to t e s t t h e v e r a c it y o f fo r e ig n o r g a n ic fo o d la b e ls w h e n it c o n d u c t s r a n d o m a u d its o f im p o r te d p r o d u c e u n d e r th e Im p o r t e d F o o d C o n t r o l A c t 1 9 9 2 . In 2 0 0 5 th e C o m m o n w e a lt h D e p a r t m e n t o f A g r ic u lt u r e F is h e r ie s a n d F o r e s t r y c o n v e n e d a s e r ie s o f r o u n d ta b le c o n s u lt a t io n s w it h k e y o r g a n ic in d u s t r y s t a k e h o ld e r s t o id e n tif y t h r e a ts a n d o p p o r t u n itie s fa c in g th e in d u s t r y . T h e c o n s u lt a n t’s r e p o r t e m a n a tin g fr o m t h o s e m e e tin g s id e n t ifie d th e d e v e l o p m e n t o f a w e ll r e c o g n is e d a n d e n f o r c e a b le n a t io n a l d o m e s tic o r g a n ic s t a n d a r d a s a p r io r it y . I t d is c u s s e d th r e e p o s s ib le o p t io n s t o a c h ie v e t h is : f ir s t , a le g a lly m a n d a t e d s ta n d a r d in th e F o o d S t a n d a r d s C o d e a d m in is t e r e d b y F o o d S ta n d a r d s A u s t r a lia N e w Z e a la n d (F S A N Z ) ; s e c o n d , a v o lu n ta r y c o d e d e v e lo p e d in c o n ju n c tio n w it h th e A u s t r a lia n C o m p e tit io n a n d C o n s u m e r C o m m is s io n ; a n d t h ir d , t h e d e v e lo p m e n t o f a v o lu n ta r y n o n -g o v e r n m e n t s t a n d a r d w it h S ta n d a r d s A u s t r a lia : A u s t r a lia ’s r e p r e s e n t a t iv e o n th e In t e r n a tio n a l O r g a n is a t io n f o r S ta n d a r d is a t io n (I S O ) a n d p e a k n o n - g o v e r n m e n t s ta n d a r d s d e v e lo p m e n t b o d y . O f th e th r e e , t h e r e p o r t s u g g e s ts th e S t a n d a r d s A u s t r a lia o p tio n w a s fa v o u r e d b y m o s t (b u t n o t a ll) p a r tic ip a n t s , a n d it is t h e o n e s u b s e q u e n tly p u r s u e d b y th e p e a k n a t io n a l o r g a n ic b o d y , O r g a n ic F e d e r a t io n o f A u s t r a lia (O F A ) w ith th e s u p p o r t o f N A S A A .184 B io lo g ic a l F a r m e r s A u s t r a lia (B F A ) , t h e o r g a n is a tio n b e h in d A u s tr a lia ’s la r g e s t o r g a n ic la b e l (A u s t r a lia n C e r t if ie d O rg a n ic ) d id n o t s u p p o r t t h e o p t io n t o d e v e lo p a d o m e s t ic s t a n d a r d w it h S ta n d a r d s A u s t r a lia . I n J u ly
184
NASAA, Press Release 19.04.07 (2007) at 4 July 2007 ; Standards-Australia, Committee meets
to develop organic standard: media release 8 May 2007 (2007)
<http://www.standards.org.au/downloads/070508_Committee_meets_to_develop_new_Organic_S
tandard.pdf> at 5 July 2007
2 0 0 6 B F A B o a r d m e m b e r S c o t t K in n e a r ( w ith t h e e n d o r s e m e n t o f t h e B F A B o a r d ) r e le a s e d a n in d u s tr y d is c u s s io n p a p e r a r g u in g a g a in s t th e d e c is io n to p u r s u e a d o m e s t ic s t a n d a r d w it h S ta n d a r d s A u s t r a lia , p r o p o s in g t h a t th e in d u s tr y in s te a d r e d o u b le its e ff o r t s to c o n v in c e F S A N Z to in c lu d e o r g a n ic s t a n d a r d s t h e F o o d S t a n d a r d s C o d e . T h e p a p e r s e x e c u tiv e s u m m a r y s t a t e d ( in te r a lia ): T w ic e b e fo r e , th e o r g a n ic in d u s tr y in A u s t r a lia h a s s o u g h t le g is la tio n to lim it th e u s e o f th e w o r d o r g a n ic in th e m a r k e tp la c e , to “ c e r tifie d o r g a n ic ” p r o d u c ts o n ly . D e s p ite o u r e ffo r ts , G o v e r n m e n t h a s p r e fe r r e d th a t w e u s e s y s te m s o f s e lf r e g u la tio n . A t th e b e g in n in g o f th is y e a r (a n d o n b e h a lf o f th e o r g a n ic in d u s tr y ) th e O r g a n ic F e d e r a tio n o f A u s tr a lia ( O F A ) a p p lie d to S ta n d a r d s A u s tr a lia to d e v e lo p a n o r g a n ic s ta n d a r d . T h e O F A b e lie v e d th a t th is w o u ld r e d u c e th e fr a u d u le n t u s e o f th e w o r d o r g a n ic a n d b e a g o o d p la c e t o h o u s e o u r e x is tin g N a tio n a l S ta n d a r d , g iv e n th a t th e A u s tr a lia n Q u a r a n tin e a n d I n s p e c tio n S e r v ic e (A Q IS ) h a s in d ic a te d it n o lo n g e r w ish e s t o b e a s s o c ia te d w ith th is ta s k in d e fin it e ly … T h e B F A h a s a c o n tr a r y v ie w to th e O F A , a n d is fu r th e r c o n c e r n e d th a t n o t o n ly is th is a p p lic a tio n p r e m a tu r e , b u t th a t th e r e h a s n o t b e e n s u ff ic ie n t a s s e s s m e n t o f th e lik e ly im p lic a tio n s fo r th e o r g a n ic in d u s tr y if a S ta n d a r d s A u s tr a lia o r g a n ic s t a n d a r d w e r e d e v e lo p e d a n d u s e d … T h e B F A p r o p o s e s th a t th e o r g a n ic in d u s tr y re v is it s th e o p tio n o f a le g is la t e d c o n t r o l o f th e w o r d o r g a n ic w ith in th e F o o d S ta n d a r d s C o d e a s a d m in is te r e d b y F S A N Z . 185 In c o n t r a s t t o B F A , t h e O F A h a d , f r o m its in c e p t io n in 1 9 9 8 , n e v e r b e e n a s t r o n g a d v o c a te f o r a g o v e r n m e n t c o n t r o lle d d o m e s tic o r g a n ic s t a n d a r d . T h e O F A ’s in d u s tr y n e w s le t te r f o r M a r c h 2 0 0 4 r e p o r te d th a t in t h e p r e v io u s y e a r , ‘T h e O F A h a s m e t w it h S e n a t o r T r o e t h 186 a n d v a r io u s s e c to r s in g o v e r n m e n t to g e t a s e lf r e g u la tio n s y s t e m f o r th e o r g a n ic