Politician wants protection for Australian beef
Federal member for Mayo, Rebekha Sharkie, with the help of federal member for Kennedy, Bob Katter, are hoping parliament will pass their bill, designed to protect the reputation of Australian beef producers.
“Australia’s meat industry and the Australian government have invested billions of dollars on opening up and developing markets, improving the quality of Australian meat and ensuring the reliability and safety of the food supply chain,” said Sharkie.
“We need to safeguard that investment, and the future of 35,000 full-time equivalent jobs in the meat processing industry, by ensuring other enterprises don’t take a free ride on that brand recognition or - worse - ruin Australia’s reputation by selling meat that is substandard or processed in an environment where the risks are unknown.”
Blow to reputation
According to the politician, Australia’s red meat and livestock industry - including export markets - was worth $22.9 billion (bn). The country currently exported $7.15bn worth of beef annually in addition to the live exports of cattle, Sharkie said. 1.12 million cattle of the 7.83m head last year were sent overseas as live exports. It is claimed that 100,000 people are indirectly employed through the industry in sectors including transport and storage.
Sharkie pointed to the west as reasons to crackdown on protecting Australian beef. “You only have to look at other food contamination scandals, the Mad Cow Disease scare in the UK or the E.coli outbreak in the Jack in the Box hamburgers in the US, to realise how easily an industry can take a blow to its reputation,” she said.
“When overseas buyers pay a premium for an Australian steak, they know they are purchasing a meat cut that will not only taste delicious, but it has been ethically and hygienically prepared.”
The bill was introduced by Sharkie to the Lower House yesterday, Monday 19 June. It has been suggested that companies that break the potential law could face a maximum penalty of £1.1m, with indviduals facing fines of $220,000.
