Home › About organics › Introduction to certification
How do I become registered with OF&G?
Request an Information Pack
Contact the telephone number given below to obtain an information pack. This contains a letter of introduction from the Chairman, information on advisory services for organic farmers and growers, the charges sheet and a publications and services information sheet plus order form.
Request an Application Pack
This consists of the OF&G Control Manual, which includes the standards for organic production, the Application Form and various technical leaflet.
Complete the Application Form
The next stage in the process is to complete the Application Form and send it to the Certification Office with the appropriate inspection/certification fee. (Please refer to the scale of charges on the OF&G Charges Sheet). The relevant standards must also be studied and understood before an application is made. If you have any questions, contact the OF&G certification office on the telephone number below.
Undergo an Inspection
Following our assessment of your Application Form, an inspector will contact you and arrange to visit the farm and carry out the inspection. This will take from two hours for small operations, up to a full day for large complex operations.
Agree to any conditions set by the Certification Office
The inspector will write a report, which is evaluated by the certification office.
Where it is felt necessary, conditions may be imposed to bring the system into line with the Standards. These are issued on a Compliance Notice that you are expected to agree to by signing and returning to the Certification Officer. Additional information may also be requested where necessary. Where no problems occur, the Compliance Notice will be used to notify you of the decision but it will not have to be signed and returned.
Be issued with a Certificate of Compliance
Once all the above stages have been completed, the farm will be registered as a Licensee and a Certificate of Compliance will be issued along with a Schedule to the Certificate.
The Certificate can be displayed to demonstrate to customers that the operation is registered. Customers frequently ask for a copy of the current Certificate to confirm that the farm is licensed to produce the organic products it is supplying, so a copy should also be kept on file.
The Schedule specifies the fields, which have been certified, their OS/IACS numbers and areas, whether in conversion or remaining under conventional management and the date the conversion began.
Once the farm has become registered as an OF&G Licensee, Defra will be notified that the process has been completed and the farm will be entered onto the National Register.