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The OANZ delegation with Associate Agriculture Minister Mike Butterick.
OPINION: The time has come for the Government to back the organic sector.
It’s time to finalise the National Organic Standard, unlock export growth, implement a fair model for certification and support growers and producers wishing to transition into organics.
Last week the Government launched consultation on how to future-proof and grow the organic sector by ensuring there is a strong and modern regulatory framework.
New Zealand is introducing a national system to regulate organic products. The aim is to make organic claims more consistent, build consumer confidence, and give businesses clearer rules.
But as Organics Aotearoa New Zealand (OANZ) says, let’s not lose time debating whether organics works.
The time has come match policy with performance, to back the sector that is delivering economic growth, environmental restoration, and social resilience.
In just four years, the value of New Zealand’s organic sector has grown from NZ$723 million to $1.18 billion.
Exports now total $606.7 million, growing at more than twice the rate of total primary sector exports. Organic dairy and kiwifruit continue to lead the charge, but significant opportunities remain in organic wine, lamb, beef, wool, and horticulture. With targeted support, these product groups can generate higher value returns from the same land area, returns that are proven and recognised in key markets.
The global opportunity is enormous. Consumers in the US, Europe, China and across Asia Pacific are seeking food that is safe, healthy, traceable and ethically produced. These markets increasingly demand verified sustainability and organic certification offers that they can trust. The global organic food and beverage market is expected to reach US$650 billion by 2033.
As OANZ says, New Zealand is well positioned to meet that demand, but only if we act now to remove the policy and trade barriers holding us back.
Only 89,500 hectares, less than 1% of agricultural land, is certified organic.
Certification costs remain a significant burden, particularly for small and medium-sized producers. And the regulatory infrastructure is incomplete, with no finalised National Organic Standard.
The consultation launched last week is a good start. Working with organic sector stakeholders, the Government can turn the fledgling sector into a high-value, low-impact contributor to NZ’s future.
Organics Aotearoa New Zealand (OANZ) spent two days in Wellington last week meeting political parties and key stakeholders to press the case for a National Organic Policy and dedicated investment.
OPINION: Confidence in the wool sector is rebounding as prices hit levels not seen in more than 15 years.
OPINION: With export of livestock by sea dead in the water, opponents of the Gene Technology Bill think they can also force another U-turn from the Government.
OPINION: When I moved to Marlborough two decades ago, I found countless lines of tidy vines, neatly mowed and carefully sprayed, with diligent conventional practices interspersed with the odd organic or cover-cropping outlier, like Te Whare Ra.
OPINION: The Gene Technology Bill has divided the farming community with strong arguments on both the pros and cons of GM.
OPINION: The time has come for the Government to back the organic sector.
Plan ahead and be patient. That’s the message to farmers and horticulturalists from the chairman of the NZ Agricultural Aviation Association, Kent Weir.
The industry is crying out for graduates with agricultural related degrees.
While GPS and guidance have become the norm and yield mapping and variable application continues to gain traction, most agricultural machinery manufacturers continue to expand their technology offerings, amalgamating the vast amounts of data being collected to streamline real-time and ongoing management decisions.
Supply chain problems, growing protectionism and a move to greater food security are some of the key challenges facing New Zealand exporters, according to our top trade negotiator, Vangelis Vitalis.
A spat within the ranks of the New Zealand Deer Farmers Association has resulted in the suspension of outspoken North Canterbury farmer Barry Cuttance.
