KEZ Standards CZ
1. Limitation of Adverse Effects on Organic Farming
1.1. Even during the period of conversion to organic farming, the operator must
develop such programmes and strategies of organic farming to ensure that
crop production can be carried out in an organic way for a long time. The
production system cannot be based on transforming the land and livestock
from the organic system of farming to the conventional system of farming
and vice versa. Therefore the animals and land included in the conversion
period, or land which has already been registered under these Standards,
may not be wilfully converted to the conventional farming and then again,
without the KEZ approval, included in the conversion period.
1.2. If chemical pesticides or artificial fertilisers are applied on conventional
land adjacent to the organically farmed land under these Standards, the
operator must take effective measures to minimise the risk of
contamination of soil or crops to be certified.
1.2.1. The measure may be a written agreement with the neighbour on creation a
buffer zone, planting a windbreak etc. This agreement is to ensure that the
chemicals for plant protection shall not be applied within the distance of 25 m and
mineral fertilisers within the distance of 10 m from the land of the organic farm.
1.2.2. The operator who farms organic land in parallel with conventional land
shall ensure that the chemicals for plant protection shall not be applied within the
distance of 25 m and mineral fertilisers within the distance of 10 m from the land
of the organic farm.
1.2.3. The operator must exploit a maximum of all effective measures, including
barriers and buffer zones, to prevent potential contamination and reduce
contaminating substances in organic products.
1.2.4. In the case of a reasonable suspicion of undesirable contamination of the
produce, the operator shall ensure that an analysis of the products in question
and possible sources of contamination is conducted (soil, water, air and other
inputs) in order to establish the level of contamination; he will attempt to find the
source of contamination, considers natural background contamination and other
relevant factors.
1.2.5. The operator is obliged to immediately inform KEZ on the contamination of
natural background of the organic farm’s land with harmful or prohibited
substances.
1.3.
1.4.
1.5.
For coverings, mulches, insect netting, silage sheets and coverage etc.,
only materials or products based on polyethylene and polypropylene or
other polycarbonates are allowed. After the end of their life, these materials
must not be disposed of through burning in an open fire. After use the
covering materials must be disposed of and their disposal must be made in
the facilities complying with the Waste Disposal Act No. 185/2001 Coll.
All technical equipment and machinery used or hired by the operator from
conventional agricultural systems must be cleaned carefully of potentially
contaminating substances and materials before their use on organically
farmed land.
The operator who runs a conventional agricultural production unit apart
from organic agriculture, using the same technology for both operations
(such as fertiliser or plant protection product applicators or equipment for
mixing of feedstuffs) shall keep an operation log book for this equipment in
accordance with the Draft in Annex No. 9.