This Law consisting of 29 articles aims at (i) protecting Lebanese production and creating value-added and competitive products that provide food safety and security standards; (ii) putting special Lebanese standards into practice so that it becomes possible to monitor the product, protect the consumer and ensure that the offered product meets all the conditions required for organic production; (iii) creating a control system on the production stages and marketing. The organic production system of Lebanon is designed with the aim of achieving the following (i) promotion of biodiversity; (ii) increasing the biological activity of the soil; (iii) maintaining soil fertility; (iv) making use of non-polluting waste of plant and animal origin to reduce the use of non-renewable resources; (v) promoting reliance on renewable resources in local farming systems; (vi) encouraging the correct use of soil, water, and air; (vii) establishing it on any existing farm through a transition period whose duration is determined according to elements related to the site (history of the land, type of crops, animals raised). The provisions of this Law are subject to the production, manufacture, sale, import and export of agricultural products that bear, or are prepared to carry, on their packages data indicating that they are organically produced.
The Law deals also with (i) data card and packaging and the data shall be placed on the packages of organic products in accordance with the Lebanese Standard Specifications; (ii) oversight and certification to verify the information mentioned on the packaging and to ensure that this information is correct towards the consumer. The procedure is as follows (i) the Ministry shall set up a control system and organize the national register of organic production; (ii) the control and/or certification bodies apply the requirements of the national registration system for the control and issue the certificate; (iii) the operator must register his possession or establishment in order to obtain a work permit, and submit to the Ministry a declaration with the data related to his activity. The products objects of this Law cannot be imported into Lebanon unless they are accompanied by a control certificate issued by the competent authority in the country of origin or the exporter.
A National Advisory Committee for organic production is formed by Decree based on a proposal of the Minister of Agriculture, within a maximum period of six months from the date of issuance of this Law, with the following main tasks (i) study the development, encouragement, and organization of the organic production sector and contribute to the preparation of draft laws, decrees, and decisions that support this production; (ii) express opinions on the evaluation of control and/or certification bodies; (iii) study documents, instructions, and directives issued by international organizations with regard to organic production.