Food Safety Minister Damien O’Connor says a majority of public submissions support the Government’s preferred approach of a single set of rules for organic production.

Currently, organic producers can choose to meet voluntary standards or back up their organic claims in other ways.

New Zealand is out of step with many other countries that have a national standard for organic production, Mr O’Connor said.  These standards give their consumers confidence they’re paying premiums for genuine organic products and potentially boosts their market access.

Over the past few months, 85% of 208 people who responded to a consultation said they support a change in the way organics is regulated, with 76%  supporting the Government’s preferred option of a single set of rules for organic production.

The next step is to draft a Cabinet paper to progress work on a national standard that would help build confidence for both our consumers and producers at home and our growing organic export trade.

“The Government is committed to partnering with the primary sector to work smarter not harder and extract more value from what we do now,” Mr O’Connor said.

A summary of the organics consultation submissions and the Cabinet Paper can be seen here.

 Source:  Minister of Food Safety