www.ofa.org.au

Organic Industry Roundtable

It has been a very busy month for us. The most significant outcome has been the Organic Industry Roundtable in Sydney where there was unanimous agreement on the need for an industry united behind a national organisation.

Over 30 representatives from major organic industry organisations and government departments participated in a roundtable meeting in Sydney on August 16th 2004 to discuss a range of organic industry matters.

The meeting was hosted by Senator Troeth, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) and the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) to develop a vision for the future of the organic industry. These government agencies articulated a need for an industry recognised, national organisation to represent the organic industry to government.

The meeting was unanimous in supporting a national organisation that can be a conduit to government and deal with numerous issues on behalf of the whole organic industry. There was a strong consensus that the membership and board structure of the Organic Federation of Australian (OFA) requires change to reflect current needs of a rapidly growing organic industry.

The participants stated that they wanted the OFA be a coalition and a forum for organic industry organisations that represent the whole value chain from the paddock to the plate. One role of the organisation is to support and assist the member organisations.

The meeting invited Andre Leu to convene a working group to consult widely and devise a new structure for the OFA. Andre openly invited members present to nominate suitable individuals for the working group and five participants were nominated and accepted by all present. This group will report to meeting representatives in mid November with a proposal.

The working group will consult widely with industry so that the process is open and transparent. The first part of the process is for the working group to write the terms of reference. All organic industry organisations will be invited and welcome to put submissions to the working group.

The members of the working group are:

Andre Leu: Organic Federation of Australia, Convenor and Chair

Hamish Mackay: Biodynamic AgriCulture Australia (BAA),

Clinton Starr: Biological Farmers of Australia ,(BFA)

George Devrell: National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia (NASAA)

Margaret Will: Organic Food Chain (OFC)

Colleen Yates: Organic Growers Association Western Australia (OGAWA),

Joe Gretschmann: Tasmanian Organic Producers (TOP)

Contact- Andre Leu Chair, 07 4098 7610; leu@austarnet.com.au

PO Box 800

Mossman Qld 4873

NASAA and the OFA will be working together to co host a stall at the Melbourne Fine Food Fair Sept. 6-9. It is the intention that this stall will be available to all of the organic industry, including all the certifiying organisations

We encourage all producers to participate as this is an excellent opportunity to showcase organic products to a large market of consumers and the food industry. It is also an excellent opportunity for us to promote organics to the wider community.

Please contact Joanne at the NASAA office, 08 8370 8355 or email: marketing.officer@nasaa.com.au If you would like more details about the event go to www.foodaustralia.com.au

The bid for the organic CRC was completed and submitted on Friday Aug 13th.

This bid was an enormous amount of work for the organising committee. I would particularly like to thank Helen Scott- Orr, Leanne Fitzpatrick, Robert Jordan and all the many others who have put in many hundreds of hours of work into this project.

Organic CRC will make a significant contribution to the organic industry so lets hope it gets the green light.

In this issue we profile Australia’s two largest certifier organisations, NASAA and BFA/ACO.

Formed in 1986, The National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia (NASAA) is Australia’s leading national, and internationally oriented, organic certifier. With operations both in Australia and Overseas, the company (based in the Adelaide Hills) provides certification and inspection services, which assist in facilitating market access throughout the world for NASAA certified organic product.

Through it’s role as a certifier, NASAA is committed to developing and maintaining organic standards; assisting operators in gaining organic certification; and conducting ongoing compliance supervision and inspection of certified operations. The scope of NASAA’s certification service covers the entire organic supply chain – from input manufacturers to producers, processors to wholesale and retail (ORGAA) operations - ensuring organic integrity ‘from paddock to plate’.

In addition to its national accreditation from AQIS - and in demonstrating a commitment to furthering the development of organic certification at an international level - NASAA was the first Australian certification body to achieve accreditation through IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements), and was recently the first to receive ISO65 (International Standards Organisation) status under the newly developed IFOAM/IOAS program. NASAA is also accredited under the Japan and US national programs JAS (Japanese Agricultural Standard) and USNOP (United States National Organic Program).

In Australia, NASAA certification covers some 7 million hectares and close to 900 licensed operators. In addition to certifying domestic operations, NASAA currently certifies production and processing operations in Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Japan and Sri Lanka.

Inspections are subcontracted to some thirty professional, independent and NASAA trained ‘organic inspectors’ spread across Australia and South East Asia.

NASAA was developed, and has grown, upon a philosophy of integrity, transparency and fair representation.

A committed Board comprises a team of five directors from across Australia, and across all facets of the organic supply chain. All are NASAA certified operators with input manufacturing, processor, farmer and retail experience. Several bring years of corporate and agribusiness expertise to the Board, with a national and international focus. Most have served in some capacity on various organic industry body committees, including the OFA. The current Deputy Chair, Rod May, serves as the Chair of the IFOAM Standards Committee.

NASAA Membership funds enable the organisation to grow in its capacity to represent the interests of the organic industry, both at home and abroad.

Beyond simply managing a certification service of excellence, NASAA is involved in providing industry advice and information; supporting much needed R&D projects including RIRDC programs and the proposed Organic CRC; representing industry through developing trade networks; and participating in various trade events – both national and international.

NASAA would encourage readers to consider taking out Membership to keep in touch with the latest news from NASAA, and the organic industry. NB it is not necessary to be a licensed operator to become a NASAA Member, and vice versa.

Contact NASAA

PO Box 768

Stirling SA 5152.

Tel: 08 8370 8455

Fax: 08 8370 8381

Email: nasaa@dove.mtx.net.au

The Biological Farmers of Australia Co-operative Ltd has been serving the organic community in Australia since the 1980s and is today the largest organic grouping of interests in organic and biological approaches to agriculture and food production in Australasia.

Initially formed to progress the interests of farmers and processors who wished to promote and protect the message of organics, including the setting of organic standards, the BFA moved on to develop its certification program to independently verify that farmers and processors were producing in accord with those standards.

The BFA has both biodynamic and organic farmers and hence the name biological farmers was defined to promote a simple message that such farmers were using natural methods, not synthetic or unnatural methods to produce their foods for consumers.

The BFA was registered as a co-operative in 1988, following some key community and industry meetings across the country, and has moved office headquarters a number of times over the past 15 years, having been based in Toowoomba for some 7 years to 2003.

The head office of the BFA moved to Brisbane in January 2004, reflecting the maturing nature of the organic industry and the increasing demands on this growing organization to meet the needs of members and clients. The BFA has a regional office in South Australia – the Barossa – which assists in BFA’s task of operating a national, indeed international, program.

The Barossa office was maintained when the BFA integrated with what was then the Organic Vignerons Association of Australia, bringing on board Australia ’s leading organic vignerons across Australia in 2001.

The BUD logo was initially designed by Rosemary Dunn of South Australia, one of BFA’s early and still loyal members, while sitting around the Dunn’s kitchen table.

The bud is a registered mark with IP Australia and is the oldest Australian organic certification mark in the country still currently in use. Many other symbols and organic signs have come and gone through the last two decades of the organic industry’s development in Australia. There are others, like in other countries of the world where organic products are traded, but none as recognized as the bud logo.

As the industry and the market is now maturing and growing with an ever widening group of consumers, the bud is simplifying organic consumer’s choices by being easy to recognize, now on the majority of organic products bearing an organic certification mark in Australia, and bearing the simple words "Australian Certified Organic" - what consumers are demanding.

Australian Certified Organic Pty Ltd (ACO) is BFA’s independent subsidiary which looks after certification of organic foods and fibres and was set up in 2001 to distinctly separate the task of certifying and regulating organic products from that of promotion of the industry and representing the industry’s interests to government.

The early 1990s saw involvement from the federal Australian government following industry request to establish a national organic standard for production and marketing for export. This was formalized in 1991 and remains today as a bedrock regulation upon which the BFA bases its popular Organic Standard. The BFA maintains regulation conformance with all leading organic standards across the world, arguably making the Organic Standard (now in its 6th edition) one of the most respected and rigorous standards in the world for organic production.

Such conformance includes the international organic organization IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements), the USDA’s National Organic Program, the Japanese Organic Standard, the EU’s Organic regulations, etc.

The BFA maintains the Organic Standard which its subsidiary ACO then administers – separating the powers of the "legislative" from the "executive". BFA, and now ACO, maintains accreditation (approval and authorization to act as a certifier) with AQIS – the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service, IFOAM via IOAS, USDA, and indirectly via AQIS with all other major government and private regulators across the world.

ACO certifies over half of all certified operators in Australia for organic production. BFA is the largest member based representative group for the organic industry, promoting trade, development and organic standards. The BFA as a consequence is the "largest organic democracy" in Australia , and indeed in the region, with the Board of 5 being voted on by members and members having key input into the direction and content of BFA strategies, standards and activities in the industry.

Member involvement in the co-op has always been a key attribute of the BFA.

Being resolutely focused on the needs and interests of members of the co-op and being financially accountable and practically focused, the BFA has grown to the extraordinary size and nature that it is today. It continues to build on these strengths and to service member needs and the interests of the organic community in Australia and abroad.

Contact BFA/ACO

PO Box 530 Level 1, 766 Gympie Rd (Brisbane)

CHERMSIDE QLD 4032

Ph: 07 3350 5716 (International +61 7 3350 5716)

Fax: 07 3350 5996 (International +61 7 3350 5996)

Email: info@bfa.com.au Web: www.bfa.com.au

Shaping Sustainable Systems at the 15^th IFOAM Organic World Congress

NASAA (National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia) will continue its leadership role within the international Organic community through the hosting of the 15^th IFOAM Organic World Congress to be held in Adelaide, South Australia, in September 2005.

With the theme of ‘Shaping Sustainable Systems’, the Conference will shape, through debate and discussion, the important role that organic systems play in ensuring long term sustainability. Through a series of plenary sessions, lectures, and workshops, the issue of ‘sustainability’, which is at the heart of organic agriculture, will be revisited, rethought and recaptured; and with consideration to broader social and policy issues of community, gender and social justice. In placing the spotlight on the host nation, there will also be a particular focus on the unique Australian organic systems of permaculture, and rangeland systems management.

In what is shaping up to be a substantial program, the Congress will include the International Scientific Conference on Organic Agriculture (in co-operation with ISOFAR) and the 8^th International IFOAM Organic Viticulture and Wine conference. Accompanying events will include pre and post Congress tours, The Organic Exhibition, and International Organic Fair and Festival (open to the general public).

"The 15^th IFOAM Organic World Congress will showcase the depth and breadth of organic agriculture worldwide. It will provide a greater focus for the Australian Organic Industry, and will highlight the potential, and growth opportunities, the industry has to become a major supplier to the international community" says Jan Denham, Congress Coordinator.

"In hosting this major international event, the Australian organic industry has the unique opportunity to demonstrate to our politicians, regulators and the conventional agriculture sector, the practices, benefits, and opportunities organic systems can provide in substantiating Australia's "clean green" image", she says.

"It is our opportunity to demonstrate the leading role organic systems can play in addressing and supporting sustainable solutions in agriculture."

Get active and get involved!

The Congress organisers are now inviting submissions from individuals/groups worldwide, to take an active role in the shaping of the Congress program.

Topics to be covered at the Congress include crop production, food processing, animal husbandry, farming systems, water, regulatory systems, market development, education, community and eco-tourism. Topics to be covered as part of the Scientific Conference relate to research in plant and animal production, processing, food quality and health; quality systems in research, and methodologies; socio-economic trends and more!

Whatever your level of involvement in industry - whether you are a researcher, farmer, processor, trader, certifier, policy maker, adviser or simply a consumer of organics, now is your opportunity to make a formal submission to undertake a presentation or workshop program at the Congress.

For further information about the Congress, and Guidelines to make a formal submission, visit the IFOAM Congress website at www.nasaa.com.au/ifoam. Submissions close 15^th December.

NASAA is proud to continue its long history of support for, and involvement with, IFOAM in hosting the Congress in 2005.

2005 Organic World Congress Coordinator

General: +61 8 8339 7800

Direct: +61 3 5027 9249

Email: ifoam2005@nasaa.com.au

IFOAM (International Federation of Agricultural Movements Australia) represents the worldwide movement of organic agriculture and has input into parliamentary, administrative and policy forums. It coordinates the global network of organic movements around the world.

With 748 members in 99 countries around the world, IFOAM provides a platform for global exchange and cooperation through its

• international and regional conferences
• publications
• work in developing international Basic Standards of Organic Production
• IFOAM Accreditation Program

IFOAM works to make an international guarantee of organic quality a reality and to ensure equivalence of certification programs worldwide.

For more information visit IFOAM’s website at www.ifoam.org

Organic producers all over the world have been developing methods for guaranteeing the organic status of their product to consumers, processors, traders and increasingly also to governmental agencies in charge of food quality. It has also been important for producers to differentiate organic products from non-organic producers making "organic" or organic-like claims.

The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) has been developing an organic guarantee system with a democratic process of consultations with the people involved in organics since the 70s, which has resulted in a sophisticated and effective structure. This Organic Guarantee System, consisting of IFOAM Basic Standards, Criteria for Accreditation, the IFOAM Accreditation Programme and the IFOAM Seal, has demonstrated its efficiency over the years, especially in the mass-markets of developed countries and in the ever-growing international organic trade.

Many of the existing certification bodies began as farmers associations or similar organizations. Due to professional development and external pressures, they have developed concepts to conform with other certification schemes, which has resulted in the IFOAM Guarantee System being based on a similar approach to quality assurance as the ISO norms (such as ISO 65 Guide)

In the local sphere, groups of farmers in different countries have meanwhile developed less formal methods for guaranteeing the ecological status of their production, especially in the countries of the South looking for systems more adapted to their realities. Informal systems also exist in the North, where the interest is growing. The reasons for these "alternative" methods of certification vary, but are often a result of high certification costs, disagreement with the paradigm for ensuring credibility, or a political ambition to strengthen the farmers. In such cases ISO 65 type certification is seen as unnecessary.

Following the worldwide agreement on what the word "organic" means, most of them use the General Principles or the Standards that were developed over the years by the organic movement. But the application of those principles in the overseeing of production, processing and trade varies widely. Some have written standards, some rely on affidavits or producer’s statements, some have seals from farmers or consumers organizations, and some guarantee through the name of a company or shop, etc.

These systems often address not only the quality assurance of the product, but are linked to alternative marketing approaches. All over the world, box schemes, home deliveries, community supported agriculture groups (CSA’s or Teikei’s), farmers markets, popular fairs and other direct and indirect sales arrangements help to educate consumers about products grown or processed with ecological methods, which build trust and confidence in organic agriculture.

It is in this context that IFOAM and MAELA (Latin American Agroecology Movement) promoted the International Workshop on Alternative Certification, hosted by the NGO Centro Ecologico, in the North of Porto Alegre, State of Rio Grande do Sul, in April 13 to 17, 2004.

More than 20 countries were represented in the Workshop. Organized in discussion groups, the participants discussed the common points in their diverse systems to guarantee the credibility of the organic product, and the challenges to provide legitimacy to these methods.

In the participants’ view, there is a need to look for alternatives adapted to the different economic, social and cultural realities of small farmers all over the world.

Experiences like Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in USA, the Ecovida Agroecology Network in the South of Brazil and the Organic Farm in New Zealand, among others, demonstrate the importance of the involvement of farmers and consumers in the generation of credibility for the organic product. It was a common perception of the participants of the Workshop that these mechanisms of certification, that involve the participation of the key parties interested in the production and consumption of organic products, can be very efficient in guaranteeing the organic quality of the products. The participants also agreed that for the local markets, which are high priority for organic producers, the alternative certification systems are very adequate. One of the conclusions of the Workshop was the need to search ways to legitimize and get recognition of these strategies of certification on markets that go beyond the local sphere.

The recent Brazilian Organic Legislation, that doesn’t require certification for trading processes that are based on a direct relationship between producers and consumers and that recognize Participatory Certification as a valid methodology on the certification process, was seen as an interesting example, and various participants from several countries pledged to lobby their governments so their countries legislations include similar contents.

Lastly, the participants stressed their decision to work together, not only in the quest for legitimacy of these alternative methods in other spheres, but also to prevent the growing "conventionalization" of organic agriculture, where so called "markets needs" have separated the organic movement from its initial platform.

IFOAM and MAELA, and the rest of the participating organizations, pledged to promote this issue within their structures. A Working Group with representatives from various continents was elected to take responsibility in assuring the continuity of the discussions and actions generated during the Workshop.

Torres and Dom Pedro de Alcântara, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, April 2004.

The benefits of organic farming methods for biodiversity are obvious for an organic farmer. The use of natural fertilisers and pesticides, "soft" mechanisation, crop rotation, care of animals benefit rural landscape, flora and fauna, soil, air and water. It must be also communicated to the society and especially to the politicians. This is our common job - organic agriculture movement and environmentalists. Following the relevant resolution of the Second World Conservation Congress the Memorandum of Understanding on Biodiversity and Landscape issues in Organic Agriculture concerning was signed between IUCN and IFOAM on 4 July 2003. The resolution and MoU have led to an agreement between the two organizations to jointly establish a working group to study the contribution of organic agriculture to the conservation of biodiversity. The conference "Role of Organic Agriculture for Biodiversity - its contribution today and its potential tomorrow" is jointly organized by UNEP, IFOAM in cooperation with the German Federal Agency for Nature Protection (BfN) on 24th to 26th September in Nairobi (Kenya). The conference will focus on the relationship between biodiversity, nature protection and organic agriculture, including the impact of genetic engineering on biodiversity as well as on organic agriculture.

For more information please visit the new web site: http://www.iucn-ce.org.pl/organic-biodiversity/en/

Ms. Dorota Metera

IUCN Office for Central Europe

Wloska 4 m 2

00-777 Warszawa

Poland

Tel.:+48 22 8415862

Tel.:+48 22 8410757

Fax.+48 22 8518482

E-mail: dorota.metera@iucn.org

www.iucn-ce.org.pl

The 3rd World Conservation Congress

The 3rd World Conservation Congress in Bangkok, Thailand on 17-25 November

More information at http://www.iucn.org/congress/index.cfm.

Melbourne Sept 6-9