O o d h e a d p u b L i s h I n g L i m I t e d

party auditing. In Australia the term organic is only controlled for export
products; however, the organic associations are seeking to establish an
Australian Standard for Organic and Biodynamic Produce that will reduce
fraud and misrepresentation in the domestic market.
IFOAM has developed an Organic Guarantee System that seeks to assure
organic integrity internationally. They are seeking to develop a common
system of standards, verification and market identity. They encourage
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international organic certifiers to become ‘IFOAM Accredited’, based on the
certifier’s compliance with IFOAM Norms (basic standards). This initiative
is to be strongly encouraged.
Organic wool farming
Organic standards differ significantly in the two major global markets of
Europe and North America. In Europe the organic rules stem from European
Commission Regulation No. 2092/91. This Regulation creates the framework
for the production, labelling and inspection of organic farm products and
foodstuffs. EU Regulation 1804/1999 amended Regulation No. 2092/91 to
also include rules for production, labelling and inspection of organic livestock
products.
Regulation No. 2092/91 allowed for the development of ‘competent
agencies’ in each member state, and allows the competent agencies to take
the rules further in their region. Article 11 of Regulation 2092/91/EEC opens
the EU organic food market to products from third countries, based on the
concept of equivalence. There are two main ways to export organic products
to the European Union, depending on the country of origin:
1.
Paragraph 1 establishes a list of countries (the ‘third-country’ list) where
equivalence has been established. Wool producer countries on the list
include Argentina, Australia and New Zealand.
2.
For countries not on the ‘third-country’ list, import Regulation (EC) No.
1991/2006 came into force on 1 January 2007 to replace the ‘importer
derogation’ paragraphs. Approval now largely resides with the EU
Commission and requires certification to be conducted directly to the
EU Regulation, or to an equivalent standard (IMO, 2007). Various transition
arrangements are in place.
The focus of EEC 2092/91 is on food. Wool is mentioned only as a fertiliser
and cotton is mentioned only as feed seed.  EEC 2092/91 will be replaced
from 1 January 2009 when the newly approved Council Regulation (EC) No.
834/2007 will apply.
In the United Kingdom the competent agency DEFRA (Department for
Environment Food and Rural Affairs) took advantage of the opportunity to
extend EC 2092/91 and developed the United Kingdom Register of Organic
Food Standards (UKROFS). This document has a strong emphasis on organic
livestock and expands on the rules for the use of allopathic (chemically
synthesised, as opposed to homeopathic) veterinary medicines.
In the United States the main Institution (or set of rules) that regulates
everything ‘organic’ under federal law is the National Organic Program
(NOP). These organic standards are implemented by the USDA (United
States Department of Agriculture). The NOP covers all organic producers,
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handlers and processors in the United States. However non-edible fibre products
are not covered in the ‘final rule’, which therefore provides no details on the
processing of organic fibres.
The USDA approves the national certification agencies that meet NOP
requirements and that can therefore supply organic wool into the USA. Of
the wool producing countries, three agencies in Australia are approved, as
well as four in Argentina. The list is updated frequently (USDA, 2008). It is
essential that potential supply chains for organic fibre identify accrediting
agencies that allow them to supply wool to their intended destinations.
As a specific example relevant to wool, the UKROFS allow use of allopathic
veterinary medicines (i.e. non-homeopathic medicines or pesticides) to treat
internal and external animal health problems under veterinarian responsibility.
Use of allopathic chemicals as a preventative is not permitted. The NOP
does not allow use of allopathic medicines and the Australian organic standards
follow this approach. The Australian organic standards generally allow the
use of ‘natural’ pesticides such as magnesium fluorosilicate and spinosad for
control of external pests; however, the main emphasis is on land, animal and
farm management practices rather than on residues of internal and external
pest control agents.
For this reason, production of organic wool in Australia is difficult and
relatively limited, perhaps up to 300 tonnes per year or less than 0.1% of
total production. However, there is potential for it to expand, especially in
the pastoral regions where few pesticides are reported to be used. Some
brokers are conducting training courses for farmers to increase understanding
of the issues.