AMS No. 026-11

Soo Kim (202) 720-7476

Soo.kim@ams.usda.gov

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11, 2011 - The Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the circulation of a fraudulent National Organic Program (NOP) organic certificate produced by an uncertified operation.

Reported to the NOP by an accredited certifying agent, the certificate falsely represents agricultural products as certified organic under the NOP regulations. This violates the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990.

“The NOP has not found evidence that any product was sold, labeled, or represented as organic using the fraudulent certificate,” said Miles McEvoy, NOP deputy administrator. Although these violations may occur, McEvoy said the vigilance of the organic community will help abate them. “We are warning certifying agents and organic handlers to be on the lookout and to notify the NOP if anyone tries to sell organic products using fraudulent certificates.”

The certificate contains the following identifying information:

• Operation name and location: FUSHAN HENGCHANG TRADE CO., LTD, Zhongshan District, “Dlian” (sic), Liaoning, China

• Certificate number: 6109CN0810zlec(US)

• Products listed as certified:

o Organic soybean;

o Organic white melon;

o Organic buckwheat; and

o Organic millet.

• USDA Accredited Certifying Agent and location: Ecocert SA, L’Isle Jourdain, France (Note: Ecocert SA brought the fraudulent certificate to the attention of the NOP and is NOT responsible for its production).

• Certificate issue location and date: Northeim, Germany, 2010-3-12

Any use of the certificate or other fraudulent documents, to market, label, or sell non-organic agricultural products as organic can result in a civil penalty of up to $11,000 per violation. Persons with information regarding the production or use of this or other fraudulent NOP certificates are asked to immediately contact Mark Bradley, director, NOP Compliance & Enforcement Division, at (202) 720-3252 or at NOPCompliance@ams.usda.gov.

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