Grow Like The Future Depends On It
2025 Election Priorities for Organics in Australia
Australia’s organic industry is at a critical juncture.
We are home to the largest share of the world’s certified organic land (more than half of the global total) with the sector generating around $2.6 billion annually in revenue for the Australian economy.
However, despite this growth potential and the many environmental and social benefits of organic production, our sector receives no direct government support to drive industry expansion.
Current policy settings have not kept pace with industry development. While markets such as the United States and European Union reap the benefits of specific government initiatives that promote organics, Australia’s operators have had to go without.
This shortfall prevents us from capturing a greater share of the global organic opportunity and places us at risk of falling behind international competitors.
Growing and protecting Australian organics
In an effort to address these missed opportunities, the Organic Development Group has compiled a list of focus areas that each political party must address to grow and protect Australia’s organic industry, if it were to form government after winning the 2025 election.
These four requests are based upon consultation with Australia’s organic operators. Meaningful action on these fronts will help to accelerate industry development, break down regulatory barriers and build consumer confidence in Australian organics.
2025 Election Priorities for Organics
1 Pass domestic regulation within 12 months
Domestic regulation has repeatedly been identified as a key requirement by organic industry groups, certifiers and operators.
Certified organic operators have highlighted that without domestic regulation, access to key international markets remains limited, as Australia lacks equivalency agreements that would allow seamless exports. Additionally, the absence of regulation undermines consumer trust, as uncertified products can make misleading organic claims without enforcement mechanisms.
The organic industry wants to see domestic regulation introduced within 12 months of the 2025 federal election. The ODG acknowledges that the National Organic Standard Bill inquiry report calls for a scoping exercise, and expresses that any such exercise must include engagement with the organic industry to determine the best terms of reference.
2 Accelerate market access
Certified organic operators looking to expand into new markets face considerable challenges, including limited information on potential markets and a lack of organic-specific expertise from agricultural counsellors. There is also an absence of targeted grant programs for organic exporters and inadequate funding to support international trade engagement.
In addition, there is a clear need to expedite equivalency arrangement negotiations with key trading partners such as the United States and Korea.
The Trading North report (November 2024) provided four key recommendations to improve organic market access, particularly in Southeast Asia, where demand for certified organic products is rising:
- Improve the accessibility and detail of information provided on the Manual of Importing Country Requirements (MICOR) and Austrade websites, with a specific focus on catering to the requirements (treatments, regulatory) for prospective organic exporters.
- Appoint a dedicated point of contact officer for Asian markets, with a background in the organic industry and a thorough understanding of the requirements for organic export. This individual would be a valuable resource for organic operators seeking market access in Asia.
- Allocate ongoing funding to improve resources available for the organic industry. This funding would help strengthen trade relationships and organic certification pathways in Southeast Asia.
- Implement organic-specific grant programs to support organic businesses seeking to expand into new markets.
The ODG calls on the next government to implement these recommendations, ensuring stronger trade support for Australia’s organic sectors.
3 Help us quantify the impact of organics
The next government has a key opportunity to improve data collection and reporting for the organic industry, ensuring accurate tracking of its growth, sustainability contributions, and economic impact. Priority areas for improvement include sustainability reporting, trade competitiveness, market performance of organic products, carbon sequestration and more.
These improvements will equip policymakers, industry leaders, and researchers with the data needed to advocate for better funding, policy development, and investment in the organic sector. Therefore, the industry calls for targeted commitments in the following areas:
- Ongoing production of the Australian Organic Market Report to provide up-to-date insights on industry trends, economic value, and sustainability impacts.
- Development and implementation of an API-based data transfer system for certification bodies, ensuring streamlined and consistent organic industry data collection.
- Industry benchmarking and regulatory reporting tailored to the organic sector, improving trade competitiveness and sustainability tracking.
The ODG urges the government to implement these measures to ensure the organic industry remains globally competitive.
4 Safeguard organics through traceability and biosecurity measures
Traceability and biosecurity measurements are critical to maintaining the integrity of organic certification and ensuring its long-term viability. Without robust protections, Australia’s organic sector risks compromised certification, weakened consumer trust, and lost market opportunities.
To protect the integrity of Australia’s organic sector, the ODG calls on all parties and politicians to commit to the following:
- Implement a national GM supply chain testing program – Establish proactive testing measures to detect potential GM contamination and verify compliance with organic standards.
- Fund dedicated staff to monitor and communicate GM developments – Strengthen regulatory oversight by ensuring both industry and policymakers have access to up-to-date information on emerging genetic technologies and contamination risks.
- Support organic seed production programs – Invest in domestic seed production to reduce reliance on imports, ensuring the availability of non-GM seed stock for Australian organic farms.
- Develop a centralised digital certification system – Improve traceability, efficiency, and security of organic certification through digital solutions, reducing administrative burdens while enhancing compliance oversight.
- Inclusion of organic in biosecurity strategies – future biosecurity strategies under the next federal government must include the organic industry to ensure its integrity against potential biosecurity threats.
