The Gillard Government will be funding $33,000 to show support for Standards Australia’s ongoing maintenance of the Australian standard for organic and biodynamic products.
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Tony Burke said the government made an election commitment to develop a National Standard for Organic Produce, including an agreed labelling and certification system for Australian organic produce.
“The adoption of a single national standard for organic produce will provide greater certainty and credibility for industry and consumers and will be a major step forward in the industry’s development,” he said.
The Australian Standard is a voluntary standard and will provide an important reference for courts to draw upon in determining if there has been a breach of the Trade Practices Act 1974 in relation to organic or biodynamic labelling claims.