Senator WATSON (7:28 PM) —Tonight I wish to take a few moments of the Senate's time to speak about organic farming in Tasmania. The National Standard for Organic and Bio-Dynamic Produce (OPAC 1998) states:

Organic produce grown in Tasmania includes apples, beef, berries, cereals, dairy, flowers, eucalyptus seedlings, grapes, herbs, honey, vegetables, poultry and olives. The three-year Tasmanian organic farm monitoring project from 1995 to 1998 was a study initiated by the Tasmanian Organic-Dynamic Producers Co-operative, known as TOP. The study found that good organic production models exist for a wide range of enterprises other than for broadacre organic vegetables or wool production. At the date of the report, the industry had been developed without any government assistance, had depended entirely on farmer-initiated research and development and had virtually no professional recognition. The report observed that, although objective data is limited, the incidence of pests and diseases in all enterprises other than apple production did not appear to be significantly different from those experienced on conventional enterprises. Generally, however, production levels were lower than those accepted as typical for conventional agriculture. For most commodities, organic production was unable to meet local demand and there was therefore minimal export out of the state.

Today there are 47 certified properties on 900 hectares, and the average property size is 19 hectares. Properties in the south of the state are small hobby type enterprises, whereas the north has more broadacre holdings. Twenty-nine per cent produce vegetables, 25 per cent produce beef, 17 per cent produce herbs, six per cent produce apples, six per cent produce berries, six per cent for dairy, and there are a number of single unit enterprises. In total, 556 hectares are for beef production, 297 hectares are for dairy, 14 hectares are for apples, 20 hectares are for vegetables, nine hectares are for herbs and five hectares are for berries.

In their publication entitled The international market for organic food, Peter Twyford-Jones and Robert Doolan state that over the whole of Australia it is estimated that only about one per cent of Australian producers are involved in organic production and the area devoted to such production is probably only about 0.8 per cent of the total area farmed. Organic agriculture is established worldwide. In many countries, locally based organic production is regulated by government and non-government certification organisations. The industry's peak international non-government organisation, the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements, was established some 25 years ago and has a general secretariat based in Germany. Twyford-Jones and Doolan state that the market for organic products in these countries varies widely. The major markets are in the highly developed nations of Europe and in the United States of America, Japan and New Zealand. The precise size of the market in these countries is difficult to measure, but generally appears to account for about one per cent of overall food sales.

Europe and Japan are the main importers of organic products. In the United Kingdom, where the market for organic food is less developed but is growing rapidly, it is estimated that 70 per cent of organics are imported. The UK organic industry estimates that organic products sold in the United Kingdom will increase from the current one per cent to 10 per cent of the total. Sainsbury, the UK supermarket chain, has a range of over 500 organic products—one of the largest in the country. At least 50 of these products are available in every single Sainsbury store. You can buy anything from carrots and curry to baby food and beer. There is even a range of delicious pre-prepared organic meals for busy cooks. On their web site, Sainsbury tell their customers that some of their organic products carry a premium price, due partly to the nature of organic farming which is usually more labour-intensive and because yields can sometimes be less. They also say that, as the popularity of organic food in the UK increases, the costs will reduce and their prices—that is, Sainsbury's—will reflect this.

Organic fruit and vegetable products stocked by Sainsbury include shallots, red onions, garlic, onions, dwarf beans, stringless beans, mushrooms, potatoes, swedes, carrots, apricots, strawberries and plums. Organic grocery items include ginger ale, apricot chutney, crisps, raspberry conserve, decaffeinated coffee, tea, walnuts, almonds, wholemeal flour, sugar, mayonnaise, stock cubes and peppercorns. They also have a large variety of organic meat products, baby food, beer, wines, spirits, dairy products and frozen foods. Sainsbury's organic chocolate ice-cream sounds sensational. You can even buy organic dog food.

In Tasmania it is pleasing to see the organics industry moving on, and a specialist unit has been established on the north-west coast at the Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment's Forthside research station. The unit aims to encourage and increase the level of production of organically produced goods in the state to meet the growing demand. This consumer driven international trend of buying organic produce is thankfully promoted by vigilant supermarkets. From the UK figures that I previously outlined, Tasmanian producers, and in particular, the larger growers and exporters now trialing products, have an excellent opportunity to capitalise in worldwide markets on Tasmania's clean, fresh and pure reputation.