Technical Criteria of Certification of Production Process Mangement Director Concerning the Organic Agricultural Products (Notification No. 819)

1 TECHNICAL CRITERIA OF CERTIFICATION OF PRODUCTION PROCESS MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR CONCERNING THE ORGANIC AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS (Notification No.819 of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of June 9, 2000) (UNOFFICIAL TRANSLATION) I. Facilities Related to Production and Storage 1. Facilities related to production The field shall be complied with the criteria concerning the field, etc. prescribed in Article 4 of the Japanese Agricultural Standard (Notification No.59 of the Ministry of Agricultural, Forestry, and Fisheries of January 20, 2000; called the “Japanese Agricultural Standard” hereafter) Concerning Organic Agricultural Products. 2. Facilities related to storage Facilities shall be provided with such broadness and structure not as interfering the management 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. II. Execution Methods for Management and Grasp of Production Process 1. A person in charge of the management of the production process (including subcontract management (management related to the subcontract such as the selection standard of the subcontractor, the content of the subcontract, and the subcontract processing in cases of consigning parts of the management of the 2 production process to the outsider); being the same hereafter.). (1) Drafting and promotion of a plan concerning the management or the grasping of the production process. (2) Handling and guidance concerning the abnormality happened in the production process. 2. The internal regulations concerning the following matters (as for the organic agricultural products collected in the collection field, limited to the matters described in (3), (4), (5), (6), and (7)) shall be practically and systematically prepared. (1) Matters related to the acquisition of seeds, seedlings, and materials. (2) Matters related to the manuring practice and the control of noxious animal and plant. (3) Matters related to machines and tools used for the production. (4) Matters related to transportation, selection, processing, cleaning, storage, packaging, and other processes. (5) Matters related to shipping. (6) Matters related to the decision of the annual production plan and notification of the plan to the certification organization (meaning registered certification organization or registered foreign certification organization; being the same hereafter) (7) Matters necessary for the certification organization to properly carry out the affairs such as confirmation of the execution states of the management and grasp of the production process. 3. The management or the grasp of the production process shall be properly 3 conducted based on the internal regulations and the records of the management or the grasp and the documents to be the grounds of the records shall be in the custody for 3 years or more from the drafting of the records. 4. The internal regulations shall be reviewed properly and periodically. III. Qualification and Number of Persons in Charge of Management and Grasp of Production Process 1. The qualification and number of the production process management staffs. One or more persons satisfying the following requirements (where the production process manager defined in Article 31-2 or 3 of the Law Enforcement Regulations Concerning Standardization and Proper Labelling of Agricultural and Forestry Products manages and grasps a plurality of fields, the necessary number of staffs or more for properly managing and grasping the production process shall be appointed according to the number of fields to be controlled and grasped, and their distributed states.) shall be appointed as the production process management staffs. (1) A person who acquired the credits of school subjects related to the agricultural production in a university under the School Education Law (Law No.26 of 1947) or a school equal to or higher than a professional school under the former Professional School Ordinance (Imperial Ordinance No.61 of 1903) and graduated therefrom or a person who has the attainments equal to or higher than those and also has the experience engaged in the agricultural production or guidance, investigation, or test research of the agricultural production for 1 year or more. (2) A person who graduated from a high school or a secondary education school 4 under the School Education Law 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 agricultural production or the guidance, investigation, or test research of the agricultural production for 2 years or more. (3) A person having the experience engaged in the agricultural production or the guidance, investigation, or test research of the agricultural production for 3 years or more. 2. Production process management director (1) Where a quality control manager is appointed, the manager shall be completed (including a person expected to complete the curriculum concerned within a year) the curriculum concerning the management and grasp of the production process of the organic agricultural products in a course designated by the certification organization (called the “course” hereafter). (2) Where a plurality of production process management staffs are appointed, a production process management director who completed (including a person expected to complete the curriculum concerned within a year) the curriculum concerning the management and the grasp of the production process of the organic agricultural products shall be elected out of the production process management staffs. IV. Execution Method for the Grading 1. Regulations of grading (called the “grading regulations” hereafter) concerning the following matters shall be practically and systematically prepared. 5 (1) Matters related to the inspection of the production process. (2) Matters related to the labelling of the grading. (3) Matters related to the shipping or disposal of consignment after the grading. (4) Matters related to the drafting and custody of the record. (5) Matters necessary for the certification organization to properly carry out the affairs such as the confirmation. 2. The grading and the affairs concerning the labelling of the grading shall be properly conducted based on the grading regulations, and consequently the labelling of the grading shall be recognized surely attached thereto. 3. To surely confirm that the name is properly labelled by the method prescribed in Article 5 of the Japanese Agricultural Standard. V. Qualification and Number of Persons in Charge of Grading 1. The qualification and the number of grading staffs A grading staff (where the production process management director manages and grasps a plurality of fields, a necessary number of persons or more for properly grading shall be appointed according to the number of the fields to be managed and grasped, and their distribution states) who satisfies either of the requirements of III-1-(1), (2), or (3) and completed (including a person expected to complete the curriculum concerned within a year) the curriculum concerning the grading of the organic agricultural products in a course shall be appointed. 2. Grading manager Where a plurality of grading staffs are appointed, a grading manager shall be elected.