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Australian's Concerns Have Been Heard
Your Concerns Have Been Heard
Thank you to those of you who signed the recent petition that AUSBUY put forward about BSE, this news means reason prevails and Australians have been heard for now on this issue. Below is the announcement made yesterday rescinding the decision to allow beef imports from countries with potential BSE and a media release from the Canberra Times. We had a number of radio interviews in the week leading up to 1 March and this gave an opportunity for our message to be heard.
AUSBUY sent a petition to Parliament with around 1,300 names collected in a few days. We still have a long way to go.
The petition said:
Background (Preamble):
On 20 October 2009, the Australian Government announced a change in Australia’s BSE (Mad Cow) food safety policy for imported beef and beef products.
This means from the 1st March 2010 beef imports will be allowed from countries with a history of mad cow disease which clearly pose potential health risks unless strictly managed before they are sent to Australia.
Petition:
AUSBUY urges you to sign this petition to strictly regulate the importation of Beef from countries which have proven outbreaks of Mad Cow Disease "BSE".
We have higher quality management standards than imported countries. All Australian beef is tagged from birth allowing high quality control through the whole food chain. A steak in New York can be readily traced back to the farm in Toowoomba. We need to ensure that these strict rules under which our beef producers operate are the minimum standards for imports. BSE has a long gestation period and this needs to be taken into consideration. It will be too late if BSE is identified here. The whole of our beef industry will be shut down including our exports, which have already suffered with our high dollar. There is no guarantee that this will not get into the Australian food chain and infect our animals and our people. In addition, our farmers will lose a local market to supply our pies.
Trade is meant to be a service, not be the economy. Australians want to buy Australian food not foreign food, but despite AUSBUY'S submission to the Senate Inquiry into Truth in Labelling in late 2009 we are still denied the truth about the country of origin of foods on our labels. AUSBUY's research indicates consumers want to know the Country of Origin of their food. Country of Origin should be indicated on all processed and fresh foods not just the name of the country in which the food in processed but the source of all ingredients.
What We Need to Do Now
Now we need to give greater support to our beef producers because we know we have the best quality beef.
We need to sustain our requests for labelling laws which clearly show the Country of Origin not just where it was made.
We should also require the true ownership of products featured on labels.
We need to ensure that the principles by which Minister Burke has re-evaluated this decision should be the same for all food products which potentially bring disease to Australia and impact our growers. Why should we import food when our own farmers are struggling? Why should we import food that is not grown with the same environmental protocols our farmers meet? Why should we expect our producers to compete against products which are funded by their governments and do not have the same costs structures as our producers including lower transport costs to send products to markets?
These principles should be applied to other industries where Australia has comparative competitive advantages such as development of our resources, manufacturing and intellectual property which are often devalued here. We should retain controlling interest in our assets.
Media Release
Burke now demands BSE risk analysis
LUCY KNIGHT
08 Mar, 2010 02:54 PM
THE Federal Government has announced it will demand Biosecurity Australia conduct an Import Risk Analysis for beef imports destined to Australia following the easing of restrictions on countries which have had bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).
The announcement by Minister for Agriculture, Tony Burke, in Canberra today is a major win for the Opposition and many grassroots farmers who feared the previously announced import assessment would not be rigorous enough to uphold Australia's clean-green disease-free status.
Mr Burke has written to the Director of Biosecurity Australia requesting an Import Risk Analysis for fresh beef (chilled or frozen) from countries other than New Zealand be commenced.
The Government had promised a risk assessment in its recently released import protocols, which included a questionnaire for completion by prospective export nations.
There would not have been any requirement for Australian experts to personally verify the statements, and Australians would only conduct their own inspections if there was further cause for concern.
The change to an IRA will mean Australians will control a more thorough investigation process which could last as long as two years.
The decision will thrill the Opposition which has called for the IRA process to help safeguard Australia's image both domestically and with important export customers, like Japan and Korea.
Peak cattle lobby groups had argued against the need for an IRA because of the length of time such an investigation would take and the burden that would place on international trading partners.
But Mr Burke has now acknowledged the groundswell of community concern surrounding the change in import rules.
"Since the Government decision, there has been considerable community discussion about the methods which would be used to determine protocols for imports," Mr Burke said.
"There has been significant community concern raised questioning whether or not the protocols which were to be put in place, adequately engaged the community and the extent to which they were different from a legislated Import Risk Analysis.
Announcement from the Minister’s Office
Import Risk Analysis for beef imports
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Tony Burke has today written to the Director of Biosecurity Australia requesting an Import Risk Analysis for fresh beef (chilled or frozen) from countries other than New Zealand be commenced.
On 1 March 2010, The Rudd Government withdrew the previous blanket ban on any beef imports from countries that had ever had a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).
“Since the Government decision, there has been considerable community discussion about the methods which would be used to determine protocols for imports,” Mr Burke said
“There has been significant community concern raised questioning whether or not the protocols which were to be put in place, adequately engaged the community and the extent to which they were different from a legislated Import Risk Analysis.
“These community concerns have been brought to me directly through Labor backbench colleagues and through the media
“I have formed a view that conducting an Import Risk Analysis is the best way of reassuring the Australian community that effective protocols will be put in place to provide for the safety of imports.
“There are three differences between the decision I have taken today and the process which has been available since the 1st March; this is a formal process with statutory time lines, guaranteed opportunities for community engagement and consultation, and involvement of the eminent scientists group.
“I stress that the original method for determining protocols was science based and similarly provided for safety for consumers.
“In light of community concern there is considerable benefit in adopting the tried and true method for assessing imports which applies to each commodity.
“The policy which was previously announced, remains in place but the method at arriving at the protocols will have a higher level of formality.
“I remain firmly committed to Australia having rigorous standards in food safety and a science based biosecurity system. This decision will help deliver both.”
