The 2006-2011 Organic Industry 5 Year R&DIt Plan has been developed to meet the Australian organic industry’s R&D needs as a part of this rapidly growing global food sector, estimated to be worth A$33 billion in 2003 with forecast annual growth rates between 10-30%. Asia and North America have enjoyed sustained annual growth in recent years of between 20-45%. The Australian organic sector was estimated to be worth A$400 million in 2005. Production in Australia has been increasing between 6-15% pa whereas consumption is growing at 25-40%. The balance is imported.

The 2006-2011 Plan identifies three key objectives for the R&D investments focussed on farming systems, supply chain issues, and the agro-ecological performance of organic farming systems. Associated with these objectives are two key strategies, the Australian Organic Hub, a virtual centre where knowledge is sourced, assessed and transformed into user-friendly information packages and knowledge gaps identified, and the Organic Industry Research Program, which will focus on the research needs of identified priority sectors; grains, dairy, horticulture and meat. A set of performance indicators will guide assessment of the program as it progresses.

A key feature of the 2006-2011 plan is that it seeks co-investment in its program of activities. Organic food and farming systems are a growing component of all commodity and food sectors. Co-investment will be sought from these sectors. Collaboration in all aspects of the program will also be sought from end-users, researchers and investors.

The 2006-2011 plan will be implemented in partnership with the industry’s peak body, tThe Organic Federation of Australia (OFA). Preparation of the plan has occurred in parallel with a Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry project under the Industry Partnership Program which is working to establish the structures necessary to support the growth of the organic industry. The OFA re-structure in 2005 was an outcome of this project. The new OFA has identified research and development (R&D) as a key platform for the organic industry’s future.

The 2006-2011 Plan was developed under the guidance of the RIRDC Organic Systems R&D Advisory Committee. The plan received input from conventional and organic agriculture, organic supply chain participants, researchers and food and agriculture investors. The plan took into account the key insights from the 2004 Organic Food and Farming Technologies Cooperative Research Centre bid. The process involved stakeholder consultations, an investor workshop and a feedback session with the RIRDC Advisory Committee. Assessment of past plans and their impact was also conducted.

The Plan is consistent with the RIRDC Corporate Plan (2003-2008) and Australian Government Rural Research Priorities. The R&D Plan will be implemented in accordance with the provisions of the Primary Industries and Energy Research and Development Act 1989.
 

Peter O’Brien Managing Director  Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation

Don Fraser Chairperson Organic Systems R&D Advisor Cyommittee Committee

Organic Industry R&D Priorities 2006-2011

Plan at a glance
Organic demand is currently outstripping supply. Production in Australia has been increasing at between 6 -15% pa whereas consumption is growing at between 25-40% pa (depending on the sector). The balance is imported. Although Australia is one of the world’s leading grain exporters organic grains are imported to meet the shortfall in local production.

Goal:
The program aims to deliver R&D to facilitate the organic industry’s capacity to meet rapidly increasing demand, domestically and globally.

Objectives
The research objectives of the program in order of priority are to:

Strategies
Australian Organic Hub

Successful implementation of the new Organic R&D plan:

Goal
The program aims to deliver R&D to facilitate the organic industry’s capacity to meet rapidly increasing demand, domestically and globally.

Objectives

The research objectives of the program in order of priority are to:

Strategies
Australian Organic Hub

Synthesise conventional farming system and supply chain/ food safety knowledge for potential application within the organic industry, with sector Research and Development Corporations (RDCs) and relevant research providers, and identify organic "add-ons" to existing RDC projects and programs. (15% of Budget)

Successful implementation of the new Organic R&D plan:

RIRDC has invested in organic R&D since 1995. It has been the major Australian investor in the area, however its investment (up to $300,000 pa) is small by conventional agricultural and international organic industry standards. RIRDC’s investment to date has made a significant contribution to development of Australia’s organic industry. However, there is scope to increase investment in scientific and technological issues to accelerate more profitable and sustainable growth of the industry and individual organic businesses. In particular there is a need to increase the rate of adoption of current organic systems knowledge, improve the interactions between organic and conventional agricultural R&D and facilitate broader co-investment in organic industry research.

Basis for Plan

This plan is RIRDC’s third five-year organic industry R&D plan to be implemented in partnership with the industry peak body, the Organic Federation of Australia (OFA). The OFA was restructured in 2005 and during this restructure identified research as a key industry priority. The OFA has worked in partnership with RIRDC to develop this plan.

The plan addresses three fundamental pillars (see Figure  1.1).

Knowledge – What knowledge is required to achieve the desired industry outcomes? Where is that knowledge available? What research needs to be undertaken to address gaps in the current knowledge base?

Investment - What resources are required to deliver the plan? Who are the potential investors in the program? What processes and structures are required to secure their investment?

Delivery - What processes and structures need to be put in place to deliver the plan? How does new and existing knowledge get translated into industry outcomes?
For many reasons, reflecting its stage of development and reliance on many small businesses, the organic industry is limited in its capacity to invest cash directly in R&D. RIRDC must therefore play a key, but evolving, role to invest in R&D strategically on behalf of the industry. This plan in particular aims to grow investment in organic industry R&D from other sources and utilise RIRDC’s investment as a catalyst for growth in Australian science to underpin organic agriculture. The changing role of RIRDC is presented in Figure 1.2. The RIRDC Organic Program is the nucleus around which the Australian Organic Industry’s R&D Plan will develop and RIRDC’s role will evolve from being the leader to that of a core co-investor.

Plan Development
The process used to develop the plan is presented in Figure 1.3 and has been "top down", starting from an understanding of business drivers for Australia’s organic industry. Strategic imperatives arising from these are addressed within the constraints of the role of RIRDC, the resources available and the state of development of the industry.

Much preliminary work for the plan’s development was undertaken in the formulation of a 2004 application for a Cooperative Research Centre for Organic Food and Farming Technologies. Its continuing relevance was confirmed during this plan’s development. The CRC’s research was to be delivered through five integrated research, development, extension and education programs. An Organic Farming Systems research program was the cornerstone of the proposal. A key element of the success of organic systems, soil health, was a separate program – Improving Soils for Organic Food Supply and it was proposed to support these by a supply chain program – Organic Food Quality and Supply Technologies.

In recognition of the diversity and complexity of the "organic industry", an extensive stakeholder consultation process was undertaken. Organic industry stakeholder groups were identified along the supply chain (see Figure 1.4) and representatives of the groups consulted by a number of methods:

Organic Industry Structure
Australia’s organic industry is diverse and involves stakeholders through and across a range of supply chains. It encompasses the production and delivery to market of "commodity" products through to complex processed foods. Integrity of the industry is maintained through robust certification processes that are internationally recognised. The industry is experiencing rapid growth driven by consumer demand for products that are perceived to be clean, green and natural.

The industry is in transition from a fragmented sector to an industry in its own right. The industry has been working with the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) under the Industry Partnership Program to establish the structures necessary to support the growth of the industry. As already noted the OFA has been restructured to be the industry peak body. The three top priorities for the OFA and the organic industry are (Hassall & Associates 2005):

Characteristics of Organic Industry
Characteristics of the organic industry that are important in identifying its research needs are:

Farming Systems

The perception of organics varies widely.

Mainstream agriculture’s view is largely negative. The sector is either seen as so small it doesn’t deserve consideration, or it is seen as a threat because its practices are not understood or don’t meet conventional expectations.

The research community is largely negative as the industry is perceived to be unscientific, often resorting to the use of emotive arguments to influence public opinion.
Organic Industry Research and Development

Global Organic Research Investment

There has been exponential growth in global research related to organic systems in the last 10  years, with an estimated value of organic research programs within Europe of approx $120 million pa (Niggli 2004). With limited funds for research the Australian organic industry must strategically access and learn from international knowledge and experience. Key strategic considerations for access are the relevance of the research to the Australian industry and the potential accessibility that the industry will have to the research outcomes. A preliminary screening of international research activity shows that:

Similarly, the organic industry can learn from conventional knowledge where the value of research programs funded by the Grains Research &and Development Corporation (GRDC), Horticulture Australia Ltd (HAL), Meat &and Livestock Australia (MLA) and Dairy Australia (DA) in 2004/-05 was approx $260 million.

When considering conventional agricultural research in supporting innovation within the Australian organic industry, the key factor is the applicability of the research to organic systems, as access to the information is unlikely to be a barrier. Of particular importance is fundamental or underpinning science that builds understanding of system behaviour, along with scientific approaches and procedures not explored by the organic sector. Preliminary feedback gathered during the consultation process in developing this plan indicated that areas likely to be relevant to the organic industry include:

3. Key Challenges for Australia’s Organic Industry

• Organic Industry Business Drivers
• Organic Industry SWOT Analysis
• Strategic Imperatives for Organic R&D

The high level business needs that underpin the R&D plan are:

A SWOT analysis of Organic Industry from an R&D perspective is presented in Table 3.1.

Strategic Imperatives for Organic R&D

Based on the business drivers and SWOT analysis the following strategic imperatives for the R&D plan are:

Table 3.1 Organic Industry Related SWOT Analysis

Strengths 1 OFA established as peak industry body 2 Well established, credible certification systems 3 Research recognised as key driver for industry success 4 Demonstrated willingness to invest in R&D 5 Industry has many innovative highly committed practitioners 6 Well established industry information dissemination networks  7 Industry development role played by RIRDC is widely recognised

Opportunities 8 Positive market perception of organic produce 9 Large pool of international research and expertise in organic farming systems 10 Large pool of conventional agricultural science and knowledge not explored by organic sector 11 Well established high calibre conventional agriculture R&D infrastructure available within Australia  12 Significant potential for adoption of organic practices within conventional agriculture

Weaknesses 13 Industry diversity – cross sectoral and across multiple supply chains 14 Industry is small in terms of both Australian agriculture and international organic industry 15 Current organic industry R&D investment is small scale and widely dispersed 16 Current organic industry R&D investment is ad hoc because previous R&D Plans were too broad relative to resources available for investment 17 Current R&D is not perceived to have delivered knowledge based outcomes for industry. 18 No well developed or shared view in the industry of what R&D is, what it can enable, or how to manage it. 19 No established or clearly defined pathway to deliver industry benefits from research investment. 20 No focal point for organic industry knowledge management. 21 Organic industry is largely isolated from mainstream agricultural research.

Threats 22 Organic farming systems viewed negatively by conventional agriculture 23 Organic industry too small to justify serious consideration by commodity RDCs while their expectations for investment are becoming increasingly business outcome driven. 24 Convergence of organic and conventional farming systems leading to loss of organic identity and markets 25 Science of organic farming systems not understood or taken seriously by majority of agricultural research scientists 26 Significant food safety incident associated with organic foods

4. Industry Commitment
This plan has been developed in partnership with the industry peak body (OFA). The OFA is committed to the implementation of the plan and will support implementation with significant in-kind involvement of people, provision of knowledge and access to its industry networks. The OFA does not have a levy based funding stream and is not in a position to directly commit industry funds for research.

The development of this plan, and the earlier CRC application, identified a range of potential private and public sector co-investors in organic R&D with RIRDC. Implementation of this plan will aim to secure these and other similar investments.

Levies

Table 4.1 Value of levies + matched funds

The organic industry is contributing research levies to other Research &and Development Corporations (RDCs) eg MLA, GRDC, HAL, DA, GWRDC. The research levies are matched with Federal Government funding to a maximum of 0.5% of farm-gate value. These funds are invested in research that may have value for organic producers, however, they are not currently invested in a targeted or strategic manner that maximises their value to the organic industry. There is no evidence that any attempt has been made to promote extension of these outcomes to the organic industry.

Wynen 2003 estimated the value of research levies plus matching government funds for the Financial Year (FY) 2000/-01. This data has been scaled to the FY 2003/-04 based on more recent production data (Halpin 2004). It has then been projected to FY 2006/-07 based on observed growth rates. The results are summarised in Table 4.1

The plan aims to bridge the gap between organic and conventional agriculture and seek co-investment in projects where organic research will also benefit conventional agriculture and improve awareness and uptake by conventional agriculture of the science and practices underpinning organic farming.

At the time of development of this plan there is no plan for an organic levy for funding research and it is unlikely that a levy will be in place within the next three years. The plan has therefore been developed assuming that direct levy funds are not available.

Advisory Committee
A skills based Organic Industry R&D Advisory Committee will support RIRDC in the implementation of the plan with responsibilities that include:

5 . Research Directions
RIRDC Research Investment 1995-2005
Since 1995, RIRDC has been the major research investor to support the development of Australia’s organic industry. RIRDC has also played a key role in nurturing industry development.

Characteristics of RIRDC’s investment in organic research include:

RIRDC R&D Priorities 2006 - 2011

The breadth of areas for potential investment requires prioritisation to focus RIRDC’s investment. The plan is prioritised in three dimensions:

To achieve these objectives two principal outcomes have been identified as high priorities:

Supply Chain, Food Safety and Technical Issues
Supply chain issues are critical to the success of the organic industry however not all are technical issues requiring research. Key research priorities are:

Validation of Organic Farming System Performance
Scientifically validating the benefits of organic farming systems. The industry is driven by the belief that it offers a superior, sustainable solution when assessed on a holistic triple bottom line approach and that organic foods may be nutritionally superior to conventional foods. The long term viability of the industry will be dependent on its ability to substantiate these claims on a scientific basis.

Grains
The grains industry is the highest priority sector due to its significance within the food industry supply chain. Grains are integral to a large proportion of the food supply chain. It is directly fundamental to many baked and food products. In addition it is also an important source of feed to the meat, dairy and poultry industries. The supply of organic goods to a significant proportion of the food industry is not possible without a diverse and cost effective supply of organic grains.

Grains ranks third behind meat and horticulture in terms of the farmgate value of organic produce. Despite a worldwide shortage of organic grains, Australia is currently importing organic grains such as oats and wheat flour to make up our domestic shortfall. National organic organisation such as the OFA and the certifiers receive regular requests from around the world for organic grains from Australia. The current demand is very high on both the domestic and the export markets and represents a significant opportunity for Australian farmers.

Dairy
Organic dairy industry leaders in Australia are reporting a shortfall in milk to meet the growing demand for organic dairy products. The situation is even more drastic in the USA and the UK with both markets having to import organic dairy products to meet the shortfall.

The UK organic milk market is growing rapidly with many retailers reporting sales increases of over 50% in 2005. Sales have soared since scientific research found organic milk to have superior nutrient content than non-organic milk. Consumer demand for organic milk has broadened since several studies showed it to have higher levels of vitamin E, omega acids and conjugated linoleic acid than conventional milk.

There is enormous potential for Australian dairy farmers to access high value domestic and export markets by supplying the shortfalls, justifying this as the second priority sector.

Horticulture
Despite around 80% of certified organic farms being horticultural enterprises the organic horticultural sector is characterised by ad hoc supply chains that have periods of gross over and under supply with very mixed qualities. It makes it difficult for retailers to build up demand for products when they are unreliable in terms quality and quantity. Consumers need consistent quality and need to have the product on the shelf. Lack of acceptable quality and regular absences from the shelf results in consumers buying other brands – i.e., conventional instead of organic. Lack of consistent supply has been identified in most major organic markets around the world as the major impediment to growth. Coordinated and planned supply chains can even out the troughs and peaks in supply and quality. Australia is in the unique situation that many fruits and vegetable can be produced year round or over extended seasons by having growing districts from the tropical northern regions to the cool temperate southern regions.

The third priority sector is horticulture. Although less well integrated it is still a very important component of the food chain. More importantly however, is it’s significance to the organic sector in terms of the farmgate value of produce and the proportion of producers involved in the horticultural sector (Figures 2.1 and 2.2).

Meat
Australia has the potential to be an international force in organic meat production. Australia has more certified organic land than any other country, the majority of which is dedicated to extensive grazing operations. Furthermore, the fact that Australia is Foot and Mouth Disease and BSE free creates a further competitive advantage. The value of organic meat and the producers involved in meat production (Figures 2.1 and 2.2) justify meats inclusion as a priority sector.

While predominantly focused on beef and lamb, there is a fair range of organic meats produced in Australia such as veal, goat, poultry and pork. The organic meat industry is set to expand rapidly. In particular, there is growing demand in the food service sector and high-end eating establishments are featuring organic beef and lamb on their menus. Expansion is also likely in poultry and pork although organic is more problematic in intensive animal industries because of greater vulnerability to disease.

The supply of organic meat fluctuates more than its conventional counterpart as a result of the availability of organic feed. Much of Australia’s organic meat is sold through organic meat cooperatives to processors but matching supply and demand is a key constraint.

Other
Other sectors, e.g., fibre, fish and wine should be considered on a case by case basis driven by the willingness of the sector RDC or industry to co-invest in the programs defined in this plan. Aquaculture represents a significant opportunity where organic-acceptable feed is available, in particular grains.

Priority Knowledge Related Activities

Translation and adaptation of existing relevant knowledge
Translation and adaptation of existing knowledge is the fastest, most cost effective method of addressing industry knowledge gaps and facilitating uptake of organic systems practice. There are two sources of knowledge that need to be proactively mapped and continually screened for relevance and application to the Australian organic industry:

Assessment of the relevance of organic practices and knowledge to conventional agriculture should also be performed. Knowledge and practices that have benefit for improving conventional farming systems should be packaged and disseminated through more traditional extension/adoption routes.

Generation of new Australian specific knowledge
Areas where it is necessary to generate new knowledge occur where gaps are identified that are specific to the performance of organic systems within the Australian environment and supply chains. Where possible, underpinning modeling and fundamental/strategic research should be accessed or leveraged through international collaboration. The program does not have access to sufficient funding to invest in its own fundamental or strategic research at this phase of its development.

Co-investment in Organic Research and Development
The development of the CRC application and this plan identified a number of potential co-investors in organic research with RIRDC. Over the life of this plan RIRDC aims to expand Australian investment in organic research with the longer term objective of providing the industry with a sustainable organic research and knowledge base, and infrastructure. These include partnerships in areas of mutual interest with GRDC, DA, MLA and LWA (Land &and Water Australia).

The co-investment strategy must recognise the different expectations and benefits from partners and provide flexibility in models for collaboration to meet differing needs and capacities. Table  5.1 summarises potential co-investors and benefits that co-investment in organic research may provide. The commodity R&D corporations will benefit by developing alternatives for conventional farmers who wish to diversify out of unprofitable industry sectors.

It is important to note that although this plan has been developed to deliver benefits to the organic industry, there will also be significant spillover benefits to conventional agriculture. Because of the relative size of the organic and conventional sectors, a relatively low level of adoption of outcomes from the organic program by the conventional sector could deliver greater national benefit that a high level of adoption within the organic industry. Organic industry knowledge and practices have the potential to contribute meaningfully to the challenges facing conventional agriculture and food supply, in particular to improve on-farm sustainability (potentially through improved soil health) and reduction of chemical use throughout the food supply chain.

It is important to note that although this plan has been developed to deliver benefits to the organic industry, there will also be significant spillover benefits to conventional agriculture. Because of the relative size of the organic and conventional sectors, a relatively low level of adoption of outcomes from the organic program by the conventional sector could deliver greater national benefit that a high level of adoption within the organic industry. Organic industry knowledge and practices have the potential to contribute meaningfully to the challenges facing conventional agriculture and food supply, in particular to improve on-farm sustainability (potentially through improved soil health) and reduction of chemical use throughout the food supply chain.
 

6. The Research and Development Program
Organic R&D Program Goal
The program aims to deliver R&D to facilitate the organic industry’s capacity to meet rapidly increasing demand, domestically and globally.

Organic Industry R&D Objectives
The research objectives of the program in order of priority are to:

Organic Industry R&D Strategies
The plan consists of two interlinked strategies which over the life of the plan will be invested in as shown.

• % of RIRDC Investment
• The Australian Organic Hub 40%
• Organic Industry Research Program 60%

Organic Industry Research Program
The research program will be outcomes driven and investment will be strategically targeted to maximise the benefits for the Australian organic industry. Ideally investments in research will be through collaborative partnerships and involve end users in the planning, review and where appropriate directly in the research activity. New features of this plan relating to its management and broader objectives are:

• Research program established to address the main constraints to conversion of farms to organic production - cost and perceived risks of conversion, lack of relevant and practical information, inputs and control strategies, product quality and consistency of supply.
• Supply chain/ food safety issues identified and prioritised that are amenable to R&D.
• International collaborations proactively developed and maintained.
• International best practice translated into the Australian context.

Incorporate organic objectives in key areas of research for conventional agriculture, including plant variety testing on organic farms, development of plant-based biocides, and soil-P management in the absence of inputs of soluble P fertilizer (12% of budget)

• Evaluation of crop varieties for organic production incorporated into all major plant breeding programs.
• Co-investment secured for a program of research aimed at managing soil phosphorus without inputs of soluble P fertilizer.
• Co-investment secured into the development of novel plant-based biocides of importance to organic and conventional agriculture.

Key performance indicators:

• Experimental programs commenced on organic farms in key areas of weed management and non-chemical control of internal parasites in animals.

Develop indicators for agro-ecological assessment of organic farming systems (6% of budget)

• Key indicators of system performance utilised, to allow for scientific comparison of the performance of integrated farming systems.
• Co-investment secured to establish the relative sustainability of alternative approaches to agriculture, at landscape scale.

The rate of implementation of the plan is dependent on the funding that is available. The targets in the budget have been set at a level that is achievable by the industry at it’s current state of development. As more funding is secured from other co-investors the rate of implementation of specific programs can be increased.

A key aspect of the implementation of the plan is the linkage between the "Knowledge Management", and "Research Program" aspects of the plan. The project flow is illustrated in Figure  6.1.

An indicative budget for the program over the course of the plan is presented in Table 6.1.

Table 6.1 Organic Industry 5 Year R&D Plan (Indicative budget)

Financial Year (FY) Investor cash contributions ONLY	2006/-07	2007-/08	2008/-09	2009/-10	2010-/11
Organic Hub RIRDC Other investors	$80,000 $50,000	$130,000 $150,000	$175,000 $175,000	$200,000 $200,000	$200,000 $220,000
Research program RIRDC Other investors	$100,000 $30,000	$150,000 $120,000	$225,000 $250,000	$240,000 $280,000	$250,000 $330,000
Existing commitments RIRDC	$100,000	$30,000	$0	$0	$0
TOTAL RIRDC Other investors Total	$280,000 $80,000 $360,000	$310,000 $270,000 $580,000	$400,000 $425,000 $825,000	$440,000 $480,000 $920,000	$450,000 $550,000 $1,000,000

Organic Industry R&D Program Performance Indicators
There are many factors that contribute to the objectives of this plan. The relative contribution of any one factor is difficult to define. However for this plan, and R&D generally, to contribute to the achievement of these goals there are a number of necessary steps each of which is readily measured; the plan must be implemented, the plan must initiate appropriate activities that generate R&D outputs, and these outputs must have impact.

All general key performance indicators given below are indicative and will require review and on-going monitoring. Baseline data will be established in the first year and trends monitored and reviewed over subsequent years.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the plan as a whole are as follows:

Successful implementation of the new Organic R&D plan

Outputs from Organic R&D Plan 2006-2011

Impacts of Organic R&D plan 2006-2011

7. Adoption / Commercialisation Opportunities
The partnership between RIRDC and the organic industry is the basis of this plan and the priority for adoption is successful, widespread use of the practices and science underpinning organic systems by both organic and conventional agri-food supply chains.

The new Australian Organic Hub activities will accelerate application and impact of research outputs on Australia’s organic industry while adoption will be further improved on previous plans through the stronger involvement of industry practitioners in all aspects of the research program. The Hub will deliver a step change in delivery of knowledge / research output to the industry.

The sector research plans will include the development of a business case for each initiative identified within the plan. These business cases will identify potential commercialisation opportunities that will arise from the research. It is expected that some business cases will involve significant commercialisation potential, including two areas identified in Section 5, namely ‘biofertilisers’ and plant-based biocides that will be used in both organic and conventional agriculture.

In future plans, as the emphasis of work moves from the current applied focus to more strategic work, opportunities for commercialisation will increase.
 

Appendix 1: Alignment with Corporate and Government Priorities
The Organic Research Plan is strongly aligned with RIRDC and Government national and rural research priorities as outlined in Tables 8.1 and 8.2.,

Table 8.1 National Research Priorities and Associated Priority Goals

National Research Priority	Priority Goal	Organic Research Plan
Water – a critical resource
Transforming existing industries
Overcoming soil loss salinity and acidity
Sustainable use of Australia’s biodiversity
Responding to climate change and variability
Preventative healthcare
Strengthening Australia’s social and economic fabric
Smart information use
Promoting an innovation culture and economy

Table 8.2 Rural Research Priorities
 

Rural Research Priority	Organic Research Plan
Sustainable Natural Resource Management	Organic farming system research directly addresses the high priority expectation for research into designing farming systems that are more attuned to natural processes, are compatible with protection of biological diversity, minimise and avoid adverse off-farm impacts and maintain ecosystem function.
Improved Trade and Market Access	Technical barriers to market access are directly addressed in the supply chain program of the plan.
Improving Competitiveness through a Whole of Industry Approach	The supply chain focus that underpins this plan is directly aligned with this priority. Diversification into niche markets such as organic produce is a key risk management strategy of this priority area.
Maintaining and Improving Confidence in the Integrity of Australian Products	The supply chains project of food safety risk assessment directly addresses this priority.
Creating an Innovation Culture	The industry capability building components implicit in the plan will directly contribute to the development of an innovative culture within the organic industry

Appendix 2: Key Contacts for R&D Program

Dr Caroline Lemerle
General Manager
National Rural Issues
Rural Industries Research &and Development Corporation
Phone: 02 6272 4033
Fax: 02 6272 5877
Email: caroline.lemerle@rirdc.gov.au

Mr Don Fraser
Chairperson
RIRDC Organic Systems R&D Advisory Committee
Phone: 03 9841 7794
Mobile: 0411 286 179
Email: dofrase@attglobal.net

Mr Andre Leu
Chairperson
Organic Federation of Australia
Phone: 07 4098 7610
Email: leu@austarnet.com.au