Organic Products Act timeline
- The Organic Products and Production Act received Royal Assent and became law on April 5 2023.
- The new legislation will not have legal effect until the national standard and regulations are developed and in place.
- The National Organic Standard is being developed. Once finalised, there will be a 3-year period for people to move into the new system before it becomes mandatory.
- MPI will start work on developing regulations for cost recovery and infringement offences by the end of 2023.
Law changes will affect most organic businesses
The Organic Products and Production Act began going through Parliament in 2020, and became law on 5 April 2023. It will help with developing new standards for organic products. It will set requirements for most businesses involved in the organic sector, from production through to sale.
The purpose of the Act is to:
- increase consumer confidence in buying products labelled "organic"
- increase certainty for businesses claiming products as organic
- facilitate international trade in organic products.
The organic sector has been growing rapidly since the 1990s. By 2019, the global organic retail market was worth $181 billion. The total global area for organic farmland has grown sevenfold from 1999 to 2019.
Why the changes are needed
Consumers in New Zealand and overseas are increasingly interested in the products they buy and how these have been produced. The Government has agreed to put a framework in place to give consumers the confidence to buy more organic products and businesses the certainty to invest in organic products.
In addition, an increasing number of countries overseas are demanding that organic imports comply with their domestic standards or come from equivalent regimes.
For example, new organics legislation in the European Union (EU) requires that organic products imported into the EU meet the same or equivalent standards to organic products produced in the EU. Under the EU’s new legislation, New Zealand will need to negotiate a new equivalence arrangement with the European Union by 2027 to retain our current market access.
A robust domestic regime for organic products will:
- put us in a stronger position to negotiate directly with the EU
- help satisfy the requirements of our trading partners
- open doors to new markets for New Zealand's premium organic products.
Consultation on the Process Regulations
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) ran a public consultation on the process regulations in 2021 to hear your views on the draft organics regulations.
Submissions closed in June 2021.
Find out about the process regulations consultation
Consultations on the National Organic Standard Regulations
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) ran a public consultation in 2023 to hear your views on the draft National Organic Standard Regulations. Submissions closed in July 2023.
Phase 1: Proposals for the National Organic Standard
Phase 2: National Organic Standard Regulations Proposals
National Organic Standard Regulations agreed to by Cabinet
The National Organic Standard Regulations were agreed to by Cabinet on 1 November 2023.
Organic Products And Production Act: Organic Standards Regulations – Cabinet paper [PDF, 704 KB]
Appendix One: Table outlining the organic standards regulations [PDF, 1 MB]
Organic regulations agreed to by Cabinet
Our document, Moving to the new system, details the agreed requirements.
Organic Products and Production Bill: Process Regulations and Consultation on the National Organic Standard – Cabinet paper [PDF, 940 KB]
Moving to the new system: organic regulation requirements [PDF, 986 KB]