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A Technical Guide for Wine Producers
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Preparation for certification of organic wine grape production
Pieter Raath
Any wine grape producer who hopes to benefit financially from this endeavour, and those who wish to market their wines as being produced from organically grown grapes, however, need to be certified by a certification body that is recognised by the intended market. He therefore needs to be aware of the fact that countries differ in the certification bodies they accept, and that by using one particular certification body he would not necessarily be able to market his wines in various countries simultaneously. Wine producers are often confused as to what registering for organic certification entails. In this article the steps involved are discussed.
Steps involved in registering for organic certification
The Organic Questionnaire is obtained from the certification body and serves as an initial information sheet concerning your intentions and the extent thereof. It is used to notify the certification body (Auditor) of your interest in obtaining certification and to indicate that they must draw up the Proposal for Certification Services.
The sooner the questionnaire is returned to the Auditor, the sooner the process will start.
Obtain the Certification Body's Standards and Become Familiar with its Contents
When asking the certification body for an Organic Questionnaire, you should also obtain a copy of their Organic Production Standards. It is necessary to become familiar with the contents thereof and to evaluate your existing/intended practices against it. If you are committed to the process and willing to adapt your practices where needed, then evaluate the need to have soil and water analyses carried out before registration.
From the Standards it is helpful to consider the implications of continuing to pursue organic certification.
Decide on the Need for Water and Soil Analyses
Although you might have decided to continue pursuing Organic Certification, your soil and irrigation water might be contaminated to the extent that you will never be able to obtain organic certification. If you suspect this, it is wise to first have your soil and water analysed beforehand. This will avoid paying registration and audit fees only to find out that you will be unable to comply with the Production Standards.
Consider having your soil and irrigation water analysed before registering.
SAMPLING GUIDELINES
Receive a Proposal for Certification Services from the Auditor
Upon receiving your completed Organic Questionnaire, the Auditor will provide you with a personalised Proposal. This will include background information concerning the auditing process, a layout of all costs, and your obligations as an applicant.
Study the Proposal thoroughly and consider the costs and obligations involved.
Consider whether the particular Certification Body is suitable in terms of your intended market and whether you are willing to comply with the obligations stated in the Proposal.
Draw up a Management Plan
Before any further decisions can be made, a Management Plan needs to be drawn up.
The Management Plan contains all the information needed by the Auditor in order to evaluate your cultivation practices as well as the farm itself. You are therefore expected to draw up and submit a Management Plan before registering for organic certification.
The more care taken with the Management Plan, the easier the Registration process.
A CONCEPT MANAGEMENT PLAN IS AVAILABLE
A Concept Management Plan containing almost all the information needed for drawing up your own Management Plan, can be obtained from ARC Infruitec-Nietvoorbij. If every point therein is thoroughly stipulated, as well as practised on the farm, the Registration Audit should run smoothly. For further information, contact Pieter Raath (Tel. 021-809 3174).
Decide on the Need for a Document Review
After you have drawn up your Management Plan, a Pre-Audit Documentation Review can be done. If there are still concerns regarding what the decision to convert to organic production fully entails, or regarding the extent of the corrective actions that are needed in order to comply with the Production Standards. This should be done prior to Registration, so that you can still reconsider the decision to convert to organic production.
You can still decide whether to continue applying for Registration and Certification before paying the fees thereof.
All documents, i.e. soil and water analyses, Management Plan, maps, spraying program, etc., must be submitted to the Auditor for evaluation. Comments regarding the production procedures, as well as concerns that need to be addressed and corrective actions that need to be taken will be reported on by the Auditor.
The cost of this review should be stipulated in the Proposal received from the Auditor.
Decide on Need for a Pre-Assessment Audit
Alternatively, if there are still concerns regarding what the decision to convert to organic production fully entails, and the extent of the corrective actions needed to comply with the Production Standards, a Pre-Assessment Audit can be done instead of the Document Review - but first the Management Plan needs to be drawn up.
Consider a Pre-Assessment Audit, instead of the Document Review.
The cost of this Pre-Assessment Audit should also be indicated in the Proposal received from the Auditor.
Contact the Auditor for Registration Application
Indicate to the Certification Body your intention to register for Certification. Arrangements will then be made for the first Certification Audit, the Registration Audit.
Have Registration Audit Carried Out
An auditor will conduct an on-site audit of the Organic Management Plan. The Management Plan will be discussed, assessed in operation and, if needed, sampling will be done for evaluation. A report detailing the main findings and recommendations for improvement will then be supplied.
The farm is now registered with the Certification Body. Another audit will take place after six months to assess your progress with regard to the goals set out in the Management Plan, as well as whether the corrective actions, as detailed in the Registration Audit Report, were implemented. Depending on previous cultivation practices, the farm will be classified as being "in conversion to organic production", either immediately, or after one year. After being classified as "In-conversion", it takes another two years before full organic certification can be obtained. It is therefore advisable that registration for organic certification commences before the season starts.
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