Code of Ethics

Organic farming

We advocate the harmonious development of organic farming

Having the following objectives

The quality of the products

Of course this quality meets the specifications of organic farming which we certify, but we advocate as well the nutritional, bacteriological, gustatory and commercial quality of the products issued from organic farming.

The quality of the environment

Organic farming is a form of farming which implies respect and even improvement of our environment. This is taken into account both for the evolution of the specifications as for the certification.

Social progress of the producers and transformers thanks to the development of fair trade relations

Even if this type of criterion is not often mentioned in the specifications, we advocate social-minded organic farming with respect for all actors of this network and their fair remuneration.

Network between the members of the association

We commit ourselves to an active participation in the CertiBioNet network, the aims of which are :

Sharing the technical knowledge.

The technical knowledge of the various members should be shared by all : this type of sharing will allow us to progress faster.

Supporting the development of every member

Emphasis is put on supporting the least experienced members.

Relations with the staff and internal working

We are convinced that our staff, their abilities and their motivation are the best basis for our organizations.

We advocate that internal working of our organizations should be based on :

Participating working

We advocate a participating working which makes the staff aware of their responsabilities and allows them to participate in the development and improvement of our structures.

Continuous training

Continuous training should be a permanent concern in order to increase the efficiency as well as to promote the evolution of the abilities and the staff's personal development.

Taking the staff's personal development into account

We are determined to apply the values we advocate for organic farming to our own organizations : quality for our staff as well.

This is why we advocate the personal development of our staff by offering them jobs and responsibilities corresponding to their abilities and capacities, a pleasant working atmosphere, convenient working hours.

Clients

The relations with the operators controlled by us are based on :

Integrity and independence

No concessions are made as far as the integrity of the persons in charge and the staff of the inspection and certification bodies is concerned.

The inspection and certification bodies as well as the persons in charge and the staff have to be completely independent towards the operators in the organic sector.

Quality and profesionalism

As the certification of products isssued of organic farming constitutes the guarantee for the consumers, the credibility of the work of the inspection and certification bodies is essential for the further development of the sector.

Therefore the quality and professionalism of our work has to be faultless.

The right price

The inspection and certification bodies should be sufficienty paid in order to develop and improve their inspection and certification systems, but they may not take advantage of their oligopole position to ask excessive prices. We therefore advocate the negotiation of our prices with the various sectors in order to meet these two objectives.

Information and transparency

Even if the inspection and certification bodies have to keep the operator's files confidential, information about our inspection and certification systems and transparency of our decision-making methods as well as the public-making of certification decisions remain our objectives.

Suppliers

Regarding our suppliers,

• We give preference to suppliers and products sharing our ethical values.

• We look more particularly for suppliers who share our ethical values regarding sustainable and harmonious development of the environment, social equity and common well-being.

Development

Regarding the institutions we wish :

• To be partners for a well-balanced development of the organic farming in the frame of a sustainable development.

• To be active partners for the evolution and improvement of the production and transforming norms and the inspection and certification systems.

• To participate in the training and popularizing systems.

• To participate in programs giving rise to the autonomy of local inspection and certification systems.