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PACS is accredited by the COABC (Certified Organic Associations of British Columbia) and, therefore, provides BCCOP certification to operators who are in B.C. and wish to have BCCOP certification as opposed to COR.  Products certified to BCCOP may not be sold outside of B.C. with an organic claim, nor can they be used as ingredients in COR certified products. BCCOP certification covers some products not eligible for certification under COR such as cut flowers, Christmas trees and fallow land that is not yet in production. Operators who are currently certified under the COR program may wish to add products that are only certifiable to BCCOP, which is permitted. In this case, PACS will take care of this distinction for you on your organic certificate. 

Many organic enterprises with exemplary recordkeeping and straightforward operations (small crop operations as opposed to multi-ingredient processors, for example) have a low risk of non-compliance whereby they do not export organic products out of their own province or territory, and have not had non-compliances in their last three inspections. These enterprises may be evaluated for participation in the Low Risk Program on or after their third organic inspection with PACS. Participation in the Low Risk Program requires that annual renewals are submitted on time; however, the requirement for inspection is extended to at least once every three years which results in significant cost savings.  For details on the specific criteria for risk assessment and eligibility to the Low Risk Program, please contact the PACS Certification Committee. 

Eligible for International and Interprovincial sales.

Products classified as food commodities, seed, or feed are eligible for certification to COR. PACS certifies scopes of production such as crop production, livestock, processing and specialized production. as well as the handling activities of traders/distributors, and contracted packaging & labelling activities of organic products. Categories of aquaculture may include aquafeed, finfish, aquaponics systems and IMTA, Macroalgae (seaweed)-cultivated, macroalgae (seaweed) – wild harvested and invertebrates

Producers who are federally licensed for the cultivation of cannabis, or who are in the process of applying for a federal licence, may apply for organic certification. To qualify for organic certification under the Canada Organic Regime (COR), a product must be an agricultural food product intended for human or animal consumption. Cannabis is not considered a food product, and is not recognized under the COR; therefore, PACS has developed internal ISO organic certification programs for the organic certification of legally produced cannabis. 

The PACS organic certification program for Indoor Cannabis Cultivation (containerized, greenhouse production), is based on the Canadian Organic Standards for greenhouse production. Following an initial inspection and successful certification review, a PACS organic certificate will be issued to an Indoor production operation, provided they are a federally licensed producer.  If the Health Canada licence has not been issued, receipt of an organic certificate will be withheld until the operation receives its HC licence.

The PACS organic certification program for Outdoor Cannabis Cultivation (in-ground) is based on the principal aspects of the Canadian Organic Standards for crop production.  Outdoor, in-ground, production is considered a land-based activity and is subject to a minimum transition period of 12 months. The land must also be free of prohibited substances for a minimum of 36 months. An Outdoor operation will receive a letter indicating their transitional status and the PACS certification committee will determine their organic eligibility date pending a successful second inspection and pending their receipt of a federal licence for cannabis production. NOTE: If the HC licence has not been received by the date of organic eligibility, the fallow land may be certified to BCCOP.