February 12, 2025
Leader of The Nationals David Littleproud has called for organic products to actually be organic, after a Senate committee handed down its report into the National Organic Standard Bill 2024.
Mr Littleproud said industry was backing the Coalition’s common-sense legislation.
“There is a clear and unified recognition across the organics industry, that Australia’s regulatory framework is not fit for purpose,” Mr Littleproud said.“
The industry doesn’t need another review or inquiry. It defies logic that organic products currently aren’t required to be certified or comply with any particular organic standard, but can still call themselves organic. The organics industry, as well as consumers, needs and deserves action.
”Mr Littleproud pointed out the Committee’s report fails to adequately acknowledge the current industry support and need for a domestic regulation.
“The need for domestic regulation has already been identified and recommended by the Standing Committee on Agriculture’s inquiry. The Coalition remains committed to a domestic organic regulatory framework in Australia.
“Products in Australia can currently 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. Australia is also the last nation in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to not have a regulatory framework for the use of the word ‘organic’.”
Mr Littleproud added the former Coalition government had started a pathway to setting an Australian standard for the organics industry, worth over $2 billion annually, by setting up an industry-led advisory group, which laid down the pathway to complete reforms in 2020.
“The industry does not need another Department scoping exercise. The benefit of domestic regulation for import and export markets and to improve consumer confidence in Australian organic produce has been clearly articulated by many submitters of the inquiry."
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