Logistics deal for Australian organic producers

The National Association for Sustainable Agriculture (NASAA) in Australia is partnering with global logistics company 20cube to provide total transparency for the organic supply chain. In an Australian first, 20cube has been certified to handle and transport organic products domestically and internationally, according to a press release.

The deal, signed at 20cube’s office in Brisbane in September, is NASAA’s next step in boosting domestic and export opportunities for Australian organic produce, particularly in China. NASAA General Manager Ben Copeman said with the 20cube deal NASAA now had the whole supply chain covered to offer organic producers complete product integrity from the paddock to the retailer’s shelf. “NASAA Certified Operators can now have all their certifications including NASAA, NOP, JAS, Chinese and Korean completed in one annual inspection by one inspector at one time representing significant savings in time, logistics and expenses. 20cube Director, Consulting and Supply Chain Solutions John McNally said company employees had completed the same certification course as NASAA inspectors: “We are certified with AQIS and last year carried out 30 biosecurity inspections in 14 countries, so the transition to organic certification was seamless due to our existing skills and awareness of the importance of supply chain integrity.
 

In March 2014, NASAA signed an initiative with Chinese organic certifier CHC allowing NASAA based, CHC trained and approved inspectors to certify Australian products to Chinese Organic Regulations for direct export to China. In August 2014, long term NASAA employee Wenpeng You was approved to undertake organic inspections within Australia for all organic categories, covering Plant Production, Processing, Animal Breeding and Aquaculture. More information is available here.