Held in regional and metropolitan areas around Australia, the roadshow is providing much needed information for new entrants and current members of an industry which despite being the fastest growing sector of the food and drinks industry, is struggling to meet demand.

The Organic Roadshow, hosted by leading organic member organisation Biological Farmers of Australia (BFA) and supported by Ausmin Australia, will arrive in Brisbane on Friday 20th July 2007.

With a full day of unequalled knowledge and advice from successful farmers and business owners participants are able to gain a full overview of the organic sector from biological agriculture and soil health to processing, markets and consumer demand.

BFA’s chairman Mr Doug Haas says “The roadshows have proven and continue to be a successful means of linking industry members at every level of the supply chain, from the grower to the consumer as well as government and others.
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Dates of roadshows nationally: 
Brisbane, Qld Roadshow:
20th July 2007
Lornceston TAS Roadshow:
5 October 2007
Armidale, NSW Roadshow:
30th November 2007
WA Roadshow:
November 2007

Source: BFA, 2 July 2007, www.bfa.com.au 

Great news for small producers, as their importance has been identified by the BFA Group.

Today marks a milestone in the history of organic certification in Australia as the Organic Growers of Australia Certified Ltd (OGA), a respected certifier of organic products nationally, has joined the Biological Farmers of Australia Group (BFA) to launch the “BFA/ OGA Small Producers Scheme.”

Howard Rubin, Chairman of OGA today said “The Small Producers Scheme is a system which has been created to qualify the integrity of smaller growers.

“With growing complexities and costs of regulation, smaller growers have not had encouragement to become organic. This scheme which has been stripped of unnecessary costs will significantly reduce the burden of certification on smaller growers and encourage new participants to join our industry.”

The new scheme, which has had overwhelming support nationally, is the reason behind members of the OGA certification company almost unanimously voting to move into the BFA Group in October last year.

The scheme will use the BFA’s Australian Organic Standard, the same standard by which clients of BFA’s subsidiary company Australian Certified Organic (ACO) are certified. The difference for smaller growers will be the removal of all export requirements by Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS) which until now been imposed on all certified businesses regardless of whether produce was being exported or not.

Doug Haas, Chairman for the BFA Group is extremely pleased with the result which the Boards of the two groups have cooperated to achieve.

“Importance of the smaller growers has clearly been identified by the BFA and OGA. These growers should be considered as the organic industry’s seed potatoes which need looking after for growing into the great producers of tomorrow.

“While growers under this scheme are unable to export, if they wish to climb the organic certification ladder and export in the future, they can move easily across into certification with ACO for compliance with standards worldwide.

A “small producer” under the new scheme is defined as a grower of annual organic sales of less than $50,000 whose produce is not exported, however may be sold direct to retailers, at growers markets or from the farm gate.

For more information about the program contact Anna Campbell on 07 3350 5706 ext 224 or email oga@bfa.com.au. 

Source: FiBL, Germany, www.fibl.org, Feb 2007

The lighter our farming systems tread on the Earth, the less severely climate change will develop. Organic farming has a leading role to play here, as a workshop at BioFach 2007 in Germany has revealed. Urs Niggli of the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) calls for increased support to be given to organic farming, both in the tropics and subtropics and in the temperate zones of the northern hemisphere. This is the way forward to ensuring that the farming and food production sectors conserve and make efficient use of natural resources, work on closed-loop principles and achieve enhanced self-sufficiency and independence from fossil fuels.

Organic farming for greenhouse gas reduction
Organic agriculture achieves high plant yields by making efficient use of organic residues: To fertilize soils, it uses composted harvest residues and animal manure. This saves 50 to 150 kg, depending upon the crop, in synthetic nitrogen fertilizer per hectare which would otherwise need to be produced using non-renewable fuels.

Studies have shown that conventional arable farming operations in England consume some 17,000 litres of fossil fuels embodied in fertilizers per 100 hectare of land each year. Worldwide, 90 million tonnes of mineral oil or natural gas are processed to nitrogen fertilizer every year. This generates 250 million tonnes of CO2 emissions.

With their low-impact methods, organic farmers boost soil fertility and the humus content of soils. The result is that the greenhouse gas CO2 is returned to the biomass of the soil. Long-term field trials conducted over many years in Switzerland have shown that compared to other methods of farming (conventional, integrated production) organic farming enriches 12 to 15 percent more carbon dioxide in the soil, as FiBL soil researcher Andreas Fliessbach explains. This means that organic farms return 575 to 700 kg CO2 to the soil per hectare and year more than other farmers. Scientists in Austria and Germany have confirmed this figure. Organic farming thus reduces CO2 emissions by eliminating synthetic fertilizers, and at the same time reduces atmospheric concentrations of this gas by storing it in the soil – a true win-win strategy.

A further valuable outcome of the organic farming method is that soils with higher humus content can adapt better to the adverse effects of climate change. Soils rich in humus store more water and longer, which is particularly effective in ensuring higher yields during lengthier dry periods in the summer. The improved water retention potential of soils also protects against sudden and strong rainfall, as rivers rise less rapidly and runoff erosion is slowed.

Newly industrializing and developing countries particularly affected
Manuel Amador of Corporación Educativa para el Desarollo Costarricense (CEDECO) presents case studies showing how effectively organic farming in Costa Rica, Cuba and Brazil is helping to reduce greenhouse gases.

Ana Meirelles of the Centro Ecológico in Brazil reports on her practical work in the south of the country: Organic smallholders are supported there through various strategies, one being the development of local markets. This is helping to protect the climate, while awareness-raising work at schools and in communication with consumers is creating an understanding of the specific climate impacts of people’s buying behaviour.

Othmar Schwank of the Infras consultancy explains that the impacts of climate change will affect farmers in the developing world greatly. This makes effective adaptation strategies, such as are used in organic farming, particularly important. To promote organic farming, national agricultural policies are just as important as international trade agreements.

Climate credits for organic farming
Jan Verhagen of Wageningen University in the Netherlands is researching ways to integrate farming within a post-Kyoto agreement at international level. An effective climate policy regime would need to contain a credit-and-penalty system designed to promote organic agriculture.

The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) is working together with a range of partner organizations in the developing world to set up a Global CO2 Project. Salvador Garibay of FiBL explains how this project shall research the contribution of organic farming to climate change mitigation, will generate a broader understanding of these linkages and will seek to integrate organic farming within the Clean Development Mechanism.

The workshop on “Climate Change and Organic Farming” held on 17 February at BioFach 2007 in Nuremberg, Germany, was made possible by financial support provided by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Humanist Institute for Cooperation with Developing Countries (HIVOS, the Netherlands). 

Further information: 
Contact person at FiBL: Urs Niggli and Andreas Fliessbach, email: info.suisse@fibl.org 

Organic consumers in Australia and New Zealand have reason to celebrate further to the decision by Australasian food Ministers that organic flour millers and bakers do not have to add folic acid to their products while for nearly all other bread it is to be mandatory.

Soil & Health NZ spokesperson Steffan Browning says “Organic consumers do not want this synthetic additive in their bread. These consumers know that there are alternatives to synthetics and that organic bread generally has good levels of natural folate due to the lower level of processing with organic flour.”

“The exemption for organic bread will give all consumers a choice of a fortification free product while still accessing a healthy option.”

The decision for fortification is based on evidence that folic acid in the diets of women of child birthing age may reduce the occurrence of spina bifida and other neural tube defects. It is argued however that a strong education programme supporting good nutrition as well as natural sources of protective folate, and optional folic acid supplements would achieve as effective result.

BFA spokesperson Scott Kinnear says that “While research exists linking the cause of neural tube defects to dioxin contaminated 2,4-D herbicides we hope that more recognition be given in future to the link between farming methods and nutrition and disease.

“Certified organic food production disallows pesticides and is focused on improved production and human health through the maintenance of healthy soils.”

Based at Inglewood, Queensland, Barambah Organics was founded by Ian Campbell, a qualified nutritionist who believes passionately in organics for a healthier and more environmentally sustainable production. 

Not only has organic management of the property proven to be a viable production alternative since the family started organic production in 1990, it has gained the company much recognition for its milk products.

The latest example is Highly Commended in the Vogue Produce Awards 2007 for their organic yoghurt, “An outstanding product,” as described by awards judge Philip Johnson. In addition, at the Dairy Industry Australia Awards in May 2007 seven silver awards were won for products including the “Fig Tree Paddock” Double Cream Brie, “Gold Hawk” Washed Rind, the Full Cream Milk and a number of yoghurts. Four silvers awards were taken at the Sydney Royal Dairy Show in March this year.

Ian Campbell says that Barambah’s successful applications for two grants and a scholarship since 2000 have contributed to the success of their products. “The Federal and State Governments have given us enormous support and encouragement and we are very grateful for this,” Mr Campbell says. 

Matthew Evans, food journalist for Good Living in the SMH writes “Using the batch method, Barambah Organics produces the best-tasting milk I’ve found commercially. ‘That’s how milk used to taste,’ is a common response.”

Barambah Organics produces milk, yoghurt, quark and a double-cream brie. For more information visit www.barambahorganics.com.au.

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Your Organic Advantage
Editor: Holly Vyner

BIOLOGICAL FARMERS OF AUSTRALIA CO OP LTD - THE VOICE OF ORGANICS
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