National Organic Regulation - Summary of Submissions
Back in May the Agriculture and Food Safety Minister Damien O'Connor put forward a proposal for a national organic standard to be consulted on from Monday 14th May 2018 through to Monday 11th June 2018.
MPI have issued an update regarding the total of 208 submissions received from; businesses, consumers, industry and consumer representatives, organic certification agencies, interest groups, consultants, scientists and other entities.
We have bullet pointed a few key take-outs below, but we urge you to take some time to read the full report which can be found on the MPI website. You will also find public comment from Damien O'Connor on the Beehive website.
- 177 submisions (85%) supported a change in the way organics are currently regulated. Consumer confidence and supporting trade were key outcomes of a new regime.
- 158 submissions (76%) supported the introduction of a mandatory standard for all. Again, consumer confidence were the key driver, alongside 'levelling the playing field'.
- 100 submissions (48%) supported ongoing verification with limited exceptions. It was acknowledged that there was a need to design a regime that would not impose high compliance costs on small businesses.
BioGro acknowledges this as a positive outcome. The next step is for Government to consider whether and how it would like to proceed with work on new organic regulation. Should the Government decide to proceed, there will be further consultation on; legislation that will be required to support a standard and content of the standard itself. We will be sure to keep you updated as we know more through this process.
Kind Regards,
The BioGro Team
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