Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 25 May 2017
239. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 542 of 9 May 2017, if his Department or the operator pay the organic control body for certifying the aquaculture operation in question. [25189/17]
View answerMy Department, as the Competent Authority, delegates the task of certifying and operating the inspection system to which organic operators producing, preparing, storing or importing produce from third countries are subject. This is in accordance with the governing EU regulations. Since 2005, the associated services and obligations of the Organic Control Bodies were formalised by service agreements between the Department and the Organic Control Bodies concerned.
Every organic operator pays a certification fee to its respective Organic Control Body. In addition, under the aforementioned service agreements, a subvention is paid by the Department to the Organic Control Bodies in respect of the annual inspection which is undertaken of every organic operator.
