Date of issue: 1 October 2025
Date of effect: Immediate
Reference number: MAA 2025-05
Attention
- Industry bodies
- Organic Approved Certifying Bodies (ACB)
- Exporters
- Organic operators
Purpose
This Market Access Advice (MAA) is to notify exporters, ACBs and other stakeholders that the scope of the organics equivalence agreement between Australia and Japan has been broadened to include alcoholic beverages, effective from 1 October 2025.
Key points
- The scope of the equivalence agreement is now as follows
- organic plant and organic plant products,
- organic livestock products,
- organic processed food, and
- organic alcoholic beverages.
- Exporters should note the following organics products are excluded from the equivalence agreement:
- honey
- fishery products, and
- cosmetics.
- In addition, the below product types that fall under section 5.6 (Produce labelled as in-conversion) of the National Standard for Organic and Bio-Dynamic Produce cannot be exported from Australia to Japan:
- certified in-conversion livestock products, and
- processed products that contain certified in-conversion livestock ingredients.
- The Manual of Importing Country Requirements (Micor) has been updated to reflect this market access advice.
Further information
Please contact OrganicExports@aff.gov.au or ExportStandards@aff.gov.au if you have any queries.
The information provided in this advice is current at the time of writing and is intended for use as guidance only and should not be taken as definitive or exhaustive. The Commonwealth endeavours to keep information current and accurate, however, it may be subject to change without notice. Exporters are encouraged to verify these details with their importers prior to undertaking production/exports. The Commonwealth will not accept liability for any loss resulting from reliance on information contained in this notice.