For the purposes of implementing the provisions of this Resolution, the following terms and expressions shall have the meanings assigned to each of them, unless the context requires otherwise:
State: The United Arab Emirates.
Authority: The Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology.
Board: The Board of Directors of the Authority.
Director General: The Director General of the Authority.
Competent Authority: The federal or local authority concerned with the implementation of the provisions of this Resolution.
UAE Conformity Assessment System (ECAS):The system issued by the Board, which is concerned with verifying the fulfillment of a product's requirements specified in the approved standard specifications, either directly or indirectly, through specific procedures conducted by the Authority, such as inspection, testing, calibration, or granting conformity certificates.
Mark: The drawing, Label, symbol, stamp, inscription, or image indicating the Authority or what is issued thereby regarding specifications, metrology, quality, and conformity, or indicating any international body related to specifications, metrology, quality, and conformity.
Label : The Emirates Sustainable Agriculture Label, which is the Mark approved by the Authority and granted to a product to indicate that it conforms to the sustainable agriculture standards in accordance with the provisions of this Resolution.
Approved Standard Specifications: The standard specifications approved by the Authority, referred to as United Arab Emirates Standard Specifications (UAE.S).
Sustainability Standards: Administrative, economic, social, and environmental requirements, particularly for farms, products, and supporting economic activities, approved by the Authority for the issuance of the conformity certificate and the Label.
Conformity Certificate: The certificate that confirms the product’s conformity with the requirements of the provisions of this Resolution.
Approved Conformity Assessment Body: The body appointed in accordance with Cabinet Resolution No. (35) of 2015 referred to, to provide services in the fields specified by the Authority.
Conformity Assessment: The activity that is used directly or indirectly to verify the fulfillment of the mandatory requirements related to the Label, such as inspection, testing, and granting Conformity Certificates for products.
Operator : The legal person whose activity has an impact on the performance of the establishment, or any legal representative responsible for managing, running, and operating the establishment subject to the provisions of this Resolution as the case may be, and who carries out its activity through a company or a sole proprietorship licensed in the State in accordance with the relevant legislation.
Supplier: The manufacturer, importer, transporter, collector, agent, warehouse keeper, or any main or sub-distributor whose activity has an impact on the characteristics of the product, or any legal representative responsible for importing, installing, and operating the product subject to the provisions of this Resolution as the case may be, and who carries out its activity through an establishment in accordance with the relevant legislation.
Supply Chain: All operations through which the product passes until it reaches the consumer, including the import, supply, storage, transport, and wholesale or retail sale of the product, and any other related process for the product's delivery to the consumer.
Product: Farms, farm products, and related services.
Sustainable Product: Farms, farm products, and related services that meet the requirements and standards set out in Schedule No. (1) attached to this Resolution.
Sustainable Agriculture: Food and agricultural production through the application of sustainable development in the management of natural resources for agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, in a manner that protects and directs natural wealth to ensure the achievement and continuity of meeting the human needs for present and future generations; protects land, water, and plant and animal genetic resources from any harm that may affect them or the environment; and employs technically and economically appropriate technologies that are socially acceptable .
Establishment: An establishment dedicated to the cultivation and production of plant crops, livestock, and aquatic life, within specific geographical boundaries of a farm or part thereof, or a group of farms under unified administrative supervision, whether inside and outside the State.
Sustainable Components: A multi-component product, sustainable and non-sustainable, with different percentages.
Farms: An area of land and its buildings, used for the production of plant crops and the breeding of livestock and aquatic life.
Sustainable Agricultural System Plan:The approved agricultural plan for the establishment, which includes all stages of cultivation and the documents necessary to prove compliance with the standards and conditions of sustainable agriculture.

The provisions of this Resolution shall apply to:
1. Farms located within specific geographical boundaries, or groups of Farms under unified administrative supervision, inside and outside the State, that are designated as Sustainable Farms or bear similar designations.
2. Products of the Farms or groups of Farms referred to in Clause (1) of this Article, from plant crops, livestock, and aquatic life.
3. Economic activities relating to the production of a Farm or part thereof, or for the production of a group of Farms under unified administrative supervision, which constitute the entire Supply Chain or part thereof, and have significant impacts on the sustainability of the surrounding environment and the community, including processing, delivery, wholesale, and retail trade.
 

1. The Establishment must comply with the Sustainable Agricultural System Plan in accordance with the following standards:
First Standard: Effective Planning and Management System, which requires the following:
a. Description of the practices and procedures to be implemented and maintained, including the frequency of their implementation.
b. A list of all materials used as an input for production or handling, indicating its composition, source, and location(s) where they will be used, together with documents evidencing commercial availability, as appropriate.
c. Description of the monitoring practices and procedures to be implemented and maintained, including the frequency of their implementation to verify the effective execution of the Plan.
d. Description of the record-keeping system in place.
e. Description of the management practices and physical barriers established to prevent the commingling of Sustainable and non-Sustainable Products in a split operation, and to prevent contact between Sustainable Production and handling operations and prohibited substances.
f. Any other requirements specified by the Authority.
Second Standard: Environmental Management Systems, which requires the following:
a. Conducting assessments of activities that may have a significant impact on the environment or the use of natural resources, and adopting the option that provides the greatest benefit or causes the least harm to the environment as a whole, at an acceptable cost to the community, in the long term.
b. Promoting Sustainable Development in all aspects related to the environment.
c. Protecting the cultural and natural heritage of the State, including its biodiversity.
d. Promoting reduction, reuse, or recycling of waste.
e. Maintaining records of the quantity and quality of waste generated, the quantity recycled, and the quality of its utilization.
f. Any other requirements specified by the Authority.
Third Standard: Improving Livelihoods and Worker Welfare, which requires the following:
a. Safeguarding the rights of workers in accordance with the applicable relevant legislation.
b. Prohibiting the use of forced labor or any form of discrimination in employment by Farms.
c. Ensuring the health, welfare, and safety of workers.
d. Prohibiting the employment of minors under the age of (18) as agricultural workers.
e. Any other requirements specified by the Authority.
2. The Sustainable Livestock Production Plan must meet the following standards:
First Standard: Sustainable Livestock Production, which requires the following:
a. Raising livestock in accordance with approved husbandry practices.
b. Providing product traceability systems.
c. Providing veterinary care programs.
d. Providing feeding programs free of prohibited substances in accordance with locally and internationally approved requirements.
e. Selecting and managing pastures on the basis of agro-environmental standards.
f. Providing and adopting pest management programs in accordance with approved local and international requirements, prohibiting the use of chemical pesticides, and regulating the use of chemical fertilizers in production processes and the Supply Chain.
g. Adopting feed value programs and production rates to ensure optimal growth and prevent pasture degradation.
h. Prohibiting the use of chemical substances, hormones, growth enhancers, or antibiotics in production processes and the Supply Chain.
i. Any other requirements specified by the Authority.
Second Standard: Sustainable Production for Hydroponic, Organic, Integrated, Closed, and Innovative Agricultural Systems, which requires the following:
a. Complying with the relevant approved legislation and standard specifications.
b. Providing product traceability systems.
c. The Farm's adoption of programs that comply with the applicable legislation governing prohibited substances in the health and nutrition sectors.
d. Selection and management of feed based on agro-environmental standards, pest management, nutritional value, and production rates to ensure optimal growth.
3. In addition to the standards and requirements stipulated in Clauses (1) and (2) of this Article, the standards and requirements stipulated in Annex No. (1) attached to this Resolution shall apply.

1. The Operator and Supplier, in order to obtain the Conformity Certificate and the Label from the Authority, must comply with the following:
    a. Registration of the systems and products in the UAE Conformity Assessment System (ECAS).
    b. Submitting an application to the Authority accompanied by all the documents required for this purpose.
    c. Complying with the mandatory Sustainability Standards set out in Annex No. (1) attached to this Resolution, and any other requirements adopted by the Authority in this regard.
    d. Submitting all products and supporting services to the Conformity Model (H) for product verification, as stipulated in the UAE Conformity Assessment System (ECAS).
    e. Providing all technical documents, certificates, and information demonstrating the product's conformity with the requirements of this Resolution.
2. If the product is multi-component, it must contain no less than (95%) of sustainable contents.
3. The Establishment may use the Label on a multi-component product that contains less than (95%) sustainable components, provided that it is classified, declared, and described in accordance with the controls specified by the Authority.

1. The design of the Label shown in Annex No. (2) is hereby approved, and the Authority shall determine the conditions and controls for its use, and shall be deemed the exclusive owner of its intellectual property rights.
2. No person may affix the label to any product, or publish any advertisement for a product containing the phrases "Sustainable Product," "Sustainable Cultivation," "Sustainable Agriculture," "Sustainable Production," or any other similar expressions indicating Sustainable Agriculture, including abbreviations, symbols, images, and marks denoting any of the foregoing, unless the product has obtained the Conformity Certificate and the Label in accordance with the provisions of this Resolution.
 

The Authority may delegate the issuance of Conformity Certificates and the Label to Approved Conformity Assessment Bodies in accordance with the controls and provisions set out in Cabinet Resolution No. (35) of 2015 referred to herein.

1. The Authority and the Competent Authorities may conduct periodic visits to the Operator or Supplier, and carry out necessary verification. They may also collect samples for assessments or testing to ensure their compliance with the requirements stipulated in this Resolution.
2. In the event of non-conformity with the requirements of this Resolution, the violations and penalties stipulated in Article (8) of this Resolution shall be imposed on the violating party after conducting the necessary investigations.
3. All points of sale in the State are prohibited from displaying or selling any products subject to the provisions of this Resolution unless such products are registered in accordance with the UAE Conformity Assessment System (ECAS) or have obtained the Conformity Certificate and the Label in accordance with the provisions of this Resolution.

In the event that any violation of the provisions of this Resolution is found, the Authority or the Competent Authority, as the case may be, shall take the necessary measures to rectify the violation and address the resulting effects, and may, for this purpose, take the following actions:
1. Requiring the violating party responsible for operating the Establishment or placing the violating product on the market to take the necessary corrective measures to rectify the violation and the resulting effects, or to withdraw the product from the market for the purpose of regularizing its status, or to return it to the country of origin if imported. The destruction of the non-compliant Product within the State is prohibited and the destruction of locally manufactured Products shall be carried out in accordance with the legislation in force in the State.
2. Announcing the suspension, withdrawal, or revocation of the Conformity Certificate.
3. Withdrawing the product from the market, with the violating party bearing all costs arising therefrom.
 

1. The Operator and the Supplier may file a grievance against the decisions issued in accordance with the provisions of this Resolution, provided that they comply with the following:
   a. The grievance shall be submitted to the Director General in accordance with the Authority's procedures within a period not exceeding (14) fourteen working days from the date of notifying the Operator or the Supplier of the decision.
    b. All the necessary documents supporting the grounds for the grievance shall be attached.
2. The Director General shall decide on the grievance within a period not exceeding (25) twenty-five working days from the date of its submission, and the decision issued in respect thereof shall be final.

The circulation of products available in the markets at the time of entry into force of this Resolution, which bear or indicate that they are sustainable products and do not comply with the provisions of this Resolution, shall be permitted for a period not exceeding one year from the date of entry into force of this Resolution.

1. The Authority or the body delegated thereby shall receive the registration and conformity applications of the establishments and products subject to the provisions of this Resolution and shall issue approvals in respect thereof.
2. A resolution may be issued by the Board after coordination with the Emirates Food Security Council to apply the provisions of this system in a mandatory manner for certain types of activities.
3. The annexes attached to this Resolution are an integral part of its provisions, and the Board may amend them whenever the need arises.
4. The provisions of this Resolution shall not prevent the inspectors of the Competent Authorities from carrying out any assessment or other tests to ensure that the Establishments and Products subject to its provisions conform with the mandatory conditions stipulated in the technical legislations and regulations.
5. The entities subject to the provisions of this Resolution shall provide the inspectors of the Competent Authorities with the assistance and information they request in connection with the implementation of its provisions.
6. If any matter arises that cannot be addressed by the provisions of this Resolution, or if any disagreement occurs regarding its interpretation or application, the matter shall be referred to the Director General to issue the appropriate decision in this regard.
7. The Competent Authority in each Emirate shall be responsible for the extent of the Operator's or Supplier's compliance with the provisions of this Resolution and the conformity of the Establishments and Products with its provisions, including inspection, supervision, and testing operations.
8. The application of the provisions of this Resolution shall not prejudice other legislation related to labor, agriculture, the environment, or the safety and quality of food, nor shall it prejudice or exempt from any legal obligations stipulated in those legislations.

Any provision that contradicts or conflicts with the provisions of this Resolution shall be repealed.

This Resolution shall be published in the Official Gazette and shall enter into force on the day following the date of its publication.