Organic Products and Production Bill

Members, the House is in committee on the Organic Products and Production Bill. When we were last considering the bill, we were debating Part 1, which is the debate on clauses 3 to 7 and Schedule 1, preliminary provisions. The question is that Part 1 stand part.

Thank you, Madam Chair. It’s very good to have the organic products bill finally back in the House. I think I was sitting where you were last time we were discussing it during urgency. I just have one question for the Minister, as a lot of work we did on this was actually in the last Parliament, but related to the fact that our exporting organic people have lots of checks and balances in that process—there was quite a concern around our small organic producers’ costs, in terms of complying with standards and things. I’m talking about farmers markets and small growers and people like that. I just wanted to ask the Minister if you’re certain that we’ve got the balance right there in terms of protecting, I guess, those start-up organic producers—making sure they’re doing it well but not being over-burdened by compliance.

Thank you. That’s a very fair question, and it also goes to the heart of a Supplementary Order Paper that is in the name of Mr Cameron, from the ACT Party. We recognise that, in respect of small organic producers for the likes of farmers markets, those businesses won’t be able to go through a certification regime. The Ministry for Primary Industries believes that that’s best dealt with through the way in which regulations are promulgated when standards are set for who must do what, and who should be certified in order to meet the requirements of the legislation. So they think that it’s best dealt with at that level where there can be some protections put around exemptions, perhaps, if necessary, rather than having a general carve-out in the primary legislation.

The question is that the Hon Damien O’Connor’s amendments to Part 1 set out on Supplementary Order Paper 262 be agreed to.