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OFA ORGANIC UPDATE – OCTOBER 2009
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Chair’s Report
Organic Agriculture Can Feed
the World
Atrazine Damage to
Mitochondria Causes Diabetes
Ireland Adopts GMO-Free
Policy
OFA Organised NSW Launch of
Australian Standard for Organic and Biodynamic Products
$400,000 to Support Victorian
Organic Food Sector
2009 Compost and Organic
Conference
CHAIR’S REPORT
This edition of organic update features System of Rice Intensification.
SRI has been shown to achieve considerable increases in rice yield by
improving the way the plants roots grow in the soil. It is a system that
is ideally suited to organic agriculture and most importantly for the
hundreds of millions of small holders who cultivate rice as their
staple.
There yet another study linking the widely used herbicide
Atrazine to
serious health problems. This study is significant in that it shows that
atrazine damages the cell mitochondria, causing Type 2 Diabetes. It is
also raises major questions about other herbicides that disrupt similar
cellular systems.
October Is Organic Month
The campaign
for October is Organic Month has been a great success with
events in nearly every state and territory. It has ensured that organic
issues received a lot of positive media. The highlights have been the
launch of the Australian Standard for Organic and Biodynamic Products
during Trust Organic Fortnight, Victoria announcing $400,000 in grants
for organic projects and the 2009 Compost and Organic Conference in
Adelaide.
Best
Regards,
Andre Leu
Chair
WORLD ORGANIC NEWS
Organic Agriculture
Can Feed the World
High Yields of
Organic Rice Production Using SRI
The adoption of simple and improved organic practices continues
to show
that organic systems can feed the world. SRI stands for the System of
Rice Intensification and is a cultivation system that is ideally suited
to organic production.
SRI can out
yield many of the current conventional rice production
systems in developing countries. Rice is an important food staple with
hundreds of millions of the world’s small holder farmers cultivating
it.
Researchers
at Cornell University in the USA reported: ‘Several
different studies in Madagascar, where average rice yields are currently
2 t/ha, have shown that with SRI methods an average yield
around 8 tons
per hectare (t/ha) is attainable. High yields are in the 12-15
t/ha
range, while some low yields of 3-4
t/ha.’
‘Maximum
yields, obtained with the most skillful use of SRI techniques
and after soil quality has been improved by good management methods, are
in the range of 15-20 t/ha, and a few farmers have topped 20
t/ha.’
The method
is now being adopted in rice growing areas of Asia such as
Cambodia with similar results.
Most
significantly SRI uses between 25 to 50% less water than
traditional paddy systems. SRI shows that there are low cost ways to
effectively improve farming yields without the expensive and unnecessary
investments in GMO’s and toxic chemicals.
Source:
http://ciifad.cornell.edu/sri/
Atrazine Damage to
Mitochondria Causes Diabetes
The previous editions of
organic update have featured several studies
showing a link between pesticide/herbicide exposure and Type 2 Diabetes.
Korean researchers have now established one of the biochemical pathways
that causes this disease in animals.
Many herbicides such as Atrazine damage disrupt a plant cell
organelle
called the chloroplast. Chloroplasts are the part of the plant cell that
is responsible for photo synthesis – the process where plants use the
sun’s energy to combine water and carbon dioxide and produce glucose.
Glucose is the basic molecule of life – the energy source of all cells
and the building block of most of the organic molecules that all living
things need to grow and survive.
Chloroplasts are part of a group of cell structures called
organelles.
The most important of the cell organelles is the mitochondria. This is
the central engine of the cell – it regulates glucose, DNA, RNA and
other key functions.
Because
chloroplasts and mitochondria are very similar, the Korean
researchers wanted to see if small doses of Atrazine affected the
mitochondria of mammals and disrupted the metabolism. They chose
Atrazine (ATZ) because there is an apparent overlap between areas in the
USA where the herbicide ATZ is heavily used and obesity prevalence maps
of people with a Body Mass Index of over 30.
The researchers wrote in the
journal PLoS ONE ‘… ATZ decreased basal
metabolic rate, and increased body weight, intra-abdominal fat and
insulin resistance without changing food intake or physical activity
level.’
‘A high-fat diet further exacerbated insulin
resistance and obesity.
Mitochondria in skeletal muscle and liver of ATZ-treated rats were
swollen with disrupted cristae. ATZ blocked the activities of oxidative
phosphorylation complexes I and III, resulting in decreased oxygen
consumption. It also suppressed the insulin-mediated phosphorylation of
Akt.’ [These are a group of proteins that are important for correct
functioning and signalling of cells]
Another study published in May 2009 in the journal Current
Diabetes
Reviews found:
‘The role of altered mitochondria function has recently emerged as
an
important mechanism for the development of diabetic complications.
Altered mitochondria function has also been implicated in the ageing
process, defective insulin secretion, hypertension, arteriosclerosis,
ischemia-reperfusion injury and
apoptosis.’
Altered
mitochondria have been shown to cause many diseases – not just
Type 2 Diabetes. These include: visual loss, hearing loss, multiple
sclerosis, dementia, neuropathy, progressive myoclonic epilepsy, lactic
acidosis and exercise intolerance. Many other diseases, not on the
previous list have been linked to altered mitochondria because they are
the central powerhouse of
cells.
This research opens up more
serious questions on the use of Atrazine
given the numerous studies linking it to a range of cancers and damage
to the reproductive system in animals. It was banned in Europe because
of this.
Just as importantly this study opens up the need for
urgent research
into the numerous herbicides such as glyphosate that disrupt the
photosynthesis processes in plant chloroplasts. Because Chloroplasts and
Mitochondria are very similar it needs to be shown that these herbicides
do not affect the mitochondria of animals – especially humans and most
importantly the unborn and the new
born.
Citations
Lim S, Ahn SY, Song IC, Chung MH, Jang HC, et al. (2009) Chronic
Exposure to the Herbicide, Atrazine, Causes Mitochondrial Dysfunction
and Insulin Resistance. PLoS ONE 4(4): e5186.
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0005186
Friederich,
Malou; Hansell, Peter; Palm, Fredrik (2009) Diabetes,
Oxidative Stress, Nitric Oxide and Mitochondria Function. Current
Diabetes Reviews, Volume 5, Number 2, May 2009, pp.
120-144(25)
Ireland Adopts
GMO-Free Policy
The Irish Government will ban the cultivation of all GM crops
and
introduce a voluntary GM-free label for food.
The agreement specifies that the Government will “Declare
the Republic
of Ireland a GM-Free Zone, free from the cultivation of all GM
plants”.
The official text also states “To optimise Ireland’s competitive
advantage as a GM-Free country, we will introduce a voluntary GM-Free
logo for use in all relevant product labelling and advertising, similar
to a scheme recently introduced in Germany.”
Michael O’Callaghan of GM-free Ireland said the policy signals
a new
dawn for Irish farmers and food producers:
“The Irish Government plan to ban GM crops and to provide
a voluntary
GM-fee label for qualifying animal produce makes obvious business sense
for our agri-food and eco-tourism sectors]. Everyone knows that US and
EU consumers, food brands and retailers want safe GM-free food, and
Ireland is ideally positioned to deliver the safest, most credible
GM-free food brand in Europe, if not the world.”
The international market for GM-free produce is growing
rapidly.
The Organic Consumers Associations states: ‘Across Europe,
hundreds of
leading food brands (including the largest dairy coop, Friesland
Campina) and dozens of leading retailers (including the largest,
Carrefour) now offer premium meat, fish, eggs, poultry eggs and dairy
produce made without the use of GM feedstuffs. These are backed by
GM-free labels and Government regulations in Austria, Italy, Germany,
with France to follow later this year. Sales of GM-free milk have
skyrocketed since the label came into effect in Germany.’
‘In the USA, to which Ireland exports vast quantities of
dairy produce
(including milk powder and casein for cheese production), leading food
manufacturers, retailers, processors, distributors, farmers, seed
breeders and consumers have set up joint venture called the Non-GMO
Project, which already provides GM-free labels for over 1,000 food
products by individual manufacturers in addition to thousands of GM-free
private retail brands.’
Source: Organic Consumer Association
AUSTRALIAN ORGANIC NEWS
OFA Organised NSW
Launch of Australian Standard for Organic and Biodynamic
Products
After years of working with the major stakeholders in organic
agriculture, Standards Australia released the Australian Standard for
Organic and Biodynamic Products at the OFA organised launch at the
Novotel Sydney on Darling Harbour on 9 October 2009.
OFA has spent over 5 years championing the Australian Standard
and it
has been one of our major activities. The new Australian Standard will
help consumers identify credible organic products and will ensure that
certified organic products have regulatory protection in
Australia.
Guest speakers at the launch included:
Kylie Kwong – Renowned chef, and TV
presenter
Catriona Macmillan – Organic Federation of
Australia (OFA)
John Tucker – CEO Standards
Australia
George Davey – Deputy Director General NSW
Department of Primary Industries
Craig Sahlin – Chair Standards Australia
Organic & Biodynamic Technical Committee FT-032
Nici Andronicus – leading organic manufacturer
Organicus
The Breakfast was sponsored by supporters and members of the
organic
industry: Novotel Hotel Group, Eco Farms and Organicus.
Trust Organic is sponsored by members of the organic industry:
Temple
Bruer Wines, Pure Organic Milk (Parmalat), Spiral Foods, NASAA, and
CleanFood Organic.
The Australian Standard for Organic and Biodynamic Products can
assist
Australia’s regulatory authorities, such as the ACCC, in using existing
regulatory laws, such as the Trade Practices Act, to ensure the
integrity of products that are sold as organic or biodynamic in
Australia.
This will be a co-regulatory system, rather than a mandated or
self
regulatory system. Co-regulatory systems are where the sector and the
government work together.
$400,000 to Support Victorian Organic Food
Sector
Regional and Rural Development Minister Jacinta Allan announced
$400,000
funding to support Victoria’s organic food sector.
Ms Allan said the Brumby Government’s $205 million Future
Farming
package had allocated funding of $1.08 million over three years to
support the growth and resilience of the organic sector.
“The Support For Organics Program will provide $400,000 over
two years
to enable transparent and equitable access to Future Farm Statement
funding by individual enterprises and groups, with the aim of
contributing a more productive, competitive and sustainable organic
sector,” Ms Allan said.
“The Support for Organics Program will encourage production,
consumption and export of Victoria’s organic products.
“On top of the Support for Organics Program, we are planning a
data
collection project to provide a benchmark against which future growth
can be measured, and a series of workshops to raise consumer and
producer awareness of organic products and to assist in developing
business expertise.”
Ms Allan said organics had become the fastest growing segment
of the
global food industry in recent years and Victoria was well-placed to
capitalise on the growing appetite for organic food.
“And we are helping the organic sector grow as a unique and
specialised
food sector through initiatives such as the Future Farming
Statement.
“Our $1.08 million allocation under the Future Farming
Statement is
helping the organic food sector’s to be resilient, to differentiate its
food product and capture emerging opportunities.”
For further information and how to apply contact the Program
Officer:
Rowena Cann
Tel: 03 5623 5046
Email: rowena.cann@rdv.vic.gov.au
2009 Compost and Organic
Conference
The OFA joined forces with Compost Australia to hold a
combined
conference in Adelaide on Oct 15-17. The conference was well attended
and with valuable presentations on composting and organic farming
systems.
Useful information was presented showing that using compost in
organic
systems can sequester significant amounts of carbon into the soil. Very
importantly the research showed that it can be achieved in Australian
soils. This is good news as the official position by Australian climate
change scientists is that our soils are too old to store carbon. Organic
systems using compost can build up the carbon levels in any
soil.
Organic Update is
a publication of the Organic Federation of Australia
Phone +61 1300 657 435
PO Box 369 Bellingen NSW 2454 Australia
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© Organic Federation of Australia
2009
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