There is a new, united voice for Australia’s organic industry, with eleven organisations coming together to form the Organic Industry Discussion Group (OIDG) to advance the interests of the organic sector, including the pursuit of domestic regulation.
The OIDG brings together all of Australia’s certification bodies and key industry groups in one forum.
The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Agriculture has heard from Australian Organic Limited (AOL) on the crucial role organics can play in creating a resilient farming ecosystem to enhance food security into the future.
Speaking at public hearings in Brisbane this week as part of the ongoing inquiry into food security in Australia, AOL CEO Niki Ford outlined the benefits of incorporating organic farming practices across the agricultural sector to Member for Paterson, Committee Chair Meryl Swanson, and Member for Spence, Matt Burnell.
The 2023 Australian Organic Wine Awards will showcase the highest quality organic and biodynamic wines in the country, with one of the industry’s rising stars set to take her place on the judging panel.
West Australian sommelier Sophia Gannon has been named as the recipient of this year’s Associate Scholarship for the Awards, which aims to promote female talent and leadership in the organic wine industry.
Australia's organic operators have welcomed support from the halls of Canberra with the formation of a Federal Parliamentary Friendship Group for organics.
Established by Liberal Party Member for Casey, Aaron Violi, and Labor Member for Hunter, Dan Repacholi, the Parliamentary Friends of Australia’s Organic Industry will provide a forum for members of the industry to meet with MPs and Senators to display their produce and discuss key opportunities and challenges they face.
Chairman of Australian Organic Limited (AOL), Mike Brown, said the Group would help foster meaningful connections between producers and the country’s decision makers.
A talented young sommelier from Western Australia has been named as the recipient of the Australian Organic Wine Awards Associate Scholarship and will join the judging panel of this year’s prestigious Australian Organic Wine Awards. Applications are now open for the 2023 Australian Organic Wine Awards, set to showcase the highest quality organic and biodynamic wines in the country.
The Australian Organic Market Report 2023 shows there are 53 million hectares of certified organic farmland across the country (up from 35.7 million hectares reported in 2021), highlighting increasing confidence in the industry and the value of certification.
The Australian Organic Market Report 2023 shows ‘greenwashing’ continues to undermine consumer trust in the $2.6 billion industry, underscoring the need for regulation to protect consumers and certified organic producers.
Australia’s certified organic industry has been left shocked and disappointed at the decision by Minister for Agriculture Murray Watt to abandon plans to introduce domestic regulation, ignoring his own panel of industry experts and thousands of producers.
In a bitter twist, Minister Watt’s decision comes on the same day New Zealand’s parliament formally passed a bill to create an organic standard, leaving Australia as the only developed country in the world without organic regulation.
Queensland’s oldest organic processor and the nation’s leading producer of organic free-range chicken have expressed their frustration at the government’s “ill-informed” and “ridiculous” decision to abandon organic domestic regulation.
Quentin Kennedy, Managing Director of Kialla Pure Foods, addressed media and industry leaders today in response to Agriculture Minister Murray Watt’s recent comments that regulation would be “too big a burden” for some organic operators.