BETA

25 Amendments of Norbert ERDŐS related to 2014/0100(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 15

(15) As a matter of principle, the general production rules of this Regulation should include a prohibition on ~~the use of ionising radiation and~~ genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and products produced from or by GMOs. Since consumers are more and more concerned about environmental impacts of food processing and transportation, organic operators other than farmers and operators producing ~~seaweed~~algae or aquaculture animals should be required to ~~manag~~improve their environmental performance in accord~~ing to~~ance with a harmonised ~~system~~framework. With the objective of minimising the regulatory burden of micro-enterprises as defined in Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC27 involved in organic production, it is appropriate to exempt them from this requirement. In order to ensure the correct application of the general production rules, the power to adopt certain acts should be delegated to the Commission in respect of ~~establishing the~~supplementing certain criteria ~~to which~~of the environmental management ~~system is to correspond~~framework. __________________ 27 Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC of 6 May 2003 concerning the definition of micro, small and medium- sized enterprises (OJ L 124, of 20.05.2003, p. 36). o.).

2015/06/24
Committee: AGRI

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 25

(25) Mutilations which lead to stress, harm, disease or suffering of animals should be prohibited. Clipping the beaks of chickens which are no more than 3 days old, attaching elastic bands to the tails of sheep and tail-docking may be authorised by the competent authority for reasons of safety or animal and human health or if they are intended to improve the health, welfare or hygiene of the livestock. Dehorning of young mammals should be approved only if adequate anaesthesia and analgesia are applied.

2015/06/24
Committee: AGRI

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 78

(78) ~~The Commission should consider the situation of the availability~~In order to ensure that organic plant reproductive material, feed, and animals raised for breeding purposes are available on the market in sufficient quantities, and before submitting any proposals for the phasing-out of exceptions, the Commission should carry out a study based on data collection and on analysis of the situation in the Member States. On the basis of that study, the Commission should by the end of 2018 present a report to the European Parliament and the Council identifying the reasons for the insufficient development and lack of organic plant reproductive material, feed and animals ~~for breeding purposes and present a report to this end to the European Parliament and the Council in 2021~~, the traceability of local feed suitable for organic farming, and outlining a plan for closing these gaps and possible measures, including support measures to stimulate both the market for those products and biological diversity.

2015/06/24
Committee: AGRI

Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 10 a (new)

10a. ‘organic animal breeding’ means the enhancement of genetic diversity coupled with on the natural reproductive ability of the animals concerned. Organic animal breeding shall make animals best comply with the requirements of this Regulation, focussing on disease resistance, longevity and adaptation to climatic and natural conditions, and shall focus on the slow fattening of broilers as set out in point 2.4.2 of Chapter II of Annex II;;

2015/06/24
Committee: AGRI

Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 16

16. ‘veranda’ means an additional, roofed, uninsulated, outdoor part of a livestock building, the longest side being usually equipped with wire fencing or netting with outdoor climate, natural and, where possible, artificial illumination and a littered floor;

2015/06/24
Committee: AGRI

Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 16 a (new)

16a. ‘laying pullets’ means young animals of the Gallus gallus species intended for egg production and of an age of less than 18 weeks;

2015/06/24
Committee: AGRI

Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 16 b (new)

16b. ‘laying hens’ means animals of the Gallus gallus species intended for the production of eggs for consumption, and of an age of at least 18 weeks;

2015/06/24
Committee: AGRI

Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 43 a (new)

43a. ‘region’ means a region as specified by the Member States. The Member States shall update their lists of regions every two years and shall send these to the Commission.

2015/06/24
Committee: AGRI

Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 43 b (new)

43b. ‘poultry house’ means an independent, covered structure which protects the animals from external weather conditions;

2015/06/24
Committee: AGRI

Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point d

d) maintenance of plant health by preventive measures, in particular the choice of appropriate species, and varieties ~~or heterogeneous material~~ resistant to pests and diseases, appropriate crop rotations, mechanical and physical methods and protection of the natural enemies of pests;

2015/06/24
Committee: AGRI

Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 1 a (new)

aa) a holding which does not completely comply with this regulation must be clearly divided into distinctive agricultural production units or aquaculture production sites which are managed either fully under the rules on organic production or fully under the rules on conventional production, providing the following conditions are met: i. there is a conversion plan for the entire holding in respect of which the producer gives a firm undertaking and which provides for the last part of the area concerned to be converted to organic production within the shortest possible period; ii. appropriate measures have been taken to ensure the permanent separation of the products obtained from each unit concerned; iii. the control authority or control body is notified of the harvest of each of the products concerned at least 48 hours in advance; iv. upon completion of the harvest, the producer informs the control authority or control body of the exact quantities harvested on the units concerned and of the measures applied to separate the products; v. the conversion plan and the control measures have been approved by the competent authority. Such approval shall be confirmed each year after the start of the conversion. As regards animals, different species shall be involved. As regards plants, different varieties that can be easily differentiated shall be involved. As regards the production of organic fruit trees, no time limit shall apply to the separation of the holding into organic and non-organic parts. As regards the production of organic fruit trees, no time limit shall apply to the separation of the holding into organic and non-organic parts.

2015/06/24
Committee: AGRI

Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 – paragraph 2 – introductory part

2. The conversion period shall start at the earliest when the farmer or the operator producing ~~seaweed~~algae or aquaculture animals has subjected his holding to the control system and notified his activity to the competent authorities ~~in accordance with this Regula~~. (2a) By way of derogation from paragraph 2, in cases where the land has been left fallow before the notification referred to in Article 24(1) for at least the time period required for conversion and provided that other necessary requirements are fulfilled, no conversion period shall be necessary for this fallow land The conversion period may be reduced to one year for pasturages and open air areas used by non-herbivore species. This period may be reduced to six months where the land concerned has not during the last year, received treatments with products not authorised for organic production.

2015/06/25
Committee: AGRI

Proposal for a regulation
Article 10 – paragraph 2

2. ~~Each Member State~~The Commission shall ensure that an EU-wide computerised database is established for listing the varieties ~~and heterogeneous material, according to Regulation (EU) No XX/XXX (PRM law)~~ for which plant reproductive material obtained by the organic production method is available ~~on its territory~~.

2015/06/25
Committee: AGRI

Proposal for a regulation
Article 20 a (new)

Article 20 a Precautionary measures to be taken in the event of suspicions and irregularities (1) The following precautionary measures shall be taken by operators: (a) where an operator suspects that a process, product or input material which has been sourced, produced or prepared does not comply with this Regulation, that operator shall separate and identify the product; (b) in order to assess cases in which non- compliance is suspected, the operator concerned shall set up a system appropriate to the type and size of the operation for the purpose of verification and assessment following procedures based on a systematic identification of critical procedural steps in accordance with the requirements laid down in points 1.2, 1.3 and 1.4 of Part II of Annex IV; (c) if, having carried out the assessment provided for in point (b), the operator concludes that the suspicion is substantiated, the operator shall withdraw the product from the market and discontinue its processing and shall immediately inform the competent authorities or control body. (2) The following measures shall be taken by competent authorities, control bodies and authorities: (a) where a control authority or control body is informed by an operator of a substantiated suspicion in accordance with point (c) of paragraph 1 or is informed that an operator intends to place on the market a product which is not in compliance with the organic production rules but which bears a reference to the organic production method, the control authority or control body may prohibit the placing of the product on the market with an indication referring to the organic production method, either for a specified period of time or until it is satisfied that the suspicion has been eliminated. The period of time between such prohibition and the confirmation of the suspicion shall be as short as possible, taking into account the durability of goods, and shall not exceed two months; (b) the control authority or control body shall confirm or eliminate the suspicion by no later than the period of time laid down under point (a). In such a case, the operator concerned shall cooperate fully with the control body or authority. Before confirming the suspicion, the control authority or control body shall allow the operator to comment; (c) where the non-compliance is confirmed, as well as in cases of repetitive, continued or fraudulent non- compliance, Article 26a shall apply; (d) where the non-compliance is not confirmed within the period of time laid down under point (a), the decision referred to therein shall be repealed not later than at the expiry of that period of time. (3) In order to avoid adventitious contamination with non-authorised substances as a result of conventional farming practices or other non-organic practices in processing, preparation and distribution, beyond the control of organic operators, Member States shall establish precautionary measures as well as schemes for compensation for unintended contamination. (4) Adequate precautionary measures shall be taken where control bodies and competent authorities have identified specific risks of adventitious contamination as a result of non-organic practices.

2015/06/25
Committee: AGRI

Proposal for a regulation
Article 23 a (new)

Article 23 a Control system (1) Member States shall set up a system of controls and shall designate one or more competent authorities to be responsible for monitoring compliance with the obligations laid down by this Regulation, in accordance with Article 3 of Regulation (EU) No XX/XXXX (the Official controls Regulation OCR). (2) In addition to the conditions laid down in the Official controls Regulation, the control system set up under this Regulation shall comprise at least the application of the precautionary measures provided for by Article 20a and the control measures provided for by this Chapter. (3) The nature and frequency of the controls shall be determined on the basis of an assessment of the risk of occurrence and the seriousness of non-compliance with the requirements laid down in this Regulation. All operators and groups of operators shall be subject to a process of verification of their compliance with the applicable rules. Such verification shall be based on an annual audit and on inspection, depending on the likelihood of non- compliance. The criteria for risk assessments used by control authorities to identify the most risky parts of the food chain are laid down in Annex Vf. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 36 concerning the detailed elements of the risk assessment, the rates of control and the proportion of random controls. However, operators dealing only with pre-packaged products and operators selling to the final consumer or user as described in Article 24a(2) shall not be subject to the control system as provided for in this Regulation. (4) The competent authority may: (a) delegate its control competences to one or more other control authorities for organic products as defined in point (39) of Article 2 of the Official controls Regulation. Control authorities shall offer adequate guarantees of objectivity and impartiality, and shall have at their disposal the qualified staff and resources necessary to carry out their functions; (b) delegate control tasks to one or more control bodies for organic products as defined in point (39) of Article 2 of the Official controls Regulation. In such cases, the Member States shall designate authorities responsible for approving and supervising such bodies. (5) The competent authority may delegate control tasks to a particular control body or control authority only if the conditions laid down in Article 26 of the Official controls Regulation are satisfied, and in particular where: (a) there is an accurate description of the tasks that the control body or control authority is to carry out, and of the conditions under which it may carry them out; (b) the control body or control authority: i. has the expertise, equipment and infrastructure required to carry out the tasks delegated to it; has a sufficient number of suitably qualified and experienced staff; and is impartial and free from any conflict of interest as regards the exercise of the tasks delegated to it; (c) the control body or control authority is accredited to the most recently notified version, by a publication in the C series of the Official Journal of the European Union, of European Standard EN 17065 or ISO Guide 65 (General requirements for bodies operating product certification systems), and is approved by the competent authorities; (d) the control body or control authority communicates the results of the controls carried out to the competent authority on a regular basis and whenever the competent authority so requests. If the results of the controls show serious non- compliance, the control body shall immediately inform the competent authority; (e) there is effective and documented coordination between the delegating competent authority and the control body or control authority. (6) In addition to the provisions of paragraph 5, the competent authority shall take into account the following criteria when approving a control body or control authority: (a) the standard control procedure to be followed, containing a detailed description of the control measures and precautions that the control body or control authority undertakes to apply to operators subject to its control; (b) the measures that the control body intends to apply where non-compliance is found. (7) The competent authority may not delegate to the control bodies or control authorities the following tasks: (a) the supervision and audit of other control bodies or control authorities; (b) the competence to grant derogations, as referred to in Article 17, unless this is provided for in the exceptional production rules; (c) the monitoring of non-compliance affecting the organic status of a product in accordance with Article 26a and Articles 134, 135 and 136 of the Official controls Regulation. (8) In accordance with Article 29 of the Official controls Regulation, competent authorities delegating control tasks to control bodies or control authorities shall organise audits or inspections of control bodies or control authorities, as necessary. If, as a result of an audit or an inspection, it appears that such bodies are failing to carry out properly the tasks delegated to them, the delegating competent authority may withdraw the delegation. It shall withdraw it without delay if the control body or control authority fails to take appropriate and timely remedial action. (9) In addition to complying with the provisions of paragraph 8, the competent authority shall: (a) ensure that the controls carried out by the control body or control authority are objective and independent; (b) verify the effectiveness of controls carried out by the control body or control authority ; (c) take cognisance of any irregularities or infringements found and corrective measures applied; (d) withdraw approval of any control body or control authority which fails to satisfy the requirements laid down in points (a) and (b) or no longer fulfils the criteria indicated in paragraphs 5 or 6, or fails to satisfy the requirements laid down in paragraphs 11, 12 and 14. (10) Member States shall attribute a code number to each control authority or control body performing control tasks as referred to in paragraph 4. (11) Control bodies and control authorities shall give the competent authorities access to their offices and facilities, and shall provide any information and assistance deemed necessary by the competent authorities for the fulfilment of their obligations pursuant to this Article. (12) Control bodies and control authorities shall ensure that at least the precautionary and control measures referred to in paragraph 2 are applied to operators subject to their control. (13) Member States shall ensure that, in accordance with Article 18 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002, the control system as set up makes for the traceability of each product at all stages of production, preparation and distribution, in order to give consumers in particular guarantees that organic products have been produced in compliance with the requirements set out in this Regulation. Member States shall ensure that requests from control bodies or control authorities concerning the traceability of organic products are responded to as quickly as possible, and not later than four working days per production step after receipt of the corresponding request. (14) By 31 January each year, the control authorities and control bodies shall transmit to the competent authorities a list of the operators which were subject to their controls on 31 December of the previous year. A summary report of the control activities carried out during the previous year shall be provided by 31 March each year.

2015/06/25
Committee: AGRI

Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – part I – point 1.4.1

1.4.1. For the production of plants and plant products only organically produced plant reproductive material shall be used. To this end, the plant intended for plant reproductive material production and, where relevant, the mother plant shall have been produced in accordance with this Regulation for at least one generation, or, in the case of perennial crops, for at least one generation during two growing seasons, if such reproductive material is listed in the computerised database of the EU referred to in Article 10(2).

2015/06/25
Committee: ENVI

Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – part I – point 1.6.1 – indent 2

– the choice of species, and varieties ~~and heterogeneous material~~;

2015/06/25
Committee: ENVI

Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – part II – point 1.3.1

1.3.1 Organic livestock shall be born or hatched and raised on organic agricultural holdings. Where the conditions laid down in Article 11 apply, and with prior authorisation of the competent authority, the following conditions shall apply: (a) when a flock is constituted for the first time, renewed or reconstituted, and organically reared poultry are not available in sufficient numbers, non- organically reared poultry may be brought into an organic poultry production unit, provided that the pullets for the production of eggs and poultry for meat production are less than three days old;

2015/06/25
Committee: ENVI

Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – part II – point 1.6.2

1.6.2. Housing for livestock shall not be mandatory in areas with appropriate climatic conditions to enable animals to live outdoors. LWith the exception of pullets under 18 weeks, livestock shall have permanent access to open air areas, preferably pasture appropriate for the species concerned, whenever weather conditions and the state of the ground allow this, unless restrictions and obligations related to the protection of human and animal health are imposed ~~on the basis of~~under Union legislation. Animals shall have access to shelters or shady areas to protect them from adverse weather conditions, considering their physiological needs.

2015/06/25
Committee: ENVI

Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – part II – point 1.7.9

1.7.9. Mutilation of animals shall be prohibited. Competent authorities shall permit beak trimming of poultry less than 3 days, the placement of rubber elastrator rings on the tails of ovine animals or trimming their tails for safety or animal and human health reasons, and if these practices are aimed at improving the health, welfare or hygiene of livestock. The dehorning of young mammals is permitted only if adequate anaesthesia and/or analgesia are applied.

2015/06/25
Committee: ENVI

Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – part II – point 2.4.4 – paragraph 1 – point c

c) poultry shall have access to an open air area for at least one third of their life. Open air areas for poultry shall be mainly covered with vegetation ~~and be provided with protective facilities and permit fowl to have easy access to adequate numbers of drinking troughs~~;

2015/06/26
Committee: AGRI

Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – part II – point 2.4.6 – paragraph 1 – point a

a) ~~poultry~~laying hens and fattening birds shall have access to an open air area for at least one third of their life~~. In particular, continuous daytime open air access shall be provided from as early an age as practically possible, whenever physiological and physical conditions allow~~, except in the case of temporary restrictions imposed on the basis of Union legislation;

2015/06/26
Committee: AGRI

Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – part II – point 2.4.6 – paragraph 1 – point b

b) open air areas for poultry shall be mainly covered with vegetation composed of a diverse range of plants ~~and be provided with protective facilities and permit fowl to have easy access to adequate numbers of drinking troughs~~. The vegetation on the open-air area must be harvested and removed at regular intervals to reduce the potential for nutrient surpluses. The open air areas shall not extend beyond a radius of 150 m from the nearest pop-hole of the poultry house. However an extension of up to 350 m from the nearest pop-hole of the poultry house is permissible provided that a sufficient number of shelters ~~and drinking troughs~~, scrub or wooded land are evenly distributed throughout the whole open-air area with at least four shelters or shrubberies per hectare;

2015/06/26
Committee: AGRI

Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – part IV – point 2.2.2 – point e

e) minerals (trace elements included), vitamins, aminoacids, and micronutrients for dietary purposes, only authorised as far their use is ~~legally required in the foodstuffs in which they are incorporated~~in accordance with the provisions of Regulation (EU) No 609/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 June 2013 on food intended for infants and young children, food for special medical purposes, and total diet replacement for weight control and repealing Council Directive 92/52/EEC, Commission Directives 96/8/EC, 1999/21/EC, 2006/125/EC and 2006/141/EC, Directive 2009/39/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Commission Regulations (EC) No 41/2009 and (EC) No 953/2009.

2015/06/26
Committee: AGRI

Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – part IV – point 2.2.4 – point b – point iii – indent 1

– algae, including seaweed and lithothamne;

2015/06/26
Committee: AGRI