The Soil Association has formally partnered with French organic certifiers Ecocert to help drive organic farming practises worldwide.
The partnership will widen the range of growers around the world who can use the Soil Association label, while British growers will be able to enjoy access to Ecocert’s certification accreditation for exports to countries such as USA, Japan, and Korea.
According to the Soil Association, Ecocert clients in more than 130 countries will now be able to access the Soil Association symbol by meeting Soil Association’s higher standards, with Ecocert providing the audit.
The new partnership will also aim to develop the marketing and delivery of integrity-based schemes and services focused around three key areas of organic food and farming, land use and sustainability.
The pair, who have worked together before in international organic groupings such as IFOAM, will announce further developments in the partnership in the coming months.
Martin Sawyer, chief executive of the Soil Association Certification, said: “This partnership reinforces the shared values and vision for organic agriculture domestically and abroad between Soil Association Certification and Ecocert Group, and will allow us both to better face future opportunities and challenges for the global organic sector. It is an exciting first step in what we hope will be a fruitful and mutually beneficial relationship.
“By extending our international reach, we hope that Soil Association’s higher organic standards can be accessed by a broader range of organic producers and processors, increasing their impact and promoting the Soil Association Organic symbol as a globally recognised and trusted sign for organic.”
Philippe Thomazo, Chief Executive, Ecocert Group, added: “Soil Association Certification and Ecocert share common ground as pioneers in organic certification in the UK and France, respectively.
“Enriched by our strong commitment to developing organic worldwide, we are pleased to strengthen ourlinks initiated long ago, by building a formal partnership. This is a great opportunity for both of us to continue providing our clients all around the world with highly demanding standards.”
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