The National Standard for Organic and Bio-Dynamic Produce is a regulatory instrument of the responsible authority, the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) and was introduced by the Federal Minister for Primary Industries on 10 February 1992. Version 3.4 of this standard was released in July 2009.

The national standard sets out the minimum requirements for production, processing and labelling of organic produce. It also establishes the minimum requirements for inspection of individuals producing organic products and the minimum requirements for certifying such operators. Any producer or processor who wants to export produce that is labelled organic or biodynamic must demonstrate compliance with at least the requirements of the standard. This is achieved by being certified by one of the AQIS-accredited organizations. Use of this Standard provides transparency and credibility for the industry and protects the consumer against deception and fraud.

The National Standard also forms the basis of equivalency agreements between approved certifying organizations and importing country requirements. The National Standard is a minimum requirement only and individual certifying organizations may stipulate additional requirements.

The Export Control (Organic Certification) Orders give ‘prescribed goods’ status to organic produce under the Export Control Act 1982. Any person producing organic goods for export is required to have a quality management system that is audited by a third-party (i.e. a certifying organization) approved by AQIS. All product leaving Australia that is identified by the trade description ‘organic’ or ‘biodynamic’, or with words of similar intent, such as ‘biological’, must be accompanied by an Organic Produce Certificate. The Orders provide the necessary authority for AQIS to delegate the issue of certificates to accredited organizations. Approved certifiers issue export certificates to the exporter of the organic product.

The AQIS organic quality management system is deemed to be compliant with EN45011 – the European governmental regulatory version of ISO 65. Certifying organizations by extrapolation must also be deemed equivalent to this standard for operating certification systems.

Approved certifying organizations are fortunate that Australia is recognised through international Government-to-Government arrangements, which include listing them as inspection bodies under EEC directive 2092/91. The AQIS accreditation scheme permits relative ease of entry to most foreign ports. Many certifying organizations from non-listed countries have been subjected to a demanding range of barriers that have impacted negatively on their trade in organic produce.

 National Standard for Organic and Bio-Dynamic Produce—Edition 3.4 July 2009 (404 kB)

Export Control (Organic Produce Certification) Orders on AQIS website