2. The development of organic agriculture in New Zealand
The New Zealand organic agriculture movement emerged from the 1970s as a combination of four historical processes (Ritchie and Campbell, 1996).
- Small associations had developed such as the Humic Compost Club (later the Soil Association) and Food Reform Society in the 1930s. These groups aimed to preserve traditional agricultural practices.
- The influence of the USA environmental movement from the 1960s.
- The arrival in New Zealand (1950 - 1970) of a steady stream of European migrants who were committed to the organic agriculture movement.
- The development of alternative land-use patterns in the 1970s, particularly in peri-urban areas, with subdivision, ‘10-acre block’ farms, and lifestyle farming becoming more popular.
Throughout the 1970s, the alternative agriculture movement was expressed through a number of organisations. A more formalised structure to organic agriculture was established in 1983 when three prominent organisations - the Soil Association, the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association, and the NZ Doubleday Association - agreed to form the NZ Biological Producers Council (NZBPC). The NZBPC was legally incorporated in 1984, and one of the directors of the new council represented the new organisation to the world organic body IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement) in 1984.
The NZBPC (later to be known as BIO-GRO NZ) set about formalising the standards by which production could be considered legitimately ‘organic’. These became recognised as the BIO-GRO standards. Members of the NZBPC volunteered to serve on the inspectorate which made annual inspections of organic food producing properties. The BIO-GRO standards evolved in accordance with the ideas of a number of contributing groups. First, the Biological Husbandry Unit at Lincoln College provided a venue for organic techniques to be developed in a tertiary educational institution. A second body of ideas was that imported from Europe to New Zealand through either the Doubleday Association, Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association, or through the personal knowledge of European migrants to New Zealand. Third, ideas about legitimate organic practices emanating from New Zealand interacted with ideas circulating in IFOAM on a more global scale. The result was a distinct body of New Zealand standards that were similar to the IFOAM standards (which in turn had been partly influenced by input from New Zealand) and in some aspects exceeded IFOAM requirements.
During these developments, the BIO-GRO standards had evolved from a single brief statement to the complex body of regulations now in operation. Initially, inspectors and organic growers generally shared a philosophical commitment to organic production. During the early 1990s, however, two related challenges emerged to place pressures on the regulation of the organic standards. First, there was an increase in the number of growers seeking organic certification. Second, there was an emergence of large scale organic exporting which introduced a number of previously conventional growers to organic production. These growers had not previously had any philosophical commitment to organic production.
The growth of the organic industry placed enormous pressures on the NZBPC which restructured its operations in the 1990s. The organisation changed from relying on voluntary labour and a nominal financial structure to a more professional, fully-costed organisation (Campbell 1996). These steps included:
- 1990 - levies were introduced for processors, and
- 1991 - the interpretation of partial conversion to organic production was reviewed, enabling more conventional growers to consider applying for certification.
- 1992 - levies were extended to primary producers.
- 1994 - inspection fees were substantially raised for larger producers
- 1996 - office systems were restructured and the head office of BIO-GRO NZ was relocated from Auckland to Wellington.
- 1997 - the basis for a professional inspectorate was established
- 1997 - a ‘small grower scheme’ was established to help smaller unit gain certification.
The most significant change in cost structure involved a considerable rise in the inspection fees (May 1994). Consequently, some smaller growers, and growers opposed to any form of commercialisation, left the organisation. Industry participants interviewed in Campbell’s (1996) study of the industry indicated that this change towards a fully-costed operation had been a watershed in the evolution of the organisation. The entire period from 1990 to 1996 could be described as a period of restructuring towards more commercial and professional operation symbolised by the change of name to BIO-GRO NZ. In the last year, BIO-GRO has attempted to broaden its grower base by re-incorporating some growers in the Small Group Scheme.
Under the current structure, growers can apply to BIO-GRO NZ for the right to certify their produce under the BIO-GRO label. An inspection is made of their property and a time ‘in transition’ is established before full BIO-GRO certification can be granted to products from that land. On rare occasions property may be deemed to be immediately fully certifiable, however, most land is in transition for at least two years. Regional inspectors conduct these inspections and the status of growers’ applications for certification is discussed at regular meetings of the inspectorate. It is at these meetings that decisions are made whether to grant full certification to land ‘in transition’ or whether to withhold certification on land that had previously been fully certified.
The economic structure of BIO-GRO NZ is based on a small annual subscription from non-licensed members, an inspection fee for licensees and a levy on products for larger licensees. In the broadest sense it is worth noting that BIO-GRO NZ now clearly resembles a professional certification organisation with a large number of commercial growers in its membership relative to the old structure when non-producing members were more numerous.
Contact for Enquiries
Kay Brown
Sector Performance Policy
MAF Policy
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
PO Box 2526
Wellington
NEW ZEALAND
Phone: +64 4 894 0695
Fax: +64 4 4 894 0746
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