TOP QUESTIONS & ITEMS:

• Who has to be certified?
• The $5000 Exemption
• How do I get certified?
• Application Deadlines
• Renewing Certification
• On Farm Processing
• Body & Personal Care Products
• Ordering Hardcopies of the Program Manual & Application Forms
• Forms: Manual & Applications
• Forms: Renewals
• Locating Approved Products For Certified Growers & Processors

WHO HAS TO BE CERTIFIED?
The National Organic Standards require that any handler (processor) that produces or handles agricultural products intended to be labeled as "100% organic, organic, or made with organic (specified ingredients) must be certified by an accredited certifying agent. Processors may apply for certification to any accredited certifying agent that certifies in their state. Certification fees and certification procedures vary between certifying agents, so a processor may want to check out several certifying agents before deciding which agent to apply to.

THE $5000 EXEMPTION:
Per section 205.101 of the National Organic Standards, handlers (processors) that sell agricultural products as organic and whose gross income from organic sales totals $5000 or less annually are exempt from the requirement to be certified. However, exempt processors must comply with all of the applicable organic production and handling requirements of the Organic Standards and the products from exempt operations shall not be used as organic in processed products produced by another organic handling operation.

HOW DO I GET CERTIFIED?
Applicants for certification should familiarize themselves with the certification procedures of Baystate Organic Certifiers (BOC) and the organic standards of the National Organic Program. This information is contained in the Baystate Organic Certifiers Program Manual which may be downloaded from this website, or which can be ordered from our office. All applicants must submit an application packet (the Organic Handler Plan) which describes all organic activities of their operation, and pay the certification fee for the year. Application forms may be downloaded from this website or ordered from our office.

Once an application packet is received it is checked to make sure all of the required information is present, then it is sent to a Reviewer for technical review. The Reviewer makes sure that the application packet meets the requirements of the National Organic Program. If it does not, the applicant is contacted to provide additional information.

Once the technical review is complete, an on site inspection is scheduled at a time that is mutually convenient for the applicant and the inspector. The inspector usually spends 2-4 hours at an operation, verifying that all of the information in the application is correct, and that the operation is in compliance with the National Organic Standards. At the end of the inspection, the inspector reviews any questionable items or noncompliances with the applicant, then the inspector submits his report to BOC.

BOC reviews the inspector's report and any additional information from the application packet, or the technical review, and makes a certification decision. Certification is either granted, granted with conditions, postponed or denied. For many operations, BOC will either grant certification with conditions or postpone certification until minor noncompliances with the National Organic Standards are corrected.

In extreme cases, BOC will deny organic certification to an applicant if there are major noncompliances with the National Organic Standards at the applicant's operation.

The entire certification process can take as little as 2 weeks to complete for an operation that is prepared for certification. On average, the process takes 6-8 weeks from receipt of a complete application until a certification decision is made. If you need rush organic certification to meet a production deadline, contact our office and we will work with you to see if meeting that deadline is feasible.

APPLICATION DEADLINES:
Processors may submit an application for certification at any time throughout the year.

RENEWING CERTIFICATION:
Certification must be renewed annually and all application information updated. Renewal application packets are mailed at least one (1) month before an operation's renewal certification date.

ON FARM PROCESSING:
Growers or Livestock Producers that want to produce value added products labeled as 100% organic, organic, or made with organic ingredients must submit an Organic Handler Plan in addition to their Organic Farm Plan.

BODY & PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS:
Baystate Organic Certifiers accepts applications for certification of body care, personal care and cosmetic products to the standards of the National Organic Program as per the letter of 8/23/05 issued by the National Organic Program. Body care, personal care, and cosmetic applicants use the same forms as other organic processors. To read a text of the NOP's 8/23/05 letter, click HERE for the .pdf (Acrobat Reader) file.

ORDERING HARDCOPIES OF THE PROGRAM MANUAL & APPLICATION FORMS:
Hardcopies of the Program Manual and Application Forms may be ordered by emailing our office, or sending a written request to:

Baystate Organic Certifiers
c/o Don Franczyk
683 River St.
Winchendon, MA 01475

Along with the check please include your name and address. The Program Manual and Application Forms may be downloaded via the links provided below:

• Forms: Manual & Applications
• Forms: Renewals