organic Directory & Resource Guide: Find CCOF clients enrolled in the International Standard program for export to the EU or Switzerland. 

    Labeling Requirements 



    All products shipped to the EU, UK and Switzerland must meet the domestic market labeling requirements. CCOF has developed a helpful International Market Labeling Guide to explain labeling requirements for organic products sold in the EU, UK and Switzerland. Use of the EU logo is optional for imported products. If the EU logo is used, additional requirements apply.

    Send all labels to CCOF for approval prior to printing.  
    To learn more, visit the EU Commissions’ Organic logo page. Operations utilizing the EU logo are strongly encouraged to review the EU Organic Regulations and Logo use documents and can download the EU logo by visiting CCOF's labeling and logos page.  

    Export Documents 

    To have your product verified as compliant with the destination market requirements, enroll in the relevant CCOF international program described in the sections below. Once enrolled and verified as compliant, you may request export documents for each shipment. 

    • Exported product sent to the EU, Switzerland, or Northern Ireland (part of the UK) must be accompanied by an electronic Certificate of Inspection (COI) in TRACES before the shipment leaves the US, Canada, or Mexico.  
      • Consignments that depart the US, Canada, or Mexico before obtaining a completed COI may be denied entry or have the organic status removed by the EU, UK, or Swiss border control authorities.  
      • Your operation is responsible for submitting the COI to CCOF with enough time to be processed prior to shipment, typically 2 business days. 
      • COIs for the EU, Switzerland and Northern Ireland are processed through TRACES and are fully electronic with no physical paper original required. 
      • The final exporter must be certified and enrolled in the TRACES system. To enroll, create an EU Login and then request access to TRACES. 
    • Exported product sent to Great Britain (England, Scotland & Wales) must be accompanied by a manually processed Great Britain Certificate of Inspection (GB COI) before the shipment leaves the US or Canada.  
      • The completed GB COI needs to be emailed to the importer and UK Port Health Authority (PHA) or Local Authority (LA). Paper originals are not required.