Organic Insights Magazine - Summer 2022

6 / Organic Insights / Summer 2022

REGENERATIVE DOES NOT NECESSARILY EXCLUDE SYNTHETIC CHEMICALS , BUT ORGANIC DOES Most organic observers would ask, “How can you be regenerative if you depend on degenerative inputs?” This leads to the conclusion that organic carried out properly is regenerative, and regenerative done well is or should be organic. What is the role of certification for regenerative? Some regenerative certification systems are under development, but there are also some anti-certification views within the regenerative movement. As regenerative matures and tries to develop certification, it will discover the need for a better definition, and that certification will be useful only when it delivers a reliable consumer guarantee. In the USA, The Rodale Institute answered these pressures with the development of Regenerative Organic Certification (ROC). NASAA Organic will continue to provide innovation and leadership to organic, by developing an Australian ROC. We will introduce a system that is applicable to domestic organic and does not require NOP certification. We have completed a side-by-side comparison of the NASAA Organic Standard (NOS) and ROC standards, which confirms is well down the track towards satisfying regenerative-organic requirements. NASAA Organic leadership and the NASAA Organic Standards and Technical Committee are happy to hear frommembers and NCO certified operators while the new standard and certification system is being developed. We hope to have a substantial draft to distribute to all stakeholders in mid-2023. strategic plan / Continued from previous page

NASAA ORGANIC GENERAL MANAGER, ALEX MITCHELL , TOOK PART IN A LIVELY PANEL PRESENTATION AND Q&A SESSION ON THE ‘ ROLE OF THIRD- PARTY CERTIFICATION IN UNDERPINNING SUSTAINABILITY CLAIMS ’ AT THE 2022 SEAFOOD DIRECTIONS CONFERENCE IN BRISBANE, THE PREMIER CONFERENCE FOR THE AUSTRALIAN SEAFOOD INDUSTRY

With many aquaculture operators seeking further knowledge of sustainability certification systems, the presentation proved to be one of the most popular and well-attended sessions on the conference program. Seafood is the most consumed animal protein category in the World today. The management practices which represent sustainable production have undergone intense scrutiny by both consumers and those invested in deliverable environmental outcomes. Indeed, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that 70 percent of the World’s fish population is now fully used, overused, or in crisis. Consumers are familiar with eco-labels such as ‘Dolphin-safe’ and those associated with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC). These labels are assumed by consumers to have some form of evidence based third party