Who must comply with Organic claims and organic certification — certification mandatory for export?

Organic certification is not legally required to describe a product as organic in Australia, but every organic claim must be provable; exporting organic goods requires certification by an approved certifying body.

Organic rules differ for domestic sales and exports. Within Australia, the ACCC states that organic certification is not legally required for a product to be described as organic, but any organic claim (for example '100% organic', 'made using organic ingredients' or 'certified organic') must be able to be proved, because false or misleading claims breach the Australian Consumer Law. A voluntary domestic standard, AS 6000-2015, is available; a business that claims to meet it, or labels a product as certified organic, must ensure the claim and any certification mark are genuine. For exports the position is mandatory: every facility that produces or prepares organic or bio-dynamic goods for export (producers, suppliers, processors, manufacturers and storage facilities) must be certified by a certifying body approved by the Department of Agriculture, comply with the Export Control (Organic Goods) Rules 2021 and the National Standard for Organic and Bio-Dynamic Produce, and meet importing country requirements. Approved certifying bodies issue organic goods certificates for export consignments.

Applies only if you label or sell products as 'organic'. Whether it applies turns on a fact that no industry, structure or size settles on its own.

How the regulator frames it: Any business that labels or promotes a product as organic or bio-dynamic in Australia (claims must be substantiated), and every operator in the export supply chain for organic or bio-dynamic goods (mandatory certification by an approved certifying body).

What triggers it: Making an organic or bio-dynamic claim on a product, label or advertisement; claiming certification or compliance with AS 6000-2015; or producing, preparing, storing or exporting goods described as organic for export. Label wording that implies organic status can make a product an 'organic good' under export law.

Jurisdiction: Commonwealth law, so the test is the same in every state and territory.

Outcome across the 35 industries Rules Mate maps (3 of 35: only if a further fact applies; 32 of 35: no).

Structure does not change the answer in the 3 industries it can reach: for every structure the answer is "only if a further fact applies".

Size does not change the answer in the 3 industries it can reach: at every size band the answer is "only if a further fact applies".

Each line is one run of the Rules Mate applicability engine for a single business profile, with the reason the engine gives:

• Pty Ltd company in real estate agents with 6–19 employees, turnover $1M–$3M: does not apply. Requires a trigger outside this questionnaire.
• Pty Ltd company in retail trade with 6–19 employees, turnover $1M–$3M: check whether it applies. applies only if you label or sell products as 'organic'.

The engine shows this obligation as "check whether this applies" when a business has industry: Agriculture, forestry & fishing / Retail trade / Manufacturing. It then applies only if you label or sell products as 'organic'. That fact is not something Rules Mate can infer from industry, structure or size.

When due

Before the claim is made or the goods are exported. Transition to full organic certification for export can take at least 3 years; export labels must be authorised by the approved certifying body before use.

Frequency

Ongoing

Evidence to keep

Evidence substantiating every organic claim (inputs, supplier certificates, process records); current certificate and correct use of any certification mark; for exports, certification by an approved certifying body, compliance with the Export Control (Organic Goods) Rules 2021 and the National Standard, authorised labels, organic goods certificates matching other export documentation, and importing country requirements from Micor.

Status

Current

Priority

High

Maximum penalty: False or misleading organic claims breach the Australian Consumer Law: the ACCC can require a business to back up its claims, investigate and take compliance or enforcement action, and ACL civil penalties apply (body corporate: the greatest of $100M, 3× benefit or 30% of turnover for contraventions from 28 March 2026). Exporting organic goods without the required certification breaches Australian export law.

Rules Mate has not yet classified the audit or assurance level for this obligation. Any audit, review or certification requirement is set by the regulator source listed below.

Rules Mate tracks 2 published obligations tagged "food", 0 of them rated critical. For a professional services Pty Ltd company with 6–19 employees operating in every state, 0 of those apply outright. This obligation is rated high priority, and is an ongoing duty.

Regulated by Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

ACCC: Competition and consumer regulator administering the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 and Australian Consumer Law, plus industry codes and infrastructure access regimes.

• Australian Competition and Consumer Commission

CCA: Australia's competition + consumer protection law.

• Competition and Consumer Act 2010

Free tools that help with this obligation:

• Compliance calendar builder