Regulators in the US and Switzerland have agreed a new organic equivalency deal, meaning the countries' standards of organic production are deemed to be on a par and products can enter each market without further certification.
The agreement is similar to the equivalency arrangement between the US and EU, which was inked in 2012.
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The news was welcomed by the US Organic Trade Association, which said the new system would cut red tape and eliminate the need for "two sets of fees, inspections and paperwork" while "still upholding high organic oversight standards".
The OTA added that it will facilitate organic trade between the US, Switzerland and the EU.
"The arrangement opens Switzerland for US organic farmers, ranchers and food makers," said Robert Anderson, senior trade advisor for the OTA. "Equally important, coupled with the historic US-EU organic equivalency agreement, it creates streamlined access to continental Europe's strong organic marketplaces, and promotes mutually beneficial flows of organic ingredients between Switzerland, Europe and the US."
