Vol. 523 No. 4
73 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if he will make a statement on revoking the Irish organic certification bodies' licences and implementing the EU standards; and his views on whether the organic movement was founded on the principle of ecological sustainability and a guarantee of food quality and that all the efforts of organisations (details supplied) are geared to achieving this objective. [21022/00]
The AgriFood 2010 Report had included a recommendation that a credible regulatory system be put in place for the organic sector and that the existing confusion between competing inspection bodies be ended. In response, I undertook to streamline the inspection arrangements. My objective is to ensure that all organic farmers and processors have ready access to the most efficient, transparent and consistent arrangements for inspection and certification. My Department has recently put proposals to the three private bodies, the Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association, Organic Trust and Demeter Standards Limited, for a unified inspection and certification system which will achieve this objective while allowing the three bodies to continue to operate their own private arrangements, where their own members are concerned, as heretofore. I understand that the three bodies are currently considering these proposals and I am hopeful of a positive response.
Standards for organic crop produce had been fixed since 1991 by EU Regulation 2092/91 and on 24 August 2000, this regulation was supplemented by Regulation 1804/99 which set standards for organic livestock produce. Previously there had been no national standards for organic livestock produce. Under Regulation 2092/91, my Department, which is the competent authority under the regulation, had approved three private bodies to inspect and certify organic crop produce. These bodies, in a private capacity, had also been certifying organic livestock produce to standards that they themselves had set.
When Regulation 2092/91 was extended to the livestock sector on 24 August, my Department had proposed to adopt standards for such produce in accordance with the regulation. My information is that a number of other member states will certify produce as organic which meets those standards and my Department had to bear in mind the fact that such produce could not legally be excluded from the Irish market.
However, the standards in the regulation did not include all the requirements recommended by the three private bodies, the Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association, Organic Trust and Demeter Standards Limited. Following further discussions on this issue with interested parties including the three private organic bodies and other stakeholders in the organic sector, my Department has indicated that it is prepared to set certain additional requirements and that others may be considered subsequently by the organic development committee which I am establishing in accordance with the recommendation of the AgriFood 2010 Committee. I am confident that the standards now being set for the organic sector will provide every reassurance to retailers and consumers as to the quality and integrity of Irish organic produce, without compromising the competitiveness of Irish organic producers. My objective is to ensure the continuing growth of the organic sector as part of mainstream farming in Ireland.
I acknowledge the commitment of Organic Trust and the Irish Organic Farmers' and Growers' Association, together with Demeter Standards Limited, to the principles of ecological sustainability and a guarantee of food quality which are fundamental to organic farming. The additional arrangements that I am now putting in place will ensure continuing adherence to these principles, which are now also increasingly accepted as an integral part of mainstream farming.
