But there are differences between the Canada/EU and Canada/US agreements.
- The Canada/EU does not include any critical variances; there are no restrictions that would prevent the organic product certified to the Canadian Organic Standards (COS) to bear the EU logo and vice-versa. The Canada/US agreement is restricted by critical variances that are the use of sodium nitrate, the livestock stocking rates and hydroponic/aeroponic crops.
- The Canada/EU agreement applies to products grown and processed in Canada and to products grown and processed in the EU. The products targeted by the arrangement should come from the countries that are signatories of the agreement, not from a third country not being a member of the EU or produced outside of Canada. So, only certified organic products to the EU standards grown in the EU countries are deemed equivalent in Canada. For example, an organic broccoli grown in Mexico and certified to the COS would not be recognized as organic in the EU as per the Canada/EU Arrangement. The Canada/US Agreement is different, because certifying bodies accredited by the COO can provide certification to the terms of the Canada/US agreement outside of Canada to organic products exported to US. So, the organic broccoli grown in Mexico that is certified organic to the terms of the Canada/US Agreement by a Certifying Body accredited by the COO could be exported as “organic” on the US market.
- To comply with the Canada/US agreement, producers have to demonstrate that their products are certified to the terms of the agreement by getting a separate certificate issued by a Certification Body or a specific statement on the product's existing organic certificate. To comply with the Canada/EU Arrangement, producers do not need a separate certificate because the two standards are fully equivalent; so there are no variances to be verified by Certifying Bodies.
