It’s no secret that Australia is home to some of the best produce grown anywhere in the world.
From beef to dairy, fruits, and vegetables, Australia is truly the lucky country when it comes to quality products.
However, there is one sector that our country trails in when compared to the rest of the world.
And that it is in the regulation of our country’s growing organics industry.
Did you know that Australia is the last nation in the OECD to not have a regulatory framework for the use of the word ‘organic’?
To me, this beggars belief.
Not having a standard means that products in Australia can claim to be organic with as little as two per cent of the ingredients being certified organic.
In comparison, organic products sold for export require 95 per cent organic ingredients.
The difference is misleading to consumers and unfair to sellers who are doing the right thing.
It leads to a lack of information and accountability, which impacts consumer confidence in organic products, increases costs for organic businesses, and hinders market growth.
The Coalition is committed to fixing this problem and it is why we recently introduced the National Organic Standard Bill 2024 into Federal Parliament.
This bill has a range of features.
It will require businesses that sell organic produce to meet the National Organic Standard.
It requires importers to meet the National Organic Standard, or similar.
There will be exemptions to be certified if the annual turnover of organic produce doesn’t exceed $25,000.
It will make the current export standard – National Standard for Organic and Bio-Dynamic Produce – the National Organic Standard and enable audits, compliance and enforcement.
This bill will also impose penalties for selling or intending to sell organic products if they don’t meet the National Organic Standard.
Finally, the bill will provide a transition period of three years and will require an independent review after six years.
These measures will go a long way to ensuring our organics sector can continue to flourish both domestically and internationally.
The Senate has referred the Bill to the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 31 January, 2025.
I encourage all of Maranoa’s organic producers and providers to make a submission for the Senate Inquiry into the National Organic Standard Bill 2024.
The current framework is no longer fit for purpose and the time is now for us to ensure we protect the proud men and women of our organics industry.
Our country may produce some of the best products in the world, but our producers need the support of measures like the National Organic Standard.
To make a submission visit: Lodge my submission – Parliament of Australia
ENDS
