AsureQuality, BioGro & Organic Winegrowers NZ: Silver Sponsors of the 2020/21 Market Report
The OANZ 2020/21 New Zealand Organic Sector Market Report explores the growth of the New Zealand organic market by capturing the current state of the domestic market across the entire supply chain.
AsureQuality, BioGro and Organic Winegrowers NZ share their thoughts on why they chose to be silver sponsors of the 2020/21 Market report and why it is so important to the sector.
BioGro
BioGro is New Zealand’s leading organic certifier since 1983, with the nations largest database of organic farmers, organic producers and organic manufacturers from here and across the Pacific.
As a Silver sponsor, why is the market report so important for the organic sector?
Data speaks volumes and is imperative to providing an accurate representation of the organic sector here in New Zealand. Continually providing baseline information allows us to monitor progression over time and provides a comparison point when looking on a global scale. The sector needs to communicate to regulators both here in New Zealand and overseas, which relies on we need to have accurate data from all the participants - not just volumes but value as well. For exporters, knowing what is happening in the domestic market can also help them plan for inevitable changes.
In your opinion, how will the Organic Products Bill affect market growth both domestically and internationally?
The regulation can be a market killer or a market maker. Both things have happened in overseas markets. To make it a market maker, regulators need to make sure that the Bill and regulations are not built around how the other assurance programmes are structured as these are outcomes-focused, not systems audits. The current OOAP is quite expensive in its implementation vs other programmes such as Japan JAS or Canada COR.
What are some of the key areas that need to be addressed in the Bill and regulations to make this growth occur?
Ensuring that the existing OOAP is the platform from which standards and regulations are drafted. The OOAP isn’t ideal however it is a known system and it would be better to work from a working system rather than to create a new untried system such as was recommended in the Bill. The OANZ four-point strategy has identified this and requested it.
Organic Winegrowers New Zealand
Organic Winegrowers New Zealand (OWNZ) is a grower-led organisation dedicated to supporting organic winegrowing, and whose members are passionate about sharing their love of organic and biodynamic wine.
As a Silver sponsor, why is the market report so important for the organic sector?
Organic Winegrowers New Zealand is dedicated to growing and supporting the organic wine industry. To succeed in that mission, it's critical for us to have solid data on organic production and markets. Having data on the size of the organic opportunity helps us to encourage the broader wine industry and the government to take organic production seriously. And producers who are contemplating an organic transition constantly ask us for more information on markets.
In your opinion, how will the Organic Products Bill affect market growth both domestically and internationally?
It really depends on how the bill looks in the end. The bill as initially proposed could actually stymy growth, if certification costs are too high. On the other hand, if the bill's certification system is streamlined, it could be a foundation for strong growth in our sector, as the bill will add backbone to New Zealand's reputation as a high-integrity organic producer and will strengthen our negotiating position for access to international organic markets.
What are some of the key areas that need to be addressed in the Bill and regulations to make this growth occur?
The certification system proposed in the bill must be streamlined if the organic sector is going to succeed and grow. New Zealand's organic products are currently certified by excellent, internationally well-reputed organic certifiers. The bill's proposal to duplicate this with an additional certifying role for MPI is likely to add red tape and costs for producers. The bill needs to be amended to allow our existing organic certifiers to continue their excellent work with a government stamp of approval, but without excessive government interference in the day-to-day certification process.
It's essential to minimise costs and paperwork for producers. This is particularly important for us as an organic wine industry, because family-owned growing and winemaking operations are such an important part of the organic wine community. Small businesses really need the certification system to be cost-effective and easy to navigate.
We also strongly agree with other organic organisations that a strong definition of organic production should be added to the legislation. This would oblige future New Zealand governments to respect the definition of organic production as a soil-based, GMO-free production system. As we've seen overseas, leaving the definition of 'organic' wide open creates the possibility for future erosion. We need legislation that shows the world that New Zealand has a strong definition of what 'organic' means.
Finally, we want to see representation from organic growers and consumers in the process of creating and maintaining the regulations and standards. A technical advisory board, empowered with advisory responsibilities delegated by the government, would be a good way to achieve this.
This legislation presents a huge opportunity for the New Zealand organic sector, which is why we've joined other organic organisations in calling for such legislation in the first place. But the government needs to make some changes to ensure this law supports the organic sector rather than holding us back.
AsureQuality
AsureQuality is a New Zealand Government-owned entity offering the broadest range of food assurance services in Aotearoa. An AsureQuality Certification can enable market access to both regulated and non-regulated export markets and provide confidence to consumers that the product they are buying has been produced according to organic principles.
As a Silver sponsor, why is the market report so important for the organic sector?
The market report quantifies the size of Aotearoa’s organic sector and provides valuable insights plus helps the industry understand future opportunities for growth.
In your opinion, how will the Organic Products Bill affect market growth both domestically and internationally?
Regulation has the potential to improve the integrity of our organics sector as individual producers are encouraged to improve business practice. This is likely to have the flow-on effect of improving international market access, which will be beneficial for exporters. Equivalency recognition of standards would reduce overheads for producers, meaning fewer barriers to getting certified and more export markets available. This would grow the organics sector and mean more products would be available domestically.
What are some of the key areas that need to be addressed in the Bill and regulations to make this growth occur?
It is important to ensure that the process of gaining organic certification is as simple as possible, whilst maintaining a robust system that will maintain Aotearoa’s reputation for producing a higher standard of quality in food.