BILATERAL AGREEMENTS VS. TRUE EQUIVALENCE

MORE BILATERALITY? (SPANISH VERSION BELOW) A new bilateral “equivalency” agreement was signed between the US and Switzerland under the incredible blessing of the Organic Trade Association (1). A new organic equivalency arrangement between the United States and Switzerland—whose residents consume more organic food than any other country—marks the final step in opening the valuable European market to the U.S. organic sector and streamlining the trans-Atlantic flow of organic trade, said the Organic Trade Association (OTA) in welcoming the new pact. The United States and Switzerland signed the arrangement on July 9 in Washington. The new pact allows organic products certified in the U.S. or Switzerland to be sold as organic in either country, beginning July 10, and eliminates the need for two sets of fees, inspections and paperwork while still upholding high organic oversight standards. The signing of the U.S.-Switzerland Organic Equivalency Agreem...