Following on from the soil and water tests, the management team at Natural Science has now been discussing other quality certification programs available from SGS.
The first of these will be the Organic Farming Certification and the initial application will be submitted to SGS very shortly. The three fields on which Natural Science will grow the hemp crop in 2020 will then be registered with the Ministry of Agriculture in Bulgaria as “under the organic certification program”. Full certification will take three years, but this year’s crop will be described as “Organic in Transition” and will come with an organic certification number.
We have also submitted an application to SGS for ISO 9001 certification for our hemp cultivation operations in Bulgaria. ISO 9001 certification is the international standard that specifies requirements for a quality management system (QMS). Organizations use the standard to demonstrate the ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and regulatory requirements.
We are also discussing with SGS the requirements for Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) certificates and Good Agricultural and Collect Practice certification (GACP). The latter of these is essential if you wish to sell the hemp plant biomass or hemp extract to pharmaceutical companies to be used in medicines.
SGS are the world’s leading testing, inspection, verification and certification company (www.sgs.com). They have one of the most sophisticated laboratories in Bulgaria based near Varna on the Black Sea and have an established operation for agricultural support in Bulgaria.
WHO developed the Guidelines on good agricultural and collection practices (GACP) for medicinal plants, providing general technical guidance on obtaining medicinal plant materials of good quality for the sustainable production of herbal products classified as a medicine.
