Just-food.com,
November 5, 2003: New Zealand’s environmental
campaigners have hailed the launch of an organic standard
as a victory for the country’s organic food industry.
The new standard for organics lays out a standard which
producers can use as a benchmark and consumers can recognize
as providing products of a certain quality, said Agriculture
Minister Jim Sutton.
The organic sector is now intent on implementing the
Strategy and has put in place an establishment board
that has that responsibility, Sutton said at the launch
of the standard.
Green Party MP Ian Ewen-Street said the establishment
of national standards for organic produce certification
has now put in place the necessary requirements to protect
the rapidly expanding organics sector in New Zealand.
"The organics industry now turns over NZ$140m (US$86.1m)
per year and has been growing at a rate of over 10%
each year for the export sector and an almost unbelievable
100% for the domestic sector," said Ewen-Street.
"The Greens and the organics industry have pushed
very hard for the establishment of national organic
standards, so it's pleasing to see this huge boost for
the industry come to fruition.”
New Zealand’s environmental campaigners have
hailed the launch of an organic standard as a victory
for the country’s organic food industry. |
