Library Contents:-  Beef Survey; Monitoring Project; Organic Industry survey; Industry Action Partnership

Industry Action Partnership

Explained by Jim Rossiter

On 28 September 2005, the Government of Tasmania signed an Industry Action Partnership Agreement with the Organic Coalition of Tasmania. It is important to understand what the Agreement represents.

It should first be understood that the organics industry is fundamentally different from other agricultural industries. It does not yield a single product or defined set of products. Rather, it is a set of principles which can be applied to any agricultural product. Thus a grazier may not know which way up to plant ginseng, and a herb grower may not know one end of a bull from an udder, but all understand and agree on the principles to apply to the management and husbandry of the land, crops and animals.

The other way in which organics is different from other industries is the fundamental importance of certification. To return to the previous example, ginseng is obviously ginseng, beef is obviously beef – they are both recognisable to the consumer by their taste. However, a consumer cannot be certain that either is produced ‘organically’ unless it is clearly certified as such. The identification of a product’s location of origin is as important to organic growers as it is to other producers, but the issue of clear labelling as certified organic or otherwise is vital for the credibility of quality assurance that certification provides.

In entering this Agreement, committing to the expansion of the Tasmanian Organic Industry, the State Government is pioneering such formal associations with the organic industry. The decision to do so, however, would not have been hard to make, as the organic principles exemplify the Government’s key aims of sustainability and environmental and social responsibility.

Furthermore, the Government is dealing with a well-regulated industry which, in this State at least, has a sound base of skilled and dedicated producers, and a truly representative peak body.

The members of the Organic Coalition of Tasmania include all the certifying bodies represented in the State.

In 2003 the OCT published a Strategic Plan of the industry, which had been developed with the participation of a large majority of the industry. From the OCT’s point of view, the incorporation of most of the key steps identified by the Plan into this Agreement has been instrumental in ensuring the industry’s needs are covered.

What the Agreement is not is an end in itself. It is a tool for expanding the industry in Tasmania – to the benefit of both the industry and the State. It is about encouraging growth, mainly through the delivery of information, and, equally important, about removing real and perceived barriers preventing expansion.

It is a three-year agreement, but that does not mean that nothing will be accomplished for three years. In fact, it is pleasing to note that one of the main tasks allocated to the OCT under both the Strategic Plan and this partnership agreement is already well under way. An industry website has been created, and can be found on www.oct.org.au. This is intended to be a valuable resource for all those with an interest in the Tasmanian Organic Industry. Everyone is encouraged to use it, and to keep using it as it continues to develop. For example, this partnership Agreement will be posted there.

It does not cover all the work that the Government and the Coalition are doing for the industry, but it forms the basis of the work the parties are doing together. Work under this agreement has now commenced.

Jim Rossiter, Convenor. 28th September 2005

The full agreement is available here:- download OAIP.pdf