Proposed revision to Australian Standard on organic and biodynamic products

Standards Australia is currently revising AS 6000-2009 Organic and Biodynamic Products and has invited public comment on the proposed changes.

The objective of AS 6000 is to provide a framework for the organic industry covering production, preparation, transportation, labelling and marketing. The standard provides minimum requirements for products with labelling that states or implies they have been produced under organic or biodynamic systems.

The standard aims to serve as a guide to farmers, producers and consumers and to harmonise national provisions for the production, identification and labelling of organically and biodynamically grown products.

The main changes in this revision are to update:

i. Requirements for the conversion of land into a production system for organic or biodynamic products;

ii. Conditions for the use of synthetic amino acids;

iii. Requirements for livestock housing and range management;

iv. General principles and requirements for biodynamic production.

Richard Souness, chairman of Technical Committee FT-032, Organic and Biodynamic Products, said, “The Australian Standard AS 6000 serves as a guide for industry, producers and consumers on all aspects of the organic and biodynamic industry, from production to labelling to marketing. It aims to protect consumers against deceptive and unsubstantiated product claims, and also protect organic producers against misinterpretation of other agricultural products as organic.

“The standard is now being revised to take into account updated requirements, methods and technology,” said Souness.

The proposed draft of AS 6000 is now open for public comment. The final day for comment will be Tuesday, 21 April 2015.

All draft standards for public comment and instructions on how to comment are listed on the Standards Australia website.