Convergence of Participatory Guarantee Systems and Internal Control Systems in an IFOAM European pilot project

Organisation into Participatory Guarantee Systems was the main model for compliance with organic farming specifications until the beginning of the 1990s, even if it was not officially recognised as such. Control and certification by an independent body then became a requirement (standard EN NF 45011). This European project, initiated by IFOAM in 2005, showed that, among other things, an Internal Control System can provide a guarantee equivalent to that of a certification by an independent body, but on the basis of different tools: the transparency of local networks, the improvement of practices at the group level and the involvement of consumers. As a result, recognition of the Participatory Guarantee Systems by public authorities would reinforce consumer confidence while relocating production, issues of concern to a majority of the stakeholders in the sector