Section 1 - Introduction and Scope
This Standard has been prepared for the purpose of providing minimum requirements to be complied with to gain certification for the production of, and the labelling and claims for, organically produced foods.
The aims of this Standard are:
- To protect consumers against deception and fraud in the market place and against unsubstantiated product claims
- To protect producers of organic produce against misrepresentation of other agricultural produce as being organic
- To ensure that all stages of production, preparation, storage, transport and marketing are subject to inspection and comply with this Standard
This Standard sets out the principles of organic production at farm, preparation, storage, transport, labelling and marketing stages, and provides an indication of accepted permitted inputs for soil fertilizing and conditioning, plant pest and disease control, food additives and processing aids.
Organic agriculture is accomplished by using, where possible, cultural, biological and mechanical materials and methods, as opposed to using synthetic materials, to fulfil any specific function within the system.
An organic production system is designed to:
- Enhance biological diversity within the whole system
- Increase soil biological activity
- Maintain long-term soil fertility
- Recycle wastes of plant and animal origin in order to return nutrients to the land, thus minimising the use of non-renewable resources
- Rely on renewable resources in locally organised agricultural systems
- Promote the healthy use of soil, water and air as well as minimise all forms of pollution thereto that may result from agricultural practices
- Handle agricultural products with emphasis on careful processing methods in order to maintain the organic integrity and vital qualities of the product at all stages
- Become established on any existing farm through a period of conversion, the appropriate length of which is determined by site-specific factors such as the history of the land and type of crops and livestock to be produced
Organic agricultural practices and this Standard cannot ensure that products are completely free of residues, due to general environmental pollution. However, the practices permitted within this Standard ensure the lowest possible risk of residues at the lowest possible levels.
Continued certification of all producers and operators, whether they are at the production, processing, handling, transport, storage or sale points of the chain, is contingent on accurate records of the enterprises concerned.
Recognising that organic production systems continue to evolve and that organic principles and Standards will continue to be developed, these Standards will be reviewed on a two yearly basis by AsureQuality, all stakeholders and/or interested parties will be included in any review. Control of this Standard will be in accordance with AsureQuality procedures. Implementation date will be the date of issue.
1.2 Scope
1.2.1 This Standard applies to the following products, which carry, or are intended to carry, descriptive labelling referring to organic production methods:
a) Unprocessed plants and animals and plant products
b) Processed product derived mainly from (a) above
1.2.2 A product will be regarded as bearing indications referring to organic production methods where, in the labelling or claims, including advertising material or commercial documents, the product or its ingredients is described by the terms:
“organic”, “biodynamic”, “biological”, “ecological” or words of similar intent.
1.2.3 Paragraph 1.2.2 does not apply where these terms clearly have no connection with the method of production.
1.2.4 All materials and/or the products produced from genetically engineered/modified organisms (GEO/GMO) are not compatible with the principles of organic production (either the growing, manufacturing or processing and the use of ingredients, additives and processing aids) and therefore are not accepted under this Standard. Inputs, processing aids and ingredients shall be traced back one step in the biological chain to the direct source organism from which they are produced to verify that they are not derived from GMOs.
1.2.5 Requirements outlined in the AsureQuality Standard are complementary and additional to other health, social, agricultural or food regulatory requirements within New Zealand.
1.2.6 Social justice and social rights are an integral part of organic agriculture and processing. Refer to Section 8 for Standards regarding Social Justice.
- Operators shall have a policy on social justice
- Where production is based on violation of basic human rights and clear cases of social injustice, that product cannot be declared as organic
- Operators are not allowed to use forced or involuntary labour
- Employees and contractors of organic operations should have the freedom to associate, the right to organise and the right to bargain collectively
- Operators shall provide their employees and contractors equal opportunity and treatments and shall not act in a discriminatory way
- Children employed by organic operators shall be provided with educational opportunities
1.3 Description
Foods should only refer to organic production methods if they come from an organic production system that employs management practices which seek to nurture those ecosystems that achieve sustainable productivity and provide weed, pest and disease control, through a diverse mix of mutually dependent life forms, recycling plant and animal residues, crop selection and rotation, water management, tillage and cultivation. Soil fertility is maintained and enhanced by a system which optimises soil biological activity and the physical and mineral nature of the soil as the means to provide a balanced nutrient supply for plant and animal life as well as to conserve soil resources. Production should be sustainable, with the recycling of plant nutrients an essential part of the fertilizing strategy. Pest and disease management is attained by means of encouraging a balanced host/predator relationship, the augmentation of beneficial insect populations, biological and cultural control and mechanical removal of pests and affected plant parts.
