Technical criteria of Certification of Importer concerning the Organic Agricultural Products and the Organic Agricultural Processed Foods (Notification No. 821)

1 TECHNICAL CRITERIA OF CERTIFICATION OF SUBDIVIDER CONCERNING THE ORGANIC AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS AND THE ORGANIC AGRICULTURAL PRODUCT PROCESSED FOODS (Notification No.820 of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of June 9, 2000) (UNOFFICIAL TRANSLATION) I. Facilities for subdividing and attaching the label of the grading 1. Facilities for subdividing (1) Subdividing of the organic agricultural products To have facilities provided with such broadness and structure not as interfering the subdivision complied with the management criteria concerning the transportation, selection, processing, cleaning, storage, packaging, and other processes prescribed in Article 4 of the Japanese Agricultural Standard (Notification No.59 of the Ministry of Agricultural, Forestry and Fisheries of January 20, 2000) of the organic agricultural products. (2) Subdivision of the organic agricultural product processed foods To have facilities provided with such broadness and structure not as interfering the subdivision complied with the management criteria concerning the manufacturing, processing, packaging, and other processes prescribed in Article 4 of the Japanese Agricultural Standard (Notification No.60 of the Ministry of Agricultural, Forestry and Fisheries of January 20, 2000) of the organic agricultural product processed foods 2 2. Facilities for labelling of the grading To have facilities for controlling the voucher. II. Execution Methods for Subdivision 1. A subdividing manager prescribed in III-2 shall be responsible to the duty described as follows. (1) Drafting and promotion of a plan concerning subdivision. (2) Guidance and advice concerning handling and countermeasures against abnormalities, complaints, etc. happened in the process of subdivision. 2. The internal regulations concerning the following matters shall be prepared concretely and systematically. (1) Matters related to the acceptance and storage of the organic agricultural products and the organic agricultural product processed foods. (2) Matters related to the confirmation of the label of the grading of the organic agricultural products and the organic agricultural product processed foods before the subdivision. (3) Matters related to the subdivision methods. (4) Matters related to the machines and tools used for the subdivision. (5) Matters necessary for the certification organization (meaning the registered certification organization or the registered foreign certification organization; being the same hereafter) to properly carry out the affairs such as the confirmation of the execution states of the subdivision. 3. The subdivision shall be properly performed based on the internal regulations, and the management records and the documents to be the grounds of the management records shall be in the custody for 1 year or more from the drafting 3 of the said record. III. Qualification and Number of Persons in Charge of Subdivision 1. The qualification and the number of subdivision staffs A subdivision staff or more satisfying the following requirements shall be appointed. (1) A person who graduated from a high school or a secondary education school under the School Education Law (Law No.26 of 1947) or a secondary school under the former Secondary School Ordinance (Imperial Ordinance No.36 of 1943) or a person who has the attainments equal to or higher than those and also has the experience engaged in the practical affairs of the distribution of the foods for 2 years or more. (2) A person who has the experience engaged in the practical affairs of the distribution of the foods for 3 years or more. 2. Subdivision manager A subdivision manager who completed (including a person expected to complete the curriculum concerned within a year) the curriculum concerning the subdivision in a course designated by the certification organization (called the “course” hereafter) shall be appointed out of the subdivision staffs. IV. Organization Attaching the Label of Grading and its Execution Methods 1. Organization attaching the label of the grading The department attaching the label of the grading shall be provided with the organization and right substantially independent from the business department. 2. Execution methods for the grading (1) The regulations concerning the labelling of the grading (called the “grading 4 label regulations” hereafter) of the following matters shall be practically and systematically prepared. a. Matters related to the label of the grading. b. Matters related to the shipping and disposal of consignment c. Matters related to the drafting and custody of the records. d. Matters necessary for the certification organization to properly carry out the affairs such as the confirmation. (2) To surely confirm that the label of the grading is properly attached based on the grading label regulations. V. Qualification and Number of Persons in Charge of Labelling of Grading A grading labelling staff who completed (including a person expected to complete the curriculum concerned within a year) the curriculum concerning the labelling of the grading in the course shall be appointed.