www.ofa.org.au

The Australian Standard
The debate continues on the issue of the best regulatory process to protect the integrity of organic and biodynamic produce from fraud and misrepresentation. As this will be one of the most significant changes to our sector, some of the issues that have been raised need to be clarified.

Certification

• The OFA is a strong supporter of certification as the best way to guarantee the integrity of organic products. This is the reason why we have been actively pursuing a domestic regulatory system.
• There are effective certification systems based on using an Australian Standard. An example of this is the certified farm forestry industry.

Regulatory Vacuum

• AQIS may be withdrawing from its regulatory role in 2007. This means that it is critical to have an immediate alternative, otherwise the organic sector will have a complete regulatory vacuum.
• The Australian Standard is the only viable option that has industry and government support and can be achieved within the necessary time frame.
• There is no support from government and regulatory agencies for other options.
• The organic sector has spent the previous 14 years pursuing the other options with no success and could waste another 14 years getting nowhere if we discontinue the Standard Australia approach.
• An Australian Standard does not preclude the adoption of other viable regulatory options if they do eventuate in the future.

For more information please see our website: http://www.ofa.org.au/newsletter_menu.html

Sincerely,
Andre Leu
Chair

Large Super Markets Go Organic:
Organic food sales are growing 15% to 21% each year in the USA, according to a recent story from Associated Press. WalMart, Kroger Co., and Albertson's are among the many larger retailers who are beginning to sell their own store brand organic products. The demand is outpacing the supply. To help meet demand, Stonyfield Farms and Organic Valley are offering support to organic farmers to help them increase organic food production. Source: http://www.panna.org

Supermarkets and Farmers' Markets
In the last 5 years there has been a massive growth in the sales of organic products in Australia and around the world. A significant part of this growth has been in two areas – supermarkets and direct marketing (farmer’s markets and box schemes).

The research emerging from Europe, the USA and Japan is showing an interesting picture. Far from taking away customers from traditional marketing areas such as box schemes and farmers markets, the supermarkets are introducing whole new generation of customers to organic products and traditional organic marketing systems.

Many of these new organic supermarket customers begin taking a greater interest in the origin and freshness of their food. As a result of this they start shopping through box schemes, Consumer Subscription Agriculture (CSAs) and farmers markets. In the UK these areas are the fastest growing markets for organic foods, out stripping the major supermarkets. In Japan the CSAs and grower run food coops are the majority of organic sales. Marketing specialists have told the OFA that their estimates of the value of organic food sold through supermarkets is around $300 million compared to $4 billion for the CSAs and coops in Japan.

The other success stories are the smaller dedicated organic chains such as Wholefoods and Wild Oats in the USA. These smaller stores are dedicated to organic, fair trade and health products and are the fastest growing area of retail shops in North America and Europe. They are growing faster than the larger retail chains. Examples of these in Australia are Macro Wholefoods and Mrs Flannery's

US Hospitals Move Toward Natural & Organic
Two thousand hospitals across the U.S. are finally slamming the door on junk foods and low-grade institutional grub. Hospital cafeteria and room meals across the U.S. are notoriously tasteless and nutritionally deficient. After hearing from their doctor or nurse that it's best to stay away from trans-fats, excessive salt, and high sugar foods, a patient can then typically visit the hospital's own cafeteria and chow down on a meal of french fries, chicken nuggets, soda pop, jello and cheese pizza. But this longstanding tradition may gradually be changing. Last week, MedAssets, a leading group purchasing organization for the health care industry, struck a deal with United Natural Foods Incorporated (UNFI), the largest wholesale distributor of natural and organic foods in the country. The deal will bring natural and organic foods into more than 2,000 hospitals in the U.S. http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_1182.cfm

Organic Baby Products Booming
Internationally, growth of organic cotton clothing is starting to catch up with the $206 million-per-year organic baby food industry (in the U.S. alone). Under the Nile, an organic children's clothing and bedding company in the USA, is initiating a test program this holiday season in 150 Target stores, and Wal-Mart is offering moderately-priced organic baby clothing. A decade ago sports-wear company Patagonia switched all its cotton products to organic and shared the cost hike with customers. Portland, OR children's clothing company Hanna Anderson "absorbs most of the additional cost because when the company decided to shift toward organic cotton in 2003, it did so out of a sense of responsibility to the Earth and to its customers, not necessarily to immediately make big bucks." Source: http://www.panna.org

Organic Farming Degree from U. of Florida
Joining Colorado State and Washington State Universities, the University of Florida has announced that it, too, would offer a degree in organic farming. With organic food sales growing at the average rate of 20% per year, the new degrees reflect the need for farmers to keep up with growing demand. The Miami Herald reports that organic farming is one sector where small farmers can earn a premium on their investment. The Herald interviewed Ryan Zinn, from the Organic Consumers Organization, who said that consumer choices for buying organic from a "really a localized food system, is not a flash in the pan.'' Source: http://www.panna.org

Pregnant Women Contaminated with Pesticides
Studies of 668 samples from the placentas of pregnant women showed the "average presence of eight organochlorine contaminants" according to research at the University of Grenada in Spain. Researcher Maria Jose Lopez Espinosa is a doctoral fellow in the Department of Radiology and Physical Medicine of the University. Her study aimed to determine the prevalence of organochlorine pesticides. DDE (a breakdown product of DDT), lindane, and endosulfan where found to be the most common pesticides in the samples. All three chemicals bioaccumulate in humans and the environment and have been linked to neurological problems and other health issues, and they have shown up as well in studies in many countries, including those by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Source: http://www.panna.org

Household Pesticides in Children
With the phase-out of organophosphate pesticides for use in the home, pyrethroid pesticides are being used for more residential applications. New research documents that children's household exposure to pyrethroid pesticides is greater than their exposure from food. According to the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, "Depending on the compound and the dose, pyrethroids may affect neurological development, disrupt hormones, induce cancer, and suppress the immune system." Researchers at Emory University and U.S. Centers for Disease Control studied children during the summer of 2003 to determine the source of the pyrethroid contamination, while feeding them an organic diet. Source: http://www.panna.org

Lawsuit Forces US EPA to Phase out Pesticide
A lawsuit filed by the United Farmworkers of America against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has forced the agency to begin phasing out a highly toxic organophosphate pesticide that has contaminated food and poisoned farmworkers. The pesticide, azinphos-methyl ("AZM"), is used on a variety of food crops, including potatoes, cranberries, and peaches. AZM is a highly toxic neurotoxin derived from nerve agents used during World War II. In 2001, the EPA found that AZM posed unacceptable risks to farmworkers, but due to industry pressure, the agency kept it on the market. "This pesticide has put thousands of workers at risk of serious illness every year," said Erik Nicholson of the United Farmworkers of America. The EPA will phase out AZM over the next four years.
Source:http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_748.cfm

Australian Farmers Benefit from GM moratorium
Agriculture and Food Minister Kim Chance said Western Australia's canola growers were receiving premium prices for their crops, due to the State's commitment to the GM moratorium.

Mr Chance said Australian canola prices had now exceeded the prices for Canadian GM canola, where previously Canadian prices consistently exceeded Australian prices. "In 1998, the difference between Australian and Canadian canola prices was about AUD$70 a tonne in favour of Canada," he said. "However, by May 2006 Australian prices had exceeded Canadian prices by some AUD$50 a tonne. (Source: DAFWA, 2006)

"This is a great turnaround for Australian canola growers and a clear indication that WA's GM-free canola is highly valued in the international marketplace."

Japan Bans U.S. Rice
The previous edition of Organic Update reported on the USDA's announcement that a variety of genetically engineered (GE) rice unapproved for human consumption has contaminated the U.S. food supply. Japan has now banned imports of U.S. rice, while the EU is requiring that all rice imports from the U.S. be tested for contamination. With the U.S rice industry in turmoil, the USDA admits it has no idea how extensive the contamination is. Rice farmers say they don't feel the USDA is adequately monitoring the biotech industry. "This is real money that farmers are losing," said Arkansas Rice Growers Association Executive Director Greg Yielding, who said he has fielded dozens of calls from frantic rice farmers. "It is a big deal. We do not feel that USDA and APHIS have adequate funds or staff to do this job. They can't tell you where anything is even though they get permits for it." http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_1865.cfm

Genetically Engineered Cotton Killing Sheep and Goats
In India's Warangal district of Andhra Pradesh, government officials have ordered an investigation into the deaths of hundreds of sheep and goats that appear to have been poisoned by eating genetically engineered (GE) cotton. "They just became very dull and lifeless and died," said one shepherd, Pendala Venkatamma. Sheep and goats regularly graze on traditional cotton, but after 4-5 days of eating Monsanto's genetically engineered Bt cotton, the animals' stomachs swelled, and they died. Although Monsanto denies its cotton could have this effect, government officials have launched a scientific investigation. "We have immediately alerted the animal husbandry department to give us the details of villages where this has happened and... their findings regarding this" said Poonam Malakondaiah, Agriculture Commissioner. http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_646.cfm

Biodynamic Agriculture Australia Workshop program Sept - Nov 2006
See www.biodynamics.net.au for details or ring 02 6655 0566

Djanbung Gardens Permaculture Education SEMESTER 2 COURSES
September 11-15th
Sustainable Aid & OS Development Intensive 5-day course 9-5.30
Contact: Djanbung Gardens Permaculture Education & ERDA Institute Trust
PO Box 379 Nimbin NSW 2480 Australia www.earthwise.org.au www.permaculture.com.au
PH 02-6689 1755 Mob 0429 147 138 robyn@permaculture.com.au

THE POSITIVE FUTURE OF ORGANIC FOOD
Friday September 15^th in Perth Venue TBA
Enquiries and bookings for this event can be directed to Annie Dunn at Absolutely Organic retail outlet 92427711
Email to enquiries@ogawa.org.au

SASA & BOAB 2006 Riverland Organic Tour
Saturday 30 September - Monday 2 October
An interesting and pleasure-packed 3-day, car-free tour of the sunny Riverland.
Enquiries: Richard Williams (08) 8388 5577

International Landcare Conference
Melbourne Convention Centre, Victoria, Oct 8-11
Julia McDonnell, Registration Services, Waldron Smith Management
Tel: 03 9645 6311 Fax: 03 9645 6322 E-mail: julia@wsm.com.au
http://www.internationallandcareconference2006.com.au/default.htm

Managing the Carbon Cycle
Kingaroy, QLD 25-26^th OCT 2006
Canberra, ACT 22-23^th NOV 2006
This information packed two day ‘Managing the Carbon Cycle’ Forum will showcase emerging initiatives and innovative management practices in the rapidly changing arena of carbon accounting and trading in ‘carbon credits’ and will be of enormous benefit to policy makers, research, agency and consultancy staff, landholders, landcarers, conservation farming groups, catchment management authorities, educators, students and environmentalists.

For more info: www.amazingcarbon.com

Veg Out Farmers’ Market
1st Saturday of every month 8.30am-1pm
Chaucer Street, St Kilda (just behind Acland Street and Luna Park)

Collingwood Children’s Farm Farmers’ Market
2nd Saturday every month 8.00am–1pm
St Heliers Street, Abbotsford

Gasworks Farmers’ Market
3rd Sat every month 8.30am–1pm
Graham Street, Albert Park. (cnr Pickles St)

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