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Organic Federation of Australia Organic Update June 04 |
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The OFA is currently looking at the changes needed to our structure so that the majority of the Australian Organic Industry will support us as the national peak body. We have been consulting with various organic industry and government organisations to establish what type of changes will be necessary to achieve this. At this stage we have been encouraged by the feedback and support that we are receiving from most sectors.
I will write about this in more detail in the July Organic Update.
Best Regards
Andre Leu
Chair
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Colleen Yates, the President of the Organic Growers Association Western Australia (OGAWA), has joined the OFA board. She replaces Annie Dunn who was the previous President of OGAWA.
Colleen has been involved in setting up of the Organic Growers Association WA, as the state peak body for the industry.
Colleen writes:
The Green Skills Organic Industry Development Project acted as a catalyst to bring together what had once been considered a fragmented industry within Western Australia through establishment and further progression of the State’s peak body for the organic industry, the Organic Growers Association WA
Strategic networks and alliances between producers, processors and retailers to took shape and communications focusing on specific industry needs created innovative strategies to better supply both local and domestic markets.
The database established under the Green Skills project allowed the development of the "WA Organic Food and Farm Guide", a publication geared towards informing consumers and others interested in locating organic food farms, operations and sale outlets. The guide covered the primary regions of the project and was featured in Gardening Australia’s ‘The Organic Gardener’ publication.
The OGAWA worked on behalf of the industry over the past year addressing important issues relevant to organic production such as the banning of commercial GM crops within Australia and lobbying for changes to the Egg Marketing Board during its transitory period of the deregulation process that are of benefit to the states organic egg producers.
The monthly organic industry email update has become a cornerstone to the exchange of information within the industry.
Initiatives to develop relationships between retailers and producers have been a key feature of the business development aspect of the project, resulting in a number of contacts being initiated.
The direct involvement of a number of production, consumer/community sector, and government representatives on the projects’ steering committee has greatly assisted in drawing together a great deal of relevant information, and focus outcomes as seen of most benefit.
Related to this has been the increased participation of retailers in direct relationships with producers, resulting on reduced time and price of product for producer to outlet, greater influence on timing and quality aspects, and better ability to control annual availability by co-ordinating with a range of producers.
The OGAWA has developed strong working relationships with UWA and other industry groups significant to organic production and has successfully facilitated the hosting of the annual Organic Symposium both in late 2003 and recently in May 2004, workshops in the Avon catchment on introductory organic certification courses and organic wine production, and assisting with promotion of both NASAAWA and the Biodynamic Gardeners Association in delivering compelling industry information training and assessing future needs of producers.
For further information, contact the OGAWA at (08)9453-1783 or email enquiries@ogawa.org.au
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All the reports, accounts and other bookwork for the second National Conference held in Adelaide last year have been finalised. This has been an enormous job for many people. On behalf of the board, I would particularly like to thank Sid Cowling, Jan Denham, Gerhard Grasser, Cat Mills and Peter Cornish for finalising the conference report and budgets.
I would also like to thank the many others who have contributed such as Rod Dyke, Jenny Patterson and Bill Hankin.
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The US government has withdrawn its proposed changes to the National Organic Program (NOP). A large consumer outcry against the changes, due to a well run campaign organised by various organic industry organisations, particularly by Ronnie Cummins from the Organic Consumers Association, has led to a backdown by USDA on May 26.
However on June 10 the USDA partially reversed this by telling the National Organic Standards Board that NOP will not monitor or police organic label claims on non-food or non-agricultural products. According to Ronnie Cummins of the OCA this includes body care products, vitamins, nutritional supplements, fertilizers, and even seafood ‘giving the green light to unscrupulous companies to call their products "organic" even if they are not.’
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The board of the Organic Federation of Australia has decided to support the CRC for Organic Food and Farming Systems (OCRC) with a minimum contribution of $2000 per year, for the life of the OCRC, as untied funds.
As the national peak body for organic agriculture, we can also contribute access to the whole of the organic industry through our membership base. Organic agriculture is a multi commodity industry, in theory covering every single commodity produced in Australia and every part of the part of the production chain from the paddock to the plate.
The OFA is in the unique position as it is the only organization that is composed of representatives from all industry sectors throughout Australia. As a result we can offer a comprehensive perspective of the organic industry including the interests of the smaller growers and producers.
The OCRC has the potential to ensure better yields, consistent production, better post harvest systems, increased market expansion and market supply. This will see more profitable farms and the rural and regional communities that depend on farming.
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By Rod May
Those operators within Australia who are subject to standards based in part upon the IFOAM basic standards should know that the revision of certain sections of those standards has seen the completion of the consultative stage.
These sections include aquaculture, forestry, textiles, sanitizing and cleaning agents, criteria for inputs into processing and portions of organic breeding.
The outcomes of these areas have seen some shifts in ground, notably the focus of forestry onto the farm forest operation and the "Non Timber Forest Products"
Aquaculture has seen the tightening up of the feed allowances from non organic sources in ways that will favour those species and operations that are more dependent on vegetative feeds and the clear exclusion of wild fish from the deep blue sea.
Textiles remains a complex area and moves to include a category that makes provision for the use of organic fibre in garments that may not be processed according to the standards has not yet been completed. It has been argued that without incentives to label such products with some genuine reference to organic, there will be a continuing slump in organic textile use.
Criteria have been reworded and made less ambiguous and the temptation to provide a closed list of sanitizers and cleaners has been avoided, even though at present this development is not for food contact materials.
Despite the end of the consultation on these areas, there are ongoing revisions of other sections of the standards and areas where international harmonization has been awkward are the focus of the next revision of conversion, animal husbandry, contamination and inputs. Biodiversity is currently enjoying a revision by a subcommittee that will be delivering its recommendations to the Standards committee late this year.
The OFA is a member of IFOAM and as such can still have input into the standards drafts that are under consideration. This is achieved through the putting of relevant motions with support from other members for the whole membership to vote on. If any OFA subscribers are interested in the details of the above developments, they may visit the IFOAM website www.ifoam.org and look for the latest standards developments and timelines for input to this and future revisions.
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By Colleen Yates
The Organic Growers Association WA in conjunction with The University of Western Australia presented the 5th annual Organic Symposium on May 8, 2004 at the University of Western Australia in Perth. The topic for the day was "The Changing Landscape Of Organics In WA".
Dr Paul Kristansen from the University of New England in NSW opened the day’s presentations with research findings on weed management in organic herb and vegetable production under his national organic weed management survey looking at attitudes, practices and principles and experimental work with both pre-crop and in-crop hand weeding, tillage, mulch, fallows and cover crops. Results from his survey found that weeds are a major concern but it gets easier over time. He also found that there was a shift from physical to cultural methods and an increased need for a diverse, integrated, whole-farm approach.
Nick Power, general manager from Organic Harvest, WA’s first fresh commercial biodynamic cow milk, discussed strategies to overcome some of the hurdles he and Wes Giblett, the biodynamic dairy farmer he works with, faced in production and marketing.
Two of the talks that inspired the most discussion were presentations given by retailers around the Perth area. Annie Dunn covered some of the problems and confusion over labelling she faced with her outlet, Absolutely Organics, a food store that carries 95% certifed organic products. Vince Belladonna presented an inspiring look at the changes his independent mid-size supermarket made as they became a certifed organic retailer. Initial findings over 3 months of catering to an ever increasing demand for organic products showed a +300% in retail sales.
Professor Lyn Abbott from the University of Western Australia gave an overview of progress made on the development of the bid for the Cooperative Research Centre on Organic Agriculture. She encouraged the importance that industry plays in the outcome for success in the bid and urged WA organic producers to contribute funding towards the project. The OGAWA offered to act as a collection point for financial support in smaller amounts.
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15th IFOAM Organic World Congress |
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Congress includes
Hosted by:
The National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia (NASAA)
The Congress
IFOAM (the International Federation of Agriculture Movements) represents organic agriculture worldwide. It holds an international organic congress every three years. The congress brings together the entire organic community, from farmers to policy makers, from processors to regulators, from researchers to retailers and consumers. The program addresses issues from scientific, practical and social perspectives.
The 2005 Congress will for the first time include three concurrent conferences, providing both presenters and participants with an unparalleled variety of choices, whether it be issues, approaches or presentation methods. The three conferences are:
IFOAM World Conference: Shaping Sustainable Systems
International Scientific Conference on Organic Agriculture: Researching Sustainable Systems (in co-operation with ISOFAR: the International Society of Organic Research)
8th International IFOAM Conference on Organic Viticulture
Congress theme: Shaping Sustainable Systems
Sustainability is at the heart of organic agriculture and this congress theme has been chosen to revisit, rethink and recapture sustainability. The Congress will highlight the leading role that organic systems play in ensuring long term sustainability. It will
provide benchmarks for those in both organic and conventional sectors aiming at best practice. It will also explore ways in which the principles of organic agriculture can be applied beyond the farm gate to achieve sustainability on a broader front.
Consideration of broader social and policy questions will address how sustainability is equally important and applicable when addressing issues of community, gender
and social justice. Topics covered by the Shaping Sustainable Systems conference:
• Crop production (eg soil fertility, nutrition, pest and disease management)
• Food processing (eg manufacturing, handling, storage and transport)
• Animal husbandry (eg breeding, husbandry, health and welfare)
• Farming systems (eg permaculture, biodynamics, rangeland, aquaculture, tropical)
• Water (eg conservation, salinity, quality, recycling)
• Regulatory systems (eg labelling, standards, certification, fair trade)
• Market development (eg research marketing systems, strategies)
• Education (eg training, extension)
• Interaction (eg communication, support systems)
• Community (eg rural initiatives, socio-economic factors)
• Organic systems and environmental management
• Organic eco-tourism
Topics covered by the Researching Sustainable Systems conference:
• Plant production research (soil fertility, nutrition, pest/disease management)
• Animal production research (breeding, husbandry, health and welfare)
• Processing research
• Socio-economic research (economics, marketing, sociology, policy)
• Research methodologies (participative research, systems studies)
• Quality systems for research (peer review, alternatives)
• Emerging issues
Topics covered by the Wine Conference relate to science, practice, regulation and marketing.
Call for submissions
Submissions to the 15th IFOAM Organic World Congress are invited from all sectors: >
• Oral presentations (15 minutes)
• Interactive workshops (5 minutes)
• Poster presentations
• Innovative/alternative presentations
Send to:
IFOAM 2005, c/o NASAA, PO Box 768, Stirling SA 5152, Australia
Australia to host the First International Biodynamic Wine Forum
Email ifoam2005@nasaa.com.au
Phone/Fax +61 8 8339 7800
Closing date for submission of proposals: 15 December 2004
Australia is leading the way forward in Biodynamic wine education with the development and hosting of a unique 3 day forum later this year.
The First International Biodynamic Wine Forum will be held from the 19-21 November 2004, at La Trobe University in Beechworth, Victoria, bringing together leading vignerons from Europe, Australia and the USA.
Keynote international speaker will be Nicolas Joly of Coulée de Serrant, one of France’s foremost wine producers, the leading world educator in Biodynamic viticulture and author of "Wine from Earth to Sky" the only serious English language guide to Biodynamics.
Nicolas Joly, offers those that seek excellence both in their farming and appellation a radically different approach to the destructive chemical dependent practice of modern agricultural. His own experience of chemical agriculture in the late 70’s saw his soil go from a vibrant living organism to one that was soon devoid of life. In his Biodynamic philosophy Joly emphasises working with a living soil to bring about unique appellations.
The forum follows on from a prestigious tasting of 200 Biodynamic wines (from 12 countries) that was held in France in 2003 as part of "Vin Expo" and in New York in June 2004. One of the exhibitors in France and New York, Australian Biodynamic producer, Julian Castagna, saw the opportunity to expand the tasting concept into a truly educational event with the world’s leading Biodynamic vignerons.
The forum is unique in that it commits to the capacity building of the wine industry providing both Australian and International vignerons the opportunity to share first hand experience of Biodynamics as a practical, economic and environmentally sound method of achieving world class excellence in wine.
Confirmed forum leaders include Ron Laughton of Jasper Hill, Julian and Carolann Castagna of Castagna wines, Vanya Cullen of Cullen Wines and James Millton of Millton Wines, New Zealand. Additional Australian and international wine industry leaders from Europe and the USA are also expected to participate in this unique exchange of skills. Indepth experience will also be shared by Australian Biodynamic elders John Priestley and Hugh Lovel.
A highlight of the forum will be the tasting some of the world’s best Biodynamic wines, allowing participants a rare chance to see first hand the heights of excellence that are possible with Biodynamics. The tasting will be followed by a grand dinner with one of Australia’s, premier Chefs who will create a menu to match these exquisite wines using great quality Biodynamic and organic produce from regional Australia.
The forum is expected to attract practicing viticulturalists and winemakers from Australia, New Zealand, Europe and the USA, international and domestic food and wine writers, and the rural and organic industry. Skills gained by participants will help lay the foundations for Australia to produce the next generation of "extra premium" Biodynamic wines for a demanding world market. Testimony to demand is Tokyo having requested a major Tasting for 2005.
Places are strictly limited, with only 150 places available. For further information on the forum contact
Biodynamic AgriCulture Australia the host of the First International Wine Forum now has over 1,100 members and subscribers with approximately 400 additional members of smaller regional groups.
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This conference has been organised to give the whole of the Australian Lychee, Longan and Rambutan Industries the information and skills needed to prosper in the current economic environment.
The sessions and speakers have been selected to explain the various techniques being used to get the best results in orchard management with emphasis on pest control, irrigation, nutrition, new growing systems and the latest in packing and grading systems.
There will be a session dedicated to ecological/organic farming.
A special session had been dedicated to a variety of successful strategies used by growers to stop bats and birds from destroying crops. Another dedicated session will be looking at various marketing systems that growers have found return the best prices.
The conference is also very fortunate in having several expert overseas keynote speakers who will share their knowledge on Lychees, Longans and Rambutans.
Bookings Greg Vickers :Phone: 02 6285 3000 Fax: 02 6285 3001
Slow Food Conference Meeting of Farmers and Food-Makers Turin, October 20-23, 2004
Email: alga@con-sol.com Website: www.australianlychee.com
Concurrently with the Salone del Gusto 2004 (21-25 October 2004), Slow Food will be organizing a meeting between producers and others involved in the agrifood sector throughout the world. The meeting aims to explore a new and different way of considering food production – an approach which is attentive to environmental resources, global balance and product quality.
It is expected that about 5000 people will attend from a large number of countries around the globe. The main focus of the meeting will be on communities of food producers. This new concept, "communities of food producers", refers to an extended chain, from small farmers to traders, and is the event’s central theme.
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International Conference on New Directions in Agroecology: Productivity and Sustainability. To be held at the Mildura Campus of La Trobe University, Benetook Ave, Mildura, Victoria.
Website:www.latrobe.edu.au/mildura/science_conference.htm#4
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The conference theme for the 2004 Queensland Landcare Conference is 'Get your hands dirty', encouraging hands-on participation in natural resource management issues.
Fine Food Fair Melbourne 6 - 9 September
The Queensland Department of State Development and Innovation are organising the Queensland Food - the Smart Choice exhibition display at this year's fair.
Contact Karen Manktelow Tel: 3405 6545
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The 2004 QRWN Conference will be held in Warwick. The theme for the conference is "Heritage and Heroes". Contact Andrea Middleton Tel: 4661 5650
E-mail qrwn.conf2004@bigpond.com Website: www.qrwn.org.au.
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To be held in association with ACOTANC-2004
University of Queensland Gatton Campus, 85 km west of Brisbane, 45 km east of Toowoomba. Website: www.newcrops.uq.edu.au/nc2004/index.html