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bio.inspecta AG is a company providing inspection and certification services. We offer a number of different services in our ‘Agriculture’, ‘Processing and Trade’ and ‘International’ divisions. Our service portfolio includes recognised inspections and certifications of organic and label products as well as ISO certification and certification to food safety standards. Moreover, we support farms and firms in the food sector, helping them to develop sustainably and strengthen their market position. Quality, reliability and customer benefit are at the core of our comprehensive range of services.

Mission
bio.inspecta helps agricultural holdings and businesses develop and strengthen their market position in a sustainable way. With its comprehensive range of services bio.inspecta stands for quality, reliability and customer utility.

Future-oriented
bio.inspecta is Switzerland's leading provider of inspection and certification services for products produced in accordance with principles of environmental and social sustainability and animal welfare.

Credible 
Competent, experienced bio.inspecta staff are deployed to carry out inspection and certification of agricultural holdings and processing and trading companies - and they do so in a manner that is clear, independent and reliable. In this way, the credibility of the products and processes inspected or certified by bio.inspecta is guaranteed.
Client-oriented
bio.inspecta gears its activities towards the needs of its clients and maintains openness in its communications with them. bio.inspecta strives continuously to enhance its clients' satisfaction by providing, from one source, both at home and abroad, products that meet clients' requirements and services that are efficient.
Committed
In its day-to-day work, bio.inspecta is active in promoting organic farming and committed to ethical and social issues. bio.inspecta strives to maintain a positive working environment. By helping staff to enhance their social and professional skills, bio.inspecta motivates them to work in a manner that is results-oriented, autonomous and team-focused.

1998    Establishment of bio.inspecta. 

2003    Introduction of Ecert software for inspection and certification processes. 

2006    Establishment of subsidiary q.inspecta GmbH. 

2008    Introduction of easy-cert.ch: Switzerland's central label and certificate platform. 

2009    Partnership with SQS in Zollikofen, Switzerland. 

2010    Establishment in Turkey of subsidiary bio.inspecta Ltd. 

2017    bio.inspecta acquires shareholdings in Albinpekt Ltd. 

2017    Establishment of the new bio.inspecta Romandie office in Etagnières. 

2019    Establishment of the new bio.inspecta Pty Ltd in Victoria, Australia. 

2019    In June 2019, bio.inspecta and Austria Bio Garantie, the two leading inspection
             bodies in Switzerland and Austria respectively, unite organisationally under the umbrella
             of the newly established EASY-CERT group AG.    

2019    The organic certification body CERES becomes part of EASY-CERT group AG. 

2022    Establishment of the new bio.inspecta Svizzera italiana office in Lugano. 

Agronomist, agrotechnician
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Accreditation means the formal recognition of the technical and organizational competence of an authority to execute a specific service as described in the scope of accreditation.

Accreditation is a confidence building measure which allows authorities, economy and society to judge if testing, inspection or certification bodies (conformity assessment bodies) fulfill specific tasks with the demanded high reliability.

bio.inspecta AG is an accredited inspection and certification body in accordance with ISO/IEC 17020 and ISO/IEC 17065. All of the company’s activities are therefore under the supervision of the Swiss Accreditation Service (SAS) of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).

Cosmetics division

bio.inspecta is accredited by IOAS for the scope of product certification. Accreditation number: 110. Please refer to bio.inspecta AG - IOAS for current information.

If you wish to make a request or file a complaint, you can always call our hotline or contact us via email.

You can find our complaint process here. 

Our clients have the opportunity to lodge an appeal against decisions by inspection, auditing and certification bodies. An independent Appeals Commission serves as a higher authority for dealing with decisions made by the various bodies and considering the arguments put forward in appeals.

The Appeals Service can also be used by other certification bodies for the handling of appeals. Broad-based specialist support and regional language coverage ensure that appeals are dealt with comprehensively and uniformly.

The Appeals Commission
The Appeals Commission deals with any disputes arising between a producer, processor or trading company and its inspection and/or certification body, especially disputes regarding compliance with the laws, statutes, rules and directions, and regarding application of the principle of equal treatment and market neutrality.
 
The independent Appeals Commission consists of six appointed experts; its work involves 

  • handling any appeals lodged,
  • examining certification decisions,
  • finally decides if private label or standards are affected,
  • shall be the second instance provided that laws and regulations of the Federation or other countries are concerned.

Organizations participating in the joint Appeals Service
The following organizations participate in the joint Appeals Service:

The Appeals Commission
  • Martina Rösch, President, Dipl.-Ing. sc. agr. 
  • Anna Niggli Vice-President, Master's degree in history and law, organic farm employee
  • Paul Gerber Master Farmer [Meisterlandwirt] Organic farmer
  • Benno Niederberger Higher Institute of Technology Degree in Agricultural Engineering (Ing. Agronom HTL)
  • Frank Rumpe, University of Applied Sciences Degree in Agricultural Engineering (Ing. Agronom FH), MBA Integrated Management
  • Martina Schneider, Master farmer Organic farmer
  • Manuel Mittelhammer, Dipl. Ing. Forestry and Forest Economics (FH)
  • Idaniurka Tamayo, Master of Science Organic Farming
  • Adrian von Niederhäusern, Ing. Agronom SHL
Fees for certification bodies
Subscription fee

Annual subscription for registration and use of service: CHF 1900.00 / year CHF 1000.00 of each year's subscription can be offset against the cost of processing appeals.

Appeals
Basic fee for processing an appeal CHF 500.00 / appeal
Appeal processing charges based on the time and cost involved:

  • Preparation by secretariat and experts CHF 100.00 / hr / person
  • Session with secretariat and 7 experts CHF 100.00 / hr / person
  • Follow-up by secretariat CHF 100.00 / hr
Terms of payment
All prices are net and exclude VAT. The subscription is invoiced annually in advance. A deposit of 50% of the costs likely to be incurred may be required before an appeal is processed. The final invoice is due for payment within 30 days of issue.

Fees for complainants 
The costs for submitted judgments are based on the respective price list of the complainant's certification body.

Joint Appeals Service 
bio.inspecta AG / Bio Test Agro AG 
Ackerstrasse 117
CH-5070 Frick

Registration for certification bodies to join Appeals Service

Head: 

Peter Jossi
peter@jossi.bio 

Members: 

Dr. Dér Sandor
der.sandor@gmail.com 

Ludwig Gruber
ludwig@gruber.marketing

For bio.inspecta, partnership relations with its clients are very important. This also includes supporting companies in emergency situations. This is why we have decided to set up a «Fund for farms in distress»  in 2012. In this way we support customers who have got into difficulties through no fault of their own. 

The support is provided on a one-off basis through a partial or full waiver of the invoice for the annual farm inspection or other services. Our inspectors report such cases to us. In addition, our clients have the opportunity to apply in writing to bio.inspecta with a request for reimbursement of costs. 

To date, we have supported a total of 43 farms in emergency situations and financed their control and certification costs partly or entirely from the fund.