Organic certification changes

Wine Australia has recently changed how we manage the export of organic and biodynamic products to ensure Australian exporters are not adversely affected by changes to the European process for the certification of imported organic and biodynamic products.

The export controls that apply in Australia have remained unchanged, meaning that all exported shipments containing organic and biodynamic products require an Organic Produce Certificate (OPC) from an authorised Australian certifier.

Previously, we have sited OPCs as part of the export approval process for wine before an export permit is issued. 

The new process

To ensure that Australian exporters are not inadvertently affected, we have changed our process, now exports of shipments containing organic or biodynamic wines will now be granted an Export Permit (i.e. WBC number) without having to present an OPC or an OPC equivalent when the export application is made. However, the OPC or OPC-equivalent must be presented to Wine Australia as soon as it is made available to the exporter and before import certificates are required. 

An OPC equivalent will only be accepted for shipments going to the European Union. An OPC equivalent is classed as a European Certificate of Inspection (COI), whether or not it is generated from TRACES, that contains all of the information that is required to be contained on an OPC, including the name, signature and official stamp of the Australian certifier. For all other instances, an Australian Organic Produce Certificate will be required to be submitted.    

We trust that these changes will ease the export and certification process for our exporters and your organisations. If you have any questions or would like to discuss the above procedure amendment, please contact the Export Assistance Team at exports@wineaustralia.com.