Flexible Scheme for Small-Scale Organics a Hit in the Regions

By Matt Morris.   Published in “Organic NZ” March/April 2003

OrganicFarmNZ, the new organic certification scheme for small-scale producers, is winning fans throughout the country. Reports from area representatives of the National Coordinating Committee (NCC) show that, while a stable bureaucracy is developing behind the new label, OrganicFarmNZ is holding true to its promise of fostering local initiative and helping build localised networks of organic producers.

The new certification scheme operates under the governing umbrella of the Soil & Health Association of New Zealand, but it’s run at the grass-roots level by 12 regional bodies, with seven elected area representatives, on what is now known as the National Co-ordinating Committee. The NCC is semi-autonomous and is chaired by veteran organic producer Terry Higginson of the Far North.

But this bureaucratic stuff, the constitutional discussions, the committee meetings, the insufferable acronyms – none of this has ever been the essence of what OrganicFarmNZ is about. More important than an email forum connecting NCC reps spread from the Far North to Otago, is the communication and discussion within the regions themselves.

Groups of growers, or growers opting for individual certification, have done a wonderful job in co-ordinating peer reviews and get-togethers, demonstrating that the scheme not only provides an affordable and accessible organic certification for small-scale domestic market producers, but it can also help in strengthening communities.

The remarkable thing about OrganicFarmNZ as it has developed – and for this we must thank Chris and Jenny May who led the research phase of the project – is the ability of the scheme to capture the flavour of the regions. Differing growing conditions, personalities and access to local resources are all accounted for in a scheme that works from local strengths, but to a level that is nationally consistent and based largely on the Bio-Gro Production Rules.

In the case of the Canterbury Regional Body, DDT residue in soils has been identified as a major issue, so much so that now all producers in the area are required to conduct a DDT residue test up front. In the Far North, on the other hand, while DDT isn’t such a problem, phosphate deficiency is standing out as demanding closer scrutiny. These issues are settled regionally, with the assistance, as required, of the NCC’s Technical Subcommittee, consisting of Terry Higginson from the Far North and Peter Downard from the Waikato.

OrganicFarmNZ takes into account differing temperaments and individual needs as well. The Far North Regional Body recently reported that it had “21 individual properties, ranging from two hectares to 40 hectares, with diverse production, from sub-tropical to beef cattle”. While it currently has no pods, the first is apparently now gestating.

Golden Bay Regional Body, on the other hand, is made up entirely of one large pod of growers. Others are podding along nicely. Canterbury has one individual and three strong pods, mostly in vegetable production with some fruit and nuts.

Some regions have either become legal entities in their own right (Canterbury, for example, is incorporated as Canterbury Organic), or affiliated themselves with appropriate legal entities in their localities, as in the case of the Hawkes Bay and Golden Bay Regional Bodies. In doing so, they have been able to apply for sources of funding found in their areas – an important factor which may have a bearing on fee setting, also done at the regional level.

The NCC’s role is to ensure that certification is being carried out consistently across the country, that national level administration of the scheme is handled properly, to discuss curly certification issues as they arise and, most importantly, to make sure that the scheme is in the hands of the producers themselves.