Extra funding to boost organic farming opportunties has been allocated in this year's Budget, Agriculture Minister Jim Sutton said.

Mr Sutton said that $100,0001 had been allocated to enable the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to set up and run a set of national minimum standards for organic farming.

Another $150,000 had been allocated to continuing a small growers' organic development programme to assist people towards certification as organic producers. This funding continues the work the Soil and Health Association has been carrying under contract to MAF.

Mr Sutton said the organic sector was a rapidly-growing part of agriculture in New Zealand.

"The Government is supportive of organic agriculture. It adds a diversity to our exports and provides choice for our consumers. The development of a national standard for organics is an important step for the industry. It will bring consistency across the country and will give certainty to consumers, who have demonstrated they support organic produce."

Mr Sutton said Parliament's primary production select committee had recently completed a review of organic agriculture, and had highlighted opportunities for future growth.

"This extra funding will go some way towards that potential."

Ends

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>