2020

Republic Act No. 11511 - An Act Amending Republic Act. No. 10068 or the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010

Date of Approval : Dec 23, 2020

Description:

Republic Act No. 11511 reaffirms the policy of the State to promote, propagate, develop further and implement the practice of organic agriculture in the Philippines.

By virtue of the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010 as amended by the Republic Act No. 11511, the Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards (BAFS) shall have the following functions, duties and responsibilities:
1. Formulate and update standards relevant to organic agriculture;
2. Issue accreditation to: (a) third-party organic certifying bodies, (b) PGS groups, (c) private group or organization actually engaged in organic agriculture as direct farm producer, promoter/advocate, or as marketer of organic agriculture produce—collectively called as “organic certifying bodies (OCBs)” to provide certification to organic management system (farms, etc.);
3. Certify five (5) individual farms as a core PGS Group;
4. Conduct inspections on compliance of PGS groups with the Philippine National Standards for Organic Agriculture;
5. Issue registration on integrated organic farms, and organic inputs such as organic soil amendments (OSA) and organic biocontrol agents (OBCA);
6. Rule on the appeal of farm/farmowner/core PGS groups on decision made by organic certifying bodies;
7. Conduct monitoring and post-market surveillance of registered organic producers, farms, and inputs to ensure enforcement of the labeling requirements of the law;
8. Conduct random inspections to ensure that PGS groups are all compliant with the Philippine National Standards on organic agriculture;
9. Maintain national database of core PGS groups (from submitted registry of municipal/city PGS groups);
10. Extend financial and technical support to core PGS groups in its application for accreditation;
11. Develop guidelines for certification of farms under PGS, guidelines for accreditation of PGS groups, guidelines for sanctions on non-compliances of certified PGS members; and
12. Perform such other functions, duties, and responsibilities as may be necessary to implement the law.

Republic Act No. 11469 - Bayanihan Heal as One Act

Date of Approval : Mar 24, 2020

Description:

In view of the continuing rise of confirmed cases of COVID-19, the serious threat to the health, safety, security and lives of Filipinos, the long-term adverse effects on their means of livelihood, and the severe disruption of economic activities, the state of national emergency was declared over the entire country. Pursuant to Article VI, Section 23 (2) of the Constitution, the President was authorized to exercise powers that are necessary and proper to carry out the declared national policy and to adopt temporary measures to respond to crisis brought by the pandemic.

2016

Republic Act No. 10817 - Philippine Halal Export Development and Promotion Act of 2016

Date of Approval : Mar 16, 2016

Description:

Republic Act No. 10817 or the Philippine Halal Export Development and Promotion Act of 2016, provides that it is the policy of the State to promote the growth and ensure the integrity and quality of Philippine Halal exports, with emphasis that harmonization of standards to international standards becomes indispensable with globalization and economic integration. Section 10 of Republic Act No. 10817 mandates BAFS to develop Philippine National Standards for Halal primary and post-harvest foods.

2013

Republic Act No. 10611 - Food Safety Act of 2013

Date of Approval : Aug 23, 2013

Description:

Republic Act No. 10611 or the Food Safety Act of 2013 declares that the State shall maintain a farm to fork food safety regulatory system that ensures a high level of food safety, promote fair trade and advances the global competitiveness of Philippine food and food products. Section 9 of the Food Safety Act mandates the DA and the DOH to set mandatory food safety standards. Standards shall be established on the basis of science, risk analysis, scientific advice from expert body/bodies, standards of other countries, existing Philippine National Standards (PNS) and the standards of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), where these exist and are applicable. Codex standards shall be adopted except when these are in conflict with what is necessary to protect consumers and justification exists for the action taken. Section 16 of the same law mandates BAFS to develop food safety standards including those for organic agriculture. The BAFS shall establish the mechanism for the development of science-based food safety standards for fresh plant, animal, fisheries and aquaculture foods and shall use the services of experts from the FSRA, other government agencies, academe and the private sector.

Republic Act No. 10601 - Agricultural and Fisheries Mechanization (AFMech) Law

Date of Approval : Jun 05, 2013

Description:

Republic Act No. 10601 or the AFMech Law of 2013, declares that it is the policy of the state to ensure the quality and safety of machineries and equipment of locally manufactured or imported by strengthening regulation through the development and enforcement of machinery and machine performance standards, regular testing and evaluation, registration, and the accreditation and classification of suppliers, assemblers and manufacturers to ensure compliance to prescribed quality standards. Section 21 of Republic Act No. 10601 states that the BAFS, in coordination with the DTI, DOST, BoAE, and the AMTEC, and in consultation with the accredited associations of farmers and fisher folks, agricultural machinery assemblers, manufacturers, and distributors and agricultural engineers shall develop standards specifications and test procedures of agricultural and fishery machinery and equipment. These standards should be in conformity with the International Standards Organization (ISO) and shall be part of the existing Philippine Agricultural Engineering Standards (PAES).
Section 26 of the same law further states that, in addition to its functions under Sections 62 and 63 of the Republic Act No. 8435, BAFS shall develop standards for agriculture and fishery machinery, tools and equipment in coordination with accredited testing centers, and other concerned government and private entities. The BAFPS was renamed into “Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards (BAFS)” and was authorized to create a new section under the current Standards Development Division on agricultural and fisheries machinery regulations. BAFS may call upon experts, professional groups and other government agencies to assist in the performance of its functions.

2011

Republic Act No. 10068 - IMPLEMENTING RULES AND REGULATION (Philippine Organic Agriculture Act of 2010)

Date of Approval : Jan 31, 2011

Description:

Republic Act No. 10068 or the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010 declares that it is the policy of the state to promote, propagate, develop further and implement the practice of organic agriculture in the Philippines. Likewise, its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR), on Section 4 (Coverage) Rule 4.1, strengthens the BAFS function (under its Standards Development Division) on the formulation and/or updating of organic agriculture standards which covers crops, livestock and aquaculture, organic production, processing and labeling. BAFS mandates, specifically under its newly created Organic Agriculture Division, are stipulated under the following, which include:

1. Serve as the national technical and administrative secretariat of the NOAB with the member agencies providing additional staff support as the need arises (Section 10).
2. In addition to its existing functions and responsibilities BAFS shall perform the following functions, duties and responsibilities for the purposes of this Act (Section 11):
  (a) Update the NOAB on the status of programs, projects and activities undertaken for the development and promotion of organic agriculture;
  (b) Create effective networking with the various stakeholders involved in organic production; and   (c) Perform such other functions, duties and responsibilities as may be necessary to implement this Act and as directed by the NOAB. As the regulatory agency for organic agriculture, these include the monitoring and surveillance of labeling (Section 17) and retailing (Section 18) of organic produce.
3. Designated and authorized to grant official accreditation to organic certifying body or entity. The BAFS is tasked to formulate the necessary rules and procedures in the official accreditation of organic certifying body: Provided, That there shall be at least one (1) accredited organic certifying body each in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao or in case of only one (1) organic certifying body is accredited, it shall have at least one (1) satellite office or processing unit each in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao (Section 15).
4. All organic food and organic input producers/establishments must register with the director of BAFS (Section 16).

2010

Republic Act No. 10068 - Organic Agriculture Act of 2010

Date of Approval : Apr 06, 2010

Description:

Republic Act No. 10068 or the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010 declares that it is the policy of the state to promote, propagate, develop further and implement the practice of organic agriculture in the Philippines. Likewise, its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR), on Section 4 (Coverage) Rule 4.1, strengthens the BAFS function (under its Standards Development Division) on the formulation and/or updating of organic agriculture standards which covers crops, livestock and aquaculture, organic production, processing and labeling. BAFS mandates, specifically under its newly created Organic Agriculture Division, are stipulated under the following, which include:

1. Serve as the national technical and administrative secretariat of the NOAB with the member agencies providing additional staff support as the need arises (Section 10).
2. In addition to its existing functions and responsibilities BAFS shall perform the following functions, duties and responsibilities for the purposes of this Act (Section 11):
  (a) Update the NOAB on the status of programs, projects and activities undertaken for the development and promotion of organic agriculture;
  (b) Create effective networking with the various stakeholders involved in organic production; and   (c) Perform such other functions, duties and responsibilities as may be necessary to implement this Act and as directed by the NOAB. As the regulatory agency for organic agriculture, these include the monitoring and surveillance of labeling (Section 17) and retailing (Section 18) of organic produce.
3. Designated and authorized to grant official accreditation to organic certifying body or entity. The BAFS is tasked to formulate the necessary rules and procedures in the official accreditation of organic certifying body: Provided, That there shall be at least one (1) accredited organic certifying body each in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao or in case of only one (1) organic certifying body is accredited, it shall have at least one (1) satellite office or processing unit each in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao (Section 15).
4. All organic food and organic input producers/establishments must register with the director of BAFS (Section 16).

1997

Republic Act No. 8435 - Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act of 1997

Date of Approval : Dec 22, 1997

Description:

Republic Act No. 8435 or AFMA of 1997 declares that it is the policy of the State for all sectors involved in the production, processing, distribution and marketing of food and non-food agriculture and fisheries products to adhere to, and implement the use of product standards in order to ensure consumer safety and promote the competitiveness of agriculture and fisheries products (Section 60, Chapter 7). The coverage of BAFS shall include standards for fresh, primary and secondary processed agricultural and fisheries products (Section 62, Chapter 7).