CERTIFIED ORGANIC LUPINS
Cost: $30 per 30kg bag. Transport extra.
Telephone Trish Esslemont on 9276 8878.
My husband and I are moving to save money to buy farmland in our homeland Trinidad and I will have a work visa through his own. I have done a PDC, 2 week internship and woofing for 3 months in Australia earlier this year and am voraciously reading all I can but would be great benefit for me if I could work or volunteer at seed savers and farms in Perth.
If there is an opportunity to do so with you or if you can link me with anyone I would greatly appreciate.
Thanks,
Patrice. Contact – patricemclarke@gmail.com
What is L.E.T.S.?
L.E.T.S. is a local and global community trading network using a ‘complementary currency’ that is never in short supply. Why? …Because it is created by members when they buy and sell goods and services. That is why L.E.T.S. is an ideal opportunity for community groups, clubs and associations to achieve closer member involvement and participation. Worldwide, L.E.T.S. has many permaculturists and organic grower members who see it as a convenient, community-based way to buy and sell produce as well as trade many, many other items. An example is Queensland’s Tablelands L.E.T.S. which has a monthly turnover of over $100,000, with a membership of over 300 (http://lets.clearwater.com.au).
When any services or goods are provided by members, you pay them in CCs, the Perth L.E.T.S. currency. They use these same CCs to purchase products and services available via Perth L.E.T.S. and associated Exchanges of which there are over 60 in Australia alone – and 324 worldwide. Take a peek at www.ces.org.za and you will see how such alternative systems operate in hundreds of linked locations worldwide, including 70 in Australia.
What you can do:
You can join Perth L.E.T.S. from the www.ces.org.za website (click on Register > Australia > Perth)…
Or… call me to assist and for further information. By the way, membership is FREE! And you can start trading right away – without money.
I look forward to joining forces with you.
Friendly greetings
Adrian Doesburg
Administrator Perth L.E.T.S.
9498 1555
adriandoesburg@yahoo.com.au
Organic is free range as consumers assume it to be, ‘plus’, notes organic farming and consumer organisation the Biological Farmers of Australia Ltd (BFA), with standards being among the world’s highest.
The recent controversy with the ACCC case against claims of ‘free to roam’ with birds in barns permitted no more than an A4 page size area each, as well as the questioning of proposals to allow up to 20,000 birds per hectare to be classified as ‘free range’, has brought into question the validity of some free range claims. Such questions are supported by the BFA noting that there are legitimate labels and standards for ‘free range’ that consumers should actively look for, but like with organic, if it is not certified, consumers may not get what they pay for.
Dr Andrew Monk, BFA Standards Convenor says, “Consumers who want truly free range in addition to artificial additive, antibiotic and synthetic agrichemical-free, should look for the recognised and respected Organic Bud logo with the words ‘Australian Certified Organic’ to be assured they are buying what the label claims. The organic standards include the stringent of stocking arrangements, and dietary and livestock management requirements, as part of the overall holistic ethos that is organic.”
Organic allows a maximum average of 2500 birds per hectare over the farm unit and has clear specifications of stocking rates within shed structures, along with a real requirement to roam – not just in a barn but on the range. Organic chickens are required to be managed on an organic diet, with only a small allowance for feed supplements that cannot be obtained organically (minerals, vitamins, etc). At least 95% of their farm sourced diet must come from certified organic sources.
“There is a legitimate price difference for certified organic products. for which the consumer is getting far more than just a bird that lives its life outside of a cage,” Dr Monk says.
The BFA has recently weighed into the debate over labeling via its submission to the Blewett Review, specifically requesting free range claims to require the same sort of standards and industry code rigour that the organic sector has been used to for some years, along with calls for increased scrutiny and resourcing by the ACCC and now Consumer Affairs in each State under the new Consumer laws which have replaced parts of the Trade Practices Act.
Australia has arguably set the highest organic standards in the world for livestock, agricultural and food. Consumers however should only ever buy certified products with a recognised industry logo such as the Organic Bud logo.
By buying organic livestock products you are:
- Helping in the animal welfare movement, ensuring animals live cage free and in more natural conditions – truly free to roam on a range, not just a barn;
- Helping farmers look after the environment, avoiding synthetic pesticides and herbicides as well as antibiotics and other drugs and growth promoting products;
- Buying some of the best foods on the Australian marketplace for your health, your family’s health, and that of the planet: and by doing so, doing something positive and real for our climate, for our soils and for our precious and delicate Australian environment.
Dr Andrew Monk, BFA Standards Convenor; BFA Director: Mob 0429 960 044 |
