Author name: Faruk Işıldak

Any product or substance that is not permitted in organic production and detected in analyses carried out on organic and in-conversion products is considered as a ‘residue’. Although residues detected in analyses mostly originate from pesticides, many products and substances that are not pesticides but are not permitted in organic production may also be sources of residues.

Preserving the integrity of organically produced products is one of the fundamental principles of organic farming legislation, and ensuring that organic or in-conversion products do not show any non-compliance that affects their characteristics at any stage of production, preparation and distribution is only possible by providing traceability and monitoring capability at every stage.

In accordance with the ‘Turkish Regulation on the Principles and Implementation of Organic Farming’ published in the Official Gazette No. 27676; the period from the start of activities in accordance with the provisions of Organic Farming until the product is certified as organic is defined as the ‘Conversion Period’. Throughout the entire process until the product is certified as organic, organic farming rules are applied.

As a result of the implementation of all control methods, a ‘certificate’ is issued showing that the enterprise and the organic product comply with the legislation. According to the ‘Turkish Regulation on the Principles and Implementation of Organic Farming’ published in the Official Gazette No. 27676, unlike other Regulations, a certificate is also issued for organic input showing its compliance with the organic legislation.

The Turkish Regulation on the Principles and Implementation of Organic Farming, published in the Official Gazette No. 27676, defines the Operator as ‘a natural or legal person engaged in organic farming activities’ and in Article 6 states that the operator may carry out organic farming activity individually or with a producer group. According to the Turkish Organic Farming Regulation, the producer group can only carry out organic farming activities under legal entities.