To be certified organic by either, producers must document a full management plan and record all inputs used in their production.
Producers are audited at least annually to verify that they comply with their high organic standards. This gives them the right to use either agency trademark which is trusted throughout New Zealand and the world.
Mr Casey said organic-certified producers were not allowed to use synthetic products for grass growth, herbicides, insecticides or animal health.
He has an interesting theory that perhaps applies to both mainstream and organic producers.
"I am personally an advocate of organically-produced foods and don't mind paying extra for it, but all may not be what it seems," Mr Casey said.
"Mainstream farmers can add products to their pastures to rectify imbalances in trace elements and nutrients essential to animal health, where organic farmers are somewhat limited. The same applies to arable producers and ultimately it comes down to human health because we get many of our needs from that produce."
He used selenium and iodine as examples.
"Selenium or iodine isn't essential for grass growth, but it is to animal and human health. Unless farmers test for imbalances they would never know. What I do know from experience is that selenium and iodine will definitely be deficient in soils and herbage and needs to be applied.
"Both mainstream and organically-certified farmers are as guilty as each for not testing, so unless humans are taking supplementary health pills, they are probably missing out on some essential trace elements or nutrients."
According to AsureQuality, organic farming is a holistic system of agriculture. The founding premise of organic farming is that optimum soil management will produce healthy crops and livestock in a sustainable manner.
Mr Casey said that was all very well, but only if farmers were carrying out soil or herbage analyses to determine imbalances and then rectify them.
Organic practices aim to respect all life and embrace biodiversity by conserving and minimising negative impacts on the natural environment.
Under AsureQuality accreditation, the time taken to become fully organic depends on the nature of the business. A guideline would be up to two years for livestock, two years for annual horticulture crops and three years for perennials (subject to variables such as the nature of the property).
Farms in a transitional stage and that have been using some organic practices for 12 months or more may label their products as "conversion to organic", provided all requirements are met.
