From the stage when an operator decides to engage in organic production and applies to an authorized control body, until the stage of product certification, there are many processes involved. Below, information about control and certification processes is summarized, including differences based on Regulations.

• An operator who decides to engage in organic production should first review, in accordance with some parameters listed below, the product categories and scopes authorized by the control body, and then decide on the control body with which a contract will be signed. The EU and TR authorizations of the control body can be verified from the official documents on its website or from the website of the accreditation institution. The US (NOP) authorization can be checked on the USDA-NOP’s Organic Integrity Database page. (https://organic.ams.usda.gov/integrity/Certifiers/CertifiersLocationsSearchPage)
• Product categories: crop, livestock, processed, etc.
• Regulations: Turkish Organic Farming Regulation, European Union Organic Farming Regulation, United States Organic Farming Regulation, etc.
• If requested by the buyer: the product may also be certified according to standards such as Demeter, Bio Suisse, Krav, Naturland.
• If sales will be made to the United Kingdom: the control body must be listed by the relevant official institution, etc.
• After the selection of the control body, all the required information must be completed in the “application form” provided by the control body to the applicant or available for download from the organization’s website, and the requested additional documents must be attached before the form is submitted to the organization.
• The application is evaluated by the control body to which it was submitted. The body first assesses whether the product categories and scopes for which certification is requested fall within its authorization. The body will also consider the workload during the production season and whether it has a sufficient number of competent inspectors for the relevant product category and scope.
• Once a complete application form and annexes have been submitted and approved by the control body, and the applicant has accepted the price offer, a contract is signed between the body and the operator. It is very important for the operator to carefully read the contract to fully understand their responsibilities.
• Within the United States Department of Agriculture–USDA National Organic Program (NOP), unlike other regulations, the control body will request the organic system plan(OSP) during the application process.
• If you are changing your control body, various procedures must be carried out in accordance with the rules of the relevant Regulation. The new body will require certain information and documents from both the operator and the previous control body. For details, please refer to our related article on this subject.
• Following the signing of the contract, the control body provides the operator with a blank organic system plan appropriate to the relevant product categories and Regulation scopes. The Organic System Plan and all requested annexes must be returned to the control body before the inspection.
• Within the USDA National Organic Program (NOP), unlike other Regulations, the operator may, instead of filling out a full Organic System Plan, choose to only report the changes made compared to the previous year.
• The operator must continuously provide written information and documents to the control body regarding the inputs they plan to use during production, such as fertilizers, plant protection products, seeds, and other propagation materials, through the Organic System Plan and obtain approval. Please note that approval for seeds and other propagation materials must be obtained before sowing/planting.
• Before moving on to the inspection stage, the control body conducts a risk assessment of the operator and their products using the information and documents provided in the application and the organic system plan. Accordingly, the control body prepares an inspection and a sampling plan.
• The control body, taking into account the growing and production period of the relevant product category, the results of the risk assessment, and any non-conformities encountered in the previous or current year, prepares an inspection plan (including announced and un-announced inspections) and a sampling plan.
• During the inspection, the authorized inspector of the control body visits all production units, takes samples if necessary, and conducts face-to-face interviews with responsible persons. The inspector is also authorized to visit non-organic production units and to take samples not included in the plan if deemed necessary (therefore, we advise the operator to carefully read the contract).
• After the inspection, the inspector writes the inspection report and provides a copy to the operator. Both copies must be signed by the inspector and the operator. The inspector will also obtain the operator’s signature for any samples taken. The inspector will submit the report along with any identified non-conformities.
• Within the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) and some private standards (e.g., Demeter), the inspector only lists their findings in the report and does not issues non-conformities to the operator; non-conformities are separately communicated to the operator by the authorized certification staff.
• The inspections, inspection report, findings, non-conformities, and analysis results are evaluated by the authorized certification staff. If necessary, the certification staff may plan additional inspections or request new sampling.
• The staff member who conducted the inspection and evaluated the inspection findings must be different from the staff member who carries out the certification, due to the requirements of impartiality and objectivity. In fact, under the Turkish Organic Farming Regulation, their job descriptions are separate and they cannot perform each other’s duties.
• If no non-conformity is found as a result of the inspection evaluation, the certification staff directly issues the operator certificate to the operator. If non-conformities are present, the operator is expected to correct them within a specified period according to the severity of the non-conformity. Once all non-conformities are resolved, the operator certificate is issued. The operator certificate is issued on the official digital platforms of the authorities under the EU and USDA NOP scopes.
• When the operator sells their products, the control body issues a lot certificate. The name of this certificate is the COI (Certificate of Inspection) for sales to Europe, and the NOP Import Certificate for sales to the United States, and it is issued on the official digital platforms of the authorities. You may find more detailed information about this in our related article.
• The control body and the operator remain in contact throughout the year. In cases where the operator identifies non-conformities themselves, receives notifications from buyers, or where non-conformities are detected by the control body during product sales, or if notifications of non-conformities are received by the control body from the operator’s buyers or foreign official authorities, the control body and the operator must maintain continuous cooperation, which is also a requirement of the Regulations. New non-conformities may also be identified after certification, and in such cases, the control body may suspend or withdraw the operator’s certification.
• For a proper control and certification process, a good information exchange and cooperation between the control body and the operator are essential.