The Application of the Ahp Risk-Benefit Assessment in Certification of Organic Farming

Abstract

The objective of the research is to develop the risk-benefit assessment models based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and test them in certification of organic products. The ISO Guide 65 /EN 45011 standard and Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 oblige the certification bodies to conduct risk assessment during certification process. However, no specific methodology of risk assessment has been provided in this respect. The AHP decomposes a complex problem into a hierarchy involving goal, criteria, and decision variants. Two hierarchical models, risk and benefit, were constructed based on the relevant publications and consultations with the key experts from one of the nine Polish third party certification bodies (CB), with experience in certification of organic products. Both models have the same decision variants considered in the process of surveillance. The results show that parallel production of conventional products and production of the same goods in organic and conventional versions appeared to be the major risk factors in organic farming. In benefit model, increased trust to certified products and minimization of costs of improper decisions were the most important. The AHP-based models proved very useful in risk-benefit assessment of organic producers and demonstrated a new approach to risk assessment. However, several conditions must be fulfilled before their implementation in practice, such as adjustment to individual needs of a certification body and refinement of the quality management system.