OIA has lodged a submission to FSANZ on a proposal to change the definitions for gene technology and new breeding techniques.

The FSANZ assessment promotes a false equivalence that new breeding technique (NBT) food is produced with an outcome that might occur using natural selection techniques. That is clearly not the case, and the onus should be on the proponent to prove the safety of every instance of GM manipulation.

Overwhelmingly, overseas markets do not want GM foods, and are worried by the environmental contamination of our organic foods with GM breeds. This move also disempowers Australian consumers!

If it is not Certified Organic, you can’t be sure it is organic

Formal organic certification of organic products is the producer’s guarantee to consumers that along the entire supply chain, a Certified Organic product has been produced in line with the strict national and industry Organic and Biodynamic Standards.

In Australia, the term ‘organic’ is not regulated as it is in the United States, Japan and China. It is legal to produce a product and call it ‘organic’ without providing the consumer with any proof that it is actually organic.

 Product labelling is what differentiates certified organic consumer products. All certified organic products are traceable back to the producer or processor. The operator’s certification number, written in conjunction with the certified organic label within the product label, can be looked up on the website of the certifying organisation. 

Organic Trust Australia was set up to manage funds received from private and public sources for research and education in organic agriculture in Australia.

Improving the Measurement of the Value of Organic Production in Australia
Organic Agricultural Production in Australia: 2010-11 and 2015-16
Priorities for Research and Extension in Organic Agriculture in Australia
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