Discussion at the Organic Processing Conference, organized by IFOAM-EU Group and Synabio, encouraged a complete withdrawal of the proposed version of the EU Organic Regulation or amending key sections, especially the decertification threshold for residues of non-authorized substances in organic products. According to organic-market.info, if the current draft of the Organic Regulation was accepted without amendment, it would mean that in all cases of residues the whole batch of raw materials or, even worse, of processed products would have their organic status rescinded. Although EU countries could initiate compensation programs to assist organic producers faced with contamination issues, importers and farmers outside the EU would have to bear any costs themselves. Other issues in the proposed regulatory changes include:

• How to determine if imports are acceptable, with the proposed regulations shifting to conforming with the rules and regulations rather than equivalence of regulations
• How frequently organic operations are inspected, as the proposed regulations suggest inspections every two years
• Split operations, which the proposed regulations would eliminate
• Better use of databases to combat fraud