6. Standards Committee

Members of each section of the Standards Committee shall be appointed by the Board for a period of two years, and their mandate may be renewed. Appointed members must have relevant sectoral experience, have agricultural, agronomic or technical training pertinent to the committee section’s field, and be knowledgeable of international standards systems and the issues they involve.

6.1 Procedure for nominating members

The Board shall draw up a list of potential candidates who could become members of the Standards Committee. Although the committee members may not be representative of a sector and must be primarily selected for their expertise, the Board must give priority to candidates chosen from among the interested parties (see definition in glossary) or from related sectors (e.g. expert advisers, instructors, marketing agents, etc.). The members of each Standards Committee section should also represent the general area in which the standards are to be applied.

6.2 Committee Secretary

The CARTV shall provide the standards committee with a secretary, to whom all written documents on the committee's work may be entrusted. Each section’s secretary shall be responsible for calling meetings, taking meeting minutes, and having them approved by section members. The secretary shall also handle any follow-up on correspondence to and from the committee, and handle liaison with the Board.

6.3 Committee chairperson for each section

The chairperson’s role is to conduct committee meetings in a neutral and unbiased manner, and to ensure that they run smoothly. Members of each section shall appoint a chairperson after the section’s committee secretary announces a call for nominations. If there is more than one candidate, an election must be held.

6.4 Committee procedures for each section

All decisions made by section members concerning criteria, standards and additions or amendments to them must have obtained consensus from all members. Meeting minutes shall also be approved by consensus.

6.5 Board delegate

The Board shall appoint a representative to sit on each Standards Committee section. This person is to attest to committee procedural compliance and may intervene in discussions, but he/she does not have the right to vote.

6.6 Observers

In addition to the parties concerned, other sectors indirectly affected by a designation may appoint observers to attend committee proceedings, if they wish to do so. For this reason, the Board shall publish each Standards Committee section’s meeting dates and locations on the Web site, five days before they take place. Observers have no voting rights, but they may intervene in discussions as long as they do not interfere. Observers attending these meetings must pay their own expenses.

6.7 Experts

The Board shall develop a bank of experts for each Standards Committee section and assign the individuals to be a part of it. Whenever justified by a situation, section members may seek the opinions of one or more of these experts in order to clarify their work. However, when these persons take part in committee meetings, they have no voting rights and they must leave the meeting as soon as the agenda items concerning them have been discussed. The Board will cover the expenses incurred for specialists.

6.8 Representatives

Whenever justified by a situation, any section member may consider requests from sector representatives concerning special topics. However, when these persons take part in committee meetings, they have no voting rights and they must leave the meeting as soon as the agenda items concerning them have been discussed. Expenses incurred for representatives are not covered by the Board.

6.9 Specific subcommittees

Each Standards Committee section may form one or more specific subcommittees if decisions being made involve fields beyond section members’ level of specialization and if more in-depth consideration is required.