Article 29U.K.Measures to be taken in the event of the presence of non-authorised products or substances
1.Where the competent authority, or, where appropriate, the control authority or control body, receives substantiated information about the presence of products or substances that are not authorised pursuant to the first subparagraph of Article 9(3) for use in organic production, or has been informed by an operator in accordance with point (d) of Article 28(2), or detects such products or substances in an organic or an in-conversion product:
(a)it shall immediately carry out an official investigation in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2017/625 with a view to determining the source and the cause in order to verify compliance with the first subparagraph of Article 9(3) and with Article 28(1); such investigation shall be completed as soon as possible, within a reasonable period, and shall take into account the durability of the product and the complexity of the case;
(b)it shall provisionally prohibit both the placing on the market of the products concerned as organic or in-conversion products and their use in organic production pending the results of the investigation referred to in point (a).
2.The product concerned shall not be marketed as an organic or in-conversion product or used in organic production where the competent authority, or, where appropriate, the control authority or control body, has established that the operator concerned:
(a)has used products or substances not authorised pursuant to the first subparagraph of Article 9(3) for use in organic production;
(b)has not taken the precautionary measures referred to in Article 28(1); or
(c)has not taken measures in response to relevant previous requests from the competent authorities, control authorities or control bodies.
3.The operator concerned shall be given an opportunity to comment on the results of the investigation referred to in point (a) of paragraph 1. The competent authority, or, where appropriate, the control authority or control body, shall keep records of the investigation it has carried out.
Where required, the operator concerned shall take such corrective measures as necessary to avoid future contamination.
4.By [F131 December 2025], the Commission shall present a report to the European Parliament and the Council on the implementation of this Article, on the presence of products and substances not authorised pursuant to the first subparagraph of Article 9(3) for use in organic production and on the assessment of the national rules referred to in paragraph 5 of this Article. That report may be accompanied, where appropriate, by a legislative proposal for further harmonisation.
5.Member States having in place rules providing for products that contain more than a certain level of products or substances not authorised pursuant to the first subparagraph of Article 9(3) for use in organic production not to be marketed as organic products may continue to apply those rules, provided that those rules do not prohibit, restrict or impede the placing on the market of products produced in other Member States as organic products, where those products were produced in compliance with this Regulation. Member States that make use of this paragraph shall inform the Commission without delay.
6.The competent authorities shall document the results of the investigations referred to in paragraph 1, as well as any measures they have taken for the purpose of formulating best practices and further measures to avoid the presence of products and substances not authorised pursuant to the first subparagraph of Article 9(3) for use in organic production.
Member States shall make such information available to the other Member States and to the Commission via a computer system that enables the electronic exchange of documents and information made available by the Commission.
7.Member States may take appropriate measures on their territory to avoid the unintended presence in organic agriculture of products and substances not authorised pursuant to the first subparagraph of Article 9(3) for use in organic production. Such measures shall not prohibit, restrict or impede the placing on the market of products produced in other Member States as organic or in-conversion products, where those products were produced in compliance with this Regulation. Member States that make use of this paragraph shall inform the Commission and the other Member States without delay.
8.The Commission shall adopt implementing acts laying down uniform rules to specify:
(a)the methodology to be applied by competent authorities, or, where appropriate, by control authorities or control bodies, for the detection and evaluation of the presence of products and substances not authorised pursuant to the first subparagraph of Article 9(3) for use in organic production;
(b)the details and format of the information to be made available by Member States to the Commission and other Member States in accordance with paragraph 6 of this Article.
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 55(2).
9.By 31 March of each year, Member States shall electronically transmit to the Commission relevant information about cases involving contamination with non-authorised products or substances in the previous year, including information collected at border control posts, concerning the nature of contamination detected, and in particular the cause, the source and the level of contamination as well as the volume and nature of products contaminated. This information shall be collected by the Commission through the computer system made available by the Commission and shall be used to facilitate the formulation of best practices for avoiding contamination.
Textual Amendments
F1 Substituted by Regulation (EU) 2020/1693 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 November 2020 amending Regulation (EU) 2018/848 on organic production and labelling of organic products as regards its date of application and certain other dates referred to in that Regulation (Text with EEA relevance).