6012: Hilfsstoffliste [Inputs list]

{PROJECT} HSL: Hilfsstoffliste [Inputs list]. Runs 01 January 2004 - 31 December 2007. Project leader(s): Speiser, Bernhard, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), CH-5070 Frick. More information online at <http://www.fibl.org/subdomain/hifu/hilfsstoffe/index.html>.

Summary

The FiBL inputs list is updated annually and published in German and French. It has been published since 1996. The FiBL inputs list is prepared by the FiBL inputs list team, basedon the relevant legislation and guidelines, as well as on precedent decisions by the label organizations.Each year, a draft version together with explanations on critical issues is submitted to the labelorganizations and the relevant authorities for comments, decisions on precedent cases and approval. The approved version is then published by FiBL. PPP are evaluated on the basis of their full composition,which requires that a secrecy agreement be signed before FiBL has access to the full recipes. The criteriafor evaluation are mainly based on the IFOAM Basic Standards. For PPP, they are as follows:
􀂃 Registration, necessity and crop-specific use. PPP can only be used in the crops for which they are registered.However, the range of crops may be further limited in the inputs list. For example, no insecticidesor fungicides are allowed in arable and fodder crops (except potatoes).
􀂃 Origin. In general, the active ingredients of PPP must be of natural origin. Microorganisms and productsof soybean, maize, rape and sugar beet must be free of GMOs. If the extraction of a compoundfrom its natural source would be unacceptable, it may exceptionally be produced synthetically, as longas it is chemically identical to the natural compound (e.g. pheromones need not be extracted from insects).For inerts, natural compounds are preferred, but certain synthetic compounds are also allowed(see ‘Environment and human health’, below).
􀂃 Environment and human health. The environmental effects of the PPP must be as small as possible. Toachieve this, limits to its application may be set (e.g. crop specific maximum quantities for copper products).Inerts with adverse environmental effects are not allowed. For example, nonylphenols have beenbanned from the inputs list since 1998 (note: meanwhile, nonylphenols have been banned as activeingredients by Regulation EC 2076/2002 dated 20 Nov. 2002 (whether this also covers also their use asinerts, we cannot say with certainty).
􀂃 Quality, ethical and socio-economic aspects. The use of a PPP must not affect the premium status oforganic products. For example, phosphonate (a fungicide for grapevines and other crops) causessignificant residues in the harvested products. Even though they are of no toxicological concern, suchresidues were considered undesirable. Also, a rodenticide which presumably causes suffering in micebefore death was not included in the list for ethical reasons (Schmid and Tamm, 2000).

Additional Summary

Der Einsatz von Hilfsstoffen im biologischen Landbau ist in verschiedenen Gesetzesgrundlagen und Richtlinien von privaten Organisationen geregelt. Allerdings haben diese Richtlinien eher grundsätzlichen Charakter und geben naturgemäss weder über einzelne Handelsprodukte noch über den Einsatz von neuartigen Wirkstoffen oder Nutzorganismen Auskunft. So ist es Anwendern und Kontrolleuren nicht möglich, sich im Einzelfall über unzulässige Inhaltsstoffe oder über die Herkunft (z.B. gentechnisch veränderte Organismen oder deren Produkte) zu informieren. Die Hilfsstoffliste schliesst diese Lücke. Sie wird seit 1996 jährlich aktualisiert und Behörden und Labelinhabern zur Vernehmlassung und Genehmigung vorgelegt. Die Hilfsstoffliste ist verbindlich für die Produzenten von Bio Suisse und Migros-Bio. Sie erscheint auf Deutsch und Französisch.

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