Organic Apiary Certification
From the hives right through to the honey, New Zealand produces some astounding honey that the rest of the world is calling out for.
Whilst you apply your knowledge to the bees and their hives whilst harvesting some delicious produce - we’re there to help you through the organic certification process.
Scroll below to find out how you can become certified organic on our apiary programme.
Certification Takes A Minimum of A Year
BioGro help you every step of the way, below we explain how your organic journey would look from start to finish.
Initial Assessment
Once you’ve reached out to BioGro, we will get in contact to find out more about you and your situation. After this initial discussion, if you are still committed to starting your organic journey, the below outlines what this will look like;
We will ask you to complete and send a short Application Form, we will invoice you on receipt of your application.
BioGro will set you up with your own personal log-in and send you relevant documentation to complete. Once we get you online and send documents, we will ask you to fill out the online forms accompanied by the paperwork.
Once the certification fee has been paid, BioGro will assess your application.
Whilst assessing your application, BioGro will arrange for an auditor to visit your operation to carry out an on-site inspection.
Following a satisfactory audit report and residue test from honey harvest after the 12 month conversion, we issue you with certification, and supply you with our highly recognised logo. We then require a copy of the product label(s) for us to assess and approve before you go to print
What we will ask for
It is crucial that you send us all necessary documentation, and ensure that all online forms are filled out carefully and correctly. We will give you guidance during this stage.
Cost
For an understanding of BioGro's certification fees, we encourage you to visit our rates page.
However, for a complete costing tailored to your specific needs and circumstances, we recommend you contact BioGro directly.
Our team will be happy to give you personalised guidance and answer any questions you have about certification fees.
Timeframe
BioGro certification requires a minimum of 1 year of compliance with the BioGro NZ Organic Standards.
Your first audit will determine the registration start date of your hives. To obtain a status of fully certified, you will need to demonstrate compliance with the BioGro NZ Organic Standards through annual renewal applications and audits.
Process
Apiary Certification is arguably one of the toughest standards to meet due to the unpredictable behaviour of the bees. Below we bullet point a few things we will be looking for when going through your certification process.
Ensure your hives are at least 3km from conventional cropping or horticulture and possible contamination sources or urban areas
Collect land-user statements within a 3km radius around all hive sites which disclose pesticide use within the last 12 months and planned subsequent 12 months
Hives should be managed on organic hive sites or wild natural areas
Replace all wax with a BioGro-approved wax
After 12 month conversion, it is possible honey collected after this timeframe can be labelled as organic ALTHOUGH we require residue tests of all hive sites. Clear results lead to full certification.
Expression of Interest
Tell us you're interested in organic certification. We are available for contact on weekdays between 9-5, with a whole team eager to help you. The quickest route for contact is to register your interest.
Alternatively, you can email us using info[at]biogro.co.nz or call us on 04-801 9741.
Organic Certification Webinar
If you or your business are new to organics, our Organic Certification Webinars are a great opportunity to learn more about the certification process, hosted by experts from the BioGro team.
If this sounds like something that you could benefit from, be sure to sign up - so, what are you waiting for?