Watch NZH Local Focus: Organic industry calls for national standard

The soil, seeds and the storing of produce are just some of the elements an organic farmer must consider.

Lawson's True Earth owner Scott Lawson says organics is a complicated business.

"We do everything everybody else does and then we add another layer of complexity of standards, we do a lot more testing on our farms too we have a lot more integrity, questions asked of us."

There are four different certifications organic growers in New Zealand can have, but there is no national regulated standard.

Lawson's True Earth is part of a movement to get that changed.

"We have different levels of market certification, if we can simplify that by having a national standard, then we as individual operators can choose to be above that or stay at that minimum standard."

In April last year the Primary Production Select Committee heard evidence about the need to implement that national standard.

Now, the committee has just visited Hawke's Bay, stopping off at Te Awa Winery, Lawson's True Earth, Bostock's Free Range Chicken and a Bostock orchard, so they could see that evidence for themselves.

Primary Production Committee Chairperson Ian McKelvie says: "We clearly need to get ourselves in a position where this industry could thrive."

"You only have to come to Hawke's Bay and have a look at the enthusiasm for the organics here to see there is a significant international market for us if we get it right."

Organics Aotearoa New Zealand says New Zealand is one of just a few countries that is yet to have a universal regulated standard implemented.

Chief Executive Brendan Hoare says "the regulation and the standard together...will give us access to markets because Governments require us to be regulated and have a single national standard in order to have free and easy market access".

Lack of regulation can create issues for exporters in the market, including misuse of the term organic.

George Bostock of Bostock's Organic Free Range Chicken says: "Regulating the word organics is so important for us because it gives our consumers trust that our product actually is organic."

Introducing a Government standard wouldn't eliminate the current certifications, but it's expected to create more options for growers depending on which market they are looking to enter.

If a regulation is to be implemented the process is expected to take 18 months to two years.

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