Sage EugenieHon EUGENIE SAGE (Minister of Conservation): Tēnā koe Madam Speaker. Thank you. Can I thank the previous speaker Ian McKelvie for reminding us of the bill's history. In speaking for the Greens I am delighted that the Organic Products Bill is being introduced and having its first reading because as Ian McKelvie noted there has been an awful lot of work by Organics Aotearoa New Zealand (OANZ) Brendan Hoare Doug Voss and many others in the sector to get this bill to the place it is today going through the Parliament. I think Ian McKelvie hosted one of the Organics market reports that OANZ has I think done several of now—at least four of them—to highlight to politicians to Government and to the media the value of the organic sector in terms of both the export industry and the major growth there growing to have a value of about $600 million for the whole sector. It has been the work of OANZ to highlight that it is not just a small number of growers but an important part of our agricultural sector from growing wine to horticulture flowers and all sorts of fruit and vegetables and the contribution that that makes both to the domestic market and to our export markets. So I really acknowledge the work of OANZ; the work of Sue Kedgley a former Green MP; the work of Steffan Browning in promoting national organic standards; and also the work more recently of the former primary industries spokesperson for the Greens Gareth Hughes. We are in a situation where New Zealand is unusual in not having a domestic standard. We are one of only two countries I think in that situation and the only one without a mandatory export standard. I know that that is creating issues in terms of organic produce getting into the United States where it commands a significant premium of anything around 53 percent on conventional produce—and their Department of Agriculture having difficulty with the fact that there was no Government-backed mandatory standard and similarly the EU requiring from 2026 countries to have organic certification that's very similar to their own rules or that is recognised as an EU equivalent. So we have been constraining the ability of exporters to grow without this mandatory standard. As Mark Patterson mentioned the bill is a solid piece of legislation because it allows different agencies to set organic mandatory standards for their sectors. The certification in the requirements around organic cosmetics would be very different from those around organic fruit and vegetables for example. So that's really sensible. I would also like to pay tribute to BioGro Demeter and all of those involved in the existing voluntary standards and the work that they have done to develop those and the work that they have done in terms of the certification processes which can help provide the basis for the organic standards that will be the mandatory standard that will be developed under this legislation.So given the support across the House I hope that it proceeds through the Primary Production Committee with any adjustments in response to submissions but that it makes rapid progress because it has been too long without a mandatory standard. I really acknowledge all of those who've put so much work into getting the bill and commend the Minister of Agriculture the Hon Damien O'Connor for actually bringing legislation to the House. It will benefit businesses and it will benefit consumers as others have said by giving them the assurance that where they are paying a premium for organic produce it has been produced in that way. I think the diversity of the organic sector will increase and this bill is providing through that mandatory standard opportunities for business and also for our consumers. So I do commend the bill.