March 30, 2010
Australian farmers produce some of the best quality beef in the world and Australian consumers are protected by the safest food standards in the world… we need to do everything in our power to keep it that way.
That’s why the debate over the Rudd Labor Government’s decision to allow beef imports from countries where Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (commonly known as ‘mad cow disease’) has been previously detected, is the subject of community concern.
It should be stressed that there has never been a case of mad cow disease detected in Australia.
With this in mind we should all be continuing to support our Australian beef industry by enjoying the many products on offer. I will have no hesitation in cooking up a steak on the barbie or buying a pie at the local bakery and I encourage other Gippslanders to support our local beef producers by doing the same.
Having said that, the community concerns regarding the future importation of beef products from nations where mad cow disease has been previously detected should not be ignored by the Labor Government.
The Nationals and Liberal Party have taken these concerns on board and a Private Members’ Bill has been put forward by the Shadow Minister for Agriculture John Cobb to bring the debate before both houses of Federal Parliament.
The Bill has since been passed in the Senate and a government backflip has resulted in the Agriculture Minister announcing an Import Risk Analysis will now be conducted for beef imports destined for Australia.
I am supporting the Bill because I don’t believe importing beef from countries where mad cow disease has been detected, without appropriate checks and balances, is in the best interests of Gippsland’s beef producers.
Through the establishment of the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) and other measures, we have built a reputation for having the safest meat in the world. Our number one priority should be keeping this reputation intact and continuing to set the highest standards in food security throughout the world.
The Bill that the Coalition has introduced ensures that any beef being imported into Australia is subject to the same high quality and traceability standards that local beef producers currently deliver.
In effect, we are aiming to level the playing field by including a stipulation that there must be an equivalent system to our NLIS in place before any country which has had cases of mad cow disease detected in the past can import beef into Australia.
There is no logical reason for allowing a lower standard for imported beef when our own beef producers continue to meet the high standards expected of them by our government and the community.