Author and DPI organic farming liaison officer, Robyn Neeson, at the launch at Cleaver’s Meats organic butchery of the new guide for organic conversion for livestock enterprise, with Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald (right) and Terry Healey, chair of the Organic Ministerial Advisory Council.

An organic Sydney butchery - wonderfully named Cleaver’s Meats - recently hosted the launch of an organic production guide designed to take the confusion out of the conversion to organic livestock production.

Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald launched the Going Organic livestock conversion guide, aimed at rangeland farmers, at the Neutral Bay butchery.

"Organically produced meats are becoming increasingly popular amongst Sydney consumers, and this is a great way to inform customers about the efforts producers make," Mr Macdonald said.

"Gaining organic certification can be a challenge, and hopefully, this guide will help make the transition to organics a smooth one for those producers in the western NSW rangelands.

"It is also designed to help farmers already involved in organic production, who are looking to further diversify."

Mr Macdonald said the publication, jointly funded by the NSW Government and Rural Industries Research Development Corporation (RIRDC), was regarded as particularly significant for the organics industry.

"This is a growing, specialised industry which is becoming increasingly professional and competitive, and is now valued at $A370 million," he said.

The guide is the first in a series of three, developed through a series of workshops between Department of Primary Industries staff and organic industry members, and was reviewed by key certifying organisations.

Topics covered include livestock breed varieties, pest control, chemical usage and identifying both domestic and export market opportunities.

It provides useful information on how to manage the livestock production enterprise through the conversion process, to gain organic certification.

Copies of the booklet Going Organic: Organic Livestock Production - a conversion package for organic livestock production in the rangelands of western New South Wales cost $30 each, are available through RIRDC enquiries.

Phone (02) 6271 4100 or go to the RIRDC web site http://www.rirdc.gov.au