Bio Suisse

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The bud of the Association of Swiss Organic Farming Organizations (Bio Suisse).

The umbrella association Bio Suisse is an amalgamation of 32 organic farming organizations in Switzerland .

Members are 6,719 organic farms and thus around 90 percent of all organic farms in Switzerland (as of 2018), which are organized in 22 regional member organizations. There are also ten other member organizations, including the five founding organizations Bioterra, Biofarm, Progana, Demeter and FiBL (Research Institute for Organic Agriculture). The assembly of delegates consists of 100 delegates from the 32 member organizations and is the supreme body of Bio Suisse. More than 1,000 licensed processing and trading companies manufactured or traded Bud foods.

The office with around 60 employees is located in Basel. The tasks of the association include the further development of the guidelines, market transparency and market development, overarching tasks in quality assurance, checking license applications and advising licensed processors and dealers as well as representing the interests of their members on the market, in politics and in public.

history

In 1981 the Association of Swiss Organic Farming Organizations (VSBLO) was founded. When organic farming was officially recognized in 1992, the first Bio Suisse processing guidelines appeared. In 1997 it was renamed Bio Suisse.

seal of approval

Organic bud on a milk carton

Bio Suisse is the owner of the registered trademark "Knospe" (French "Bourgeon", Italian "Gemma", English "Bud"). The products of Swiss producers certified by Bio Suisse can be awarded the Bio Suisse Bud seal of approval . The seal of approval ( called a label in Switzerland ) enjoys a high level of credibility in Switzerland. Around 60 to 70% of the Bud products come from Swiss production and are processed in Switzerland. Foreign products that meet the same criteria are awarded the Bio Bud label.

Processing and trading companies that have concluded a license agreement with Bio Suisse may use the Knospe brand in compliance with the guidelines.

Lancy was the first municipality to be awarded the Bud in 2019 .

rating

In 2015, the label achieved above-average results in the ranking of the Pusch Foundation , WWF Switzerland , Helvetas and the Foundation for Consumer Protection SKS «in all assessment areas and product ranges, because it was rated both in the assessment criteria of the environmental areas of water , soil , biodiversity and climate as well as in the areas of animal welfare and social high to very high demands. "

Evaluation of Bud Bio / Bud Bio Suisse - 161 points, excellent
Bio-ch-bio-eu-161-pt.png

Guidelines

The association's own guidelines are stricter than the minimum requirements for organic farming prescribed by Swiss law. Bio Suisse also has extensive guidelines on processing and trading. Approval can be refused for products that are detrimental to the Bud image. In order not to further promote the emissions of microplastics , from 2020 Bio Suisse no longer wants to distribute fermentation residues from biogas plants in its fields in which material packaged in plastic is fermented.

Only products whose raw materials come at least 90% from Switzerland carry the Bio- Bud with the Bio Suisse label . Products that contain more than 10% raw materials produced abroad carry the ' Bud ' label with the label organic . The Bio-Suisse guidelines must also be met for goods produced abroad.

Imports are restricted to products that do not grow in Switzerland or that are not available in sufficient quantities. Fresh products may only be imported from overseas if they do not grow in Europe or are not available seasonally. Air transport is generally prohibited; Nevertheless, certain products are sent back and forth by plane before they go on sale with the Bio Suisse label.

Importers of organic products for marketing with the Bud label require a license agreement with Bio Suisse with import permits for the relevant products as well as Bio Suisse certified suppliers (across all levels of trade from cultivation to export). In addition, the requirements of the Swiss Organic Ordinance must always be met. The foreign companies are certified by International Certification Bio Suisse (ICB AG, subsidiary of Bio Suisse) or bio.inspecta AG.

Overview of the criteria

  • Holistic approach - organic for the entire company and for the entire product processing
  • Biodiversity - diverse habitats for plants and animals
  • Animal welfare - species-appropriate feed, animal-friendly stalls, plenty of exercise and pasture ( tethered stalls are allowed), if the animals can move around regularly in the open air.
  • Resource protection - renouncing chemical-synthetic pesticides and artificial fertilizers. Protection of soil, water, air and climate
  • Taste - gentle processing, free of aroma and color, authentic products
  • Trust - strict controls, no genetic engineering, strict import regulations
  • Fairness - guidelines for social requirements and fair trade relationships

Branding Policy

In 2010, Kassensturz reported that "Bio Suisse [2009] decided that discounters are not allowed to label their organic products with the Bud" label. A direct price comparison of products manufactured in organic companies is made more difficult by this labeling policy and the discounters' own labels.

The branding policy in 2017 is as follows:

Bio Suisse is open to cooperation with all trading partners. The prerequisite for using the Bud is a sustainable commitment to organic agriculture. This means that the trading partners follow the principles, goals and values ​​of Bio Suisse, e. B .:

  • Representative, year-round offer from Swiss Bud producers
  • Clear, open and unambiguous product presentation and communication
  • Long-term cooperation and product range policy not determined by short-term opportunities
  • Commitment to fair economic and social framework conditions along the entire value chain
  • Sustainable development, creating a sustainability report or completing the Bio Suisse sustainability check

In 2019, a three-stage model for the retail trade was decided on. Packaged products marked with the Bud can be sold in any store.

Certification and control

The companies bio.inspecta and Bio Test Agro AG monitor compliance with the Bio Suisse guidelines on farms in Switzerland .

Bio.inspecta used to be majority owned by Bio Suisse. This led to criticism after the second control body in the agricultural sector wanted to withdraw from the certification of Bio-Suisse products, but later revised the decision. Bio.inspecta is now owned by various organizations and individual companies from the organic sector - in 2017 it was:

further in total:

  • 64.21% - producers, licensees of the two organic labels Knospe and Demeter as well as consumers, employees, environmental and organic organizations.

In the control procedure, production, processing methods, recipes, transport and storage of the goods are checked.

Companies with foreign suppliers are checked at the request of a licensee if he cannot find the products in Germany or does not find them in sufficient quantities. These companies must comply with the Bio Suisse Organic guidelines , which are equivalent to the Bio Suisse guidelines for Switzerland; supplemented by some requirements such as sustainable water use in areas with scarce water resources. The annual inspections of the companies are carried out by accredited inspection bodies on site. On the basis of these control reports, International Certification Bio Suisse (ICB AG) and bio.inspecta assess the conformity of the company's processes and practices with the Bio Suisse requirements and issue a Bio Suisse Organic certificate if they are met . This is the most important requirement for the import of organic products into Switzerland for sale with the “Bud” label.

criticism

Genetic engineering

Plant breeding

Bio Suisse delegates decided in 2013 for organic plants in principle to allow only natural breeding methods. Varieties based on CMS technology are not close to nature and should no longer be approved by Bio Suisse in the long term. Since the beginning of 2019, CMS varieties have been banned from Bio Suisse, with the exception of cauliflower (including romanesco , colored cauliflower types ), broccoli , white cabbage , savoy cabbage and chicory .

Animal breeding

According to the Bio Suisse guidelines , genetic engineering should actually also be excluded in animal breeding. Nevertheless, in 2018 poultry production to combat Gumboro disease was practically all of the time using a GM vaccine . Due to high losses, the Bio Suisse board was forced to temporarily allow this measure. Meanwhile, an alternative is being sought. In November 2019, the delegates decided not to extend the approval for the genetic engineering vaccine Vaxxitek and thus to let the approval expire at the end of 2019.

Harmful pesticides

To combat the Colorado beetle , the use of Spinosad and Neem, two plant protection products approved in organic farming, was also approved for potatoes for three months in 2018. The reason was a strong reproduction of the Colorado beetle and a lack of availability of the usual remedy used against it. Since spinosad is potentially endangering bees, farmers must adhere to the requirement that it only be used early in the morning or in the evening.

Overseas imports

Bio Suisse issued a license to Coop in August 2017 to label organic wine from Argentina with the Bud label . This procedure does not contradict its own basic principles, because imports are possible under certain conditions (see #Guidelines ). Bio Genève did not agree to this and submitted an application to the delegates' meeting on April 18, 2018 for a policy change on imports from overseas. The approval for imports of wine from overseas had meanwhile been suspended by the Bio Suisse board. In addition, the executive board requested a broad discussion of the imported strategy at the presidential conference in summer 2018 and a postponement of the vote on the import guidelines. The assembly of delegates approved this proposal on April 18, 2018.

In the case of Swiss geraniums , the air transport of conventional cuttings from Africa has been criticized.

See also

Web links

Commons : Bio Suisse  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Organic farming and organic market at bio-suisse.ch, accessed on August 6, 2012.
  2. ↑ Bio Suisse portrait. Retrieved September 18, 2017 .
  3. ↑ a b Die Bud , at bio-suisse.ch, accessed on August 27, 2012.
  4. ↑ Market transparency. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
  5. ^ History. In: bio-suisse.ch. Retrieved November 4, 2019 .
  6. ↑ VSBLO is now called BIO SUISSE. In: lid.ch. September 25, 1997, Retrieved November 4, 2019 .
  7. ↑ a b https://www.bio-suisse.ch/de/diemarke.php, accessed on September 18, 2017
  8. ^ Lancy - the first organic community in Switzerland. In: naturschutz.ch. August 2, 2019, accessed August 20, 2019 .
  9. ^ Background report on labels for food WWF, SKS, STS, ACSI, FRC, October 2010
  10. ↑ a b This is new in organic farming 2019. (PDF; 277 KB) In: shop.fibl.org. Bio Suisse, 2018, accessed on January 27, 2019 .
  11. ^ A b Marianne Kägi: Geranium production - Swiss geraniums without Swiss roots. In: srf.ch . May 8, 2019, accessed May 8, 2019 .
  12. ↑ International Certification Bio Suisse AG. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
  13. ↑ Brigitte Walser: Cows in motion. In: derbund.ch . May 4, 2019. Retrieved May 19, 2019 .
  14. ↑ Magazine broadcast organic products: How prices are kept high Kassensturz SRF , broadcast on February 16, 2010.
  15. ↑ Bio Suisse decides on three-stage model for retail trade. (PDF; 211 KB) In: bio-suisse.ch. July 2, 2019, accessed November 9, 2019 .
  16. ↑ http://bio-inspecta.ch
  17. ↑ http://bio-test-agro.ch
  18. ↑ Article in Zürcher Bauer (weekly magazine of the Zürcher Bauernverband), week 37, 2006. The online version is apparently no longer available: ( page no longer available , search in web archives: (PDF) ) (queried on February 19, 2010).@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.vzsb.ch
  19. ↑ Bio.inspecta shareholders , queried on February 15, 2013 and August 27, 2017
  20. ↑ International Certification Bio Suisse AG. Retrieved May 29, 2018 .
  21. ↑ Updated positive list with cell-fusion-free vegetables published in: fibl.org , May 15, 2018, accessed on May 26, 2018.
  22. ↑ Georg Humbel: Genetic injection for Swiss organic chicken. In: srf.ch. November 7, 2018, accessed November 7, 2018 .
  23. ↑ Bio Suisse: GM vaccine for organic broiler chickens. (PDF; 627 KB) In: bio-suisse.ch. November 15, 2018, accessed November 19, 2019 .
  24. ↑ Lucas Huber: Vaccine keeps Bio Suisse busy. In: schweizerbauer.ch . April 23, 2019, accessed April 26, 2019 .
  25. ↑ Adrian Krebs: Bio Suisse bans controversial GMO vaccine for chicken fattening. In: bauernzeitung.ch. November 13, 2019, accessed November 19, 2019 .
  26. ↑ Colorado beetle: Neem and Spinosad approved with immediate effect In: bioaktuell.ch, June 13, 2018, accessed on June 17, 2018.
  27. ↑ Protest against Bud wine from Argentina In: schweizerbauer.ch , November 4, 2017, accessed on April 12, 2018.
  28. ^ Assembly of Delegates on April 18, 2018 In: biosuisse.ch, accessed on April 12, 2018.
  29. ^ Assembly of Delegates. Retrieved May 8, 2018 .