Organic Regulation Updates
BioGro has been working hard, alongside other leads within the Organic Sector to see an official standard and regulations implemented. Organic Regulation is now coming to New Zealand. We aim to keep you as informed as possible throughout the process.
Organic Products and Production Bill - A government bill that has been proposed to New Zealand’s legislature. A bill will not become law until it is passed by the legislature. The Bill provides a framework and allows for the development of regulations and standards.
The Bill has now passed its third reading in Parliament as of 30 March 2023
Organic Regulation - A rule of order having the force of law, prescribed by a superior or competent authority, relating to the actions of those under the authority’s control. Regulation describes the process that will need to be followed by businesses, recognised agencies and MPI.
Now available to review
Organic Standards - Describe the specific requirements that must be verified by an accredited certifying agent before products can be labelled as organic. Standards will set rules for products labelled or advertised as organic, such as production methods, and any requirements that are specific to the products covered by the standard.
Now available to review
Extension for Submission 2021
The consultation period has been extended to 5pm on 21 June 2021. MPI will also be hosting online workshops which will be announced soon. If you are interested please be sure to register your interest.
BioGro has issued a submission guide to help you through this process - be sure to utilise this as you please. Don’t hesitate to contact BioGro if you have any queries
Proposed Regulation Available
The proposed regulation is now available to view, and MPI are seeking feedback for organic primary sector products.
BioGro has put together a guidance document to help you with your submission - this is now available to download. Workshops and Hui's will be taking place across the country, and we urge you to attend and have your say by attending.
The consultation period closes at 5pm on 8 June 2021.
Concerns for Current Proposed Bill
The Organic Products Bill has now been presented to The House of Representatives and is no longer with the Primary Production Committee. The full report can be accessed on the Parliament Website.
Based on the report available, the sector still have some major concerns with the recommendations put forward. BioGro is currently providing comment with other sector leads to ensure these are consolidated and escalated accordingly.
The Committee’s recommendations are now to be debated by The House of Representatives.
National Standard Consultation - 2018
Agriculture and Food Safety Minister, Damien O’Connor put forward an official proposal for a National Organic Standard to be consulted on.
MPI have issued a discussion paper and invite the public for comment. The discussion paper specifically asks for comment on 22 queries surrounding many components that would be taken into account when implementing a National Regulation. They will be hosting 9 public meetings around the country to run through the paper and answer queries, all details are on the website.
Public comments are required before 11th June 2018.
Online Submissions Available to Watch
All oral submissions were expressed to Parliament, with the majority concerned about the Organic Products Bill as it stands. You can watch these submissions on the following links;
Subcommittee B - BioGro NZ speaking from 40 minutes onwards
Final Reminder
We make one final plea for you all to get involved and make a submission on the Organic Products Bill with a deadline of Thursday 28 May.
We would like to thank everyone who submitted their valuable feedback to BioGro throughout this process. Our final submission points have been adjusted and collated based on many of the sectors comments.
Submission Guide Available
BioGro has circulated a Submission Guide for the proposed Organic Products Bill that we hope will help you formulate your own submission.
What we would like you to do;
1. Read through the Organic Products Bill and all associated documentation
2. Read through the Submission Guide put together by BioGro
3. As an organisation, put together your own submission points and include any points we have raised that you agree with
4. If you have identified any points we have not recognised within our guide, let us know so we can include this within our submission using the form available - Please ensure all comments are back to us by Friday 15th May.
5. Make your own public submission by Thursday 28th May using the platform provided
We cannot stress enough the importance of utilising all public submissions made available to us throughout this process. We are in unique position to shape the sector in a way that makes sense to New Zealand - we hope you will join us in being an integral part of this.
We have received the below notification from MPI regarding the Draft Organic Regulation - this is now available to download from the MPI website.
In the meantime, to help you see how the Bill could work in practice we can now provide the draft regulatory proposals for organic food, beverages, and plant and animal products. The proposals can be found on our website.
“This is not formal consultation and we are not accepting any feedback on the draft regulatory proposals at this stage. This draft discussion document is for your information only to help inform your submission to the Select Committee on the Bill. We will formally consult on the proposed regulations at a later stage.
With regards to engaging with you in the development of the national organic standard, this will also occur at a later stage. This work will involve significant sector input throughout the process, so we will take a highly collaborative, co-design approach. We will be talking to those that are currently involved in, and those that are wanting to enter, the organic sector throughout the process. We want to draw on your expertise, and ensure that everyone has the opportunity to have their say. Everyone will also have a final formal opportunity to provide feedback on the draft Standard before it is published.”
Extension for Submissions
1st April 2020
Due to Covid-19, the public submissions for the Organic Products Bill has been extended to the 28th May.
A ‘Digest’ describing the Bill has been made available to read - we advise you read this before making any submissions.
Organic Products Bill introduced to Parliament
Agriculture and Food Safety Minister, Damien O’Connor has announced that he has introduced the Organics Products Bill to Parliament and if passed, will create a national standard for organics.
Confirmed National Standard for Organic Production
Agriculture and Food Safety Minister, Damien O’Connor has confirmed that a National Standard for Organic Production WILL be progressed as a Government bill next year
Key Information
The BioGro team have prepared a few links and information that we believe may be helpful to you. These are to read and utilise at your own discretion;
- Ministry of Primary Industries – This page brings together all government information regarding the proposed regulation and all relevant dates.
If you have any queries, feel free to contact BioGro and we will do our very best to help you.