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Additional rules on actions in the event of suspected and established non-compliance, and common catalogue of measures

1. Subject to Article 29, where a competent authority, or, where appropriate, a control authority or control body, suspects or receives substantiated information, including information from other competent authorities, or, where appropriate, from other control authorities or control bodies, that an operator intends to use or to place on the market a product which may not be in compliance with this Regulation but which bears terms referring to the organic production, or where such competent authority, control authority or control body has been informed by an operator of a suspicion of non-compliance in accordance with Article 27:

(a) it shall immediately carry out an official investigation in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2017/625 with a view to verifying compliance with this Regulation; such investigation shall be completed as soon as possible, within a reasonable period, and shall take into account the durability of the product and the complexity of the case;

(b) it shall provisionally prohibit both the placing on the market of the products concerned as organic or in-conversion products and their use in organic production pending the results of the investigation referred to in point (a). Before taking such a decision, the competent authority, or, where appropriate, the control authority or control body, shall give the operator an opportunity to comment.

2. In the event that the results of the investigation referred to in point (a) of paragraph 1 do not show any non-compliance affecting the integrity of organic or in-conversion products, the operator shall be allowed to use the products concerned or to place them on the market as organic or in-conversion products.

3. Member States shall take any measures, and provide for any necessary sanctions, to prevent fraudulent use of the indications referred to in Chapter IV of this Regulation.

4. Competent authorities shall provide a common catalogue of measures for cases of suspected non-compliance and established non-compliance to be applied in their territory, including by control authorities and control bodies.

5. The Commission may adopt implementing acts to specify uniform arrangements for the cases where competent authorities are to take measures in relation to suspected or established non-compliance. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 55(2).