History of Australia’s regulatory response to BSE as it relates to food safety:
Imports of British beef products were suspended in 1996 by Commonwealth agencies, including FSANZ (then ANZFA) and the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) as an interim measure to protect the Australian population from exposure to the BSE agent. This suspension was expanded o n January 8, 2001 to include the importation of beef products and virtually all foods containing beef from 30 European countries that had either reported cases of BSE or had exposure to high risk factors. This was followed by the introduction of an emergency regulatory measure, under section 37 of the AustraliaNew Zealand Food Authority Act 1991 which amended the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code to require bovine meat and bovine-derived food ingredients in the Australian food supply to be derived from animals free from BSE. This emergency measure excluded milk and dairy products, gelatine, fats and tallow, collagen from bovine skins and hides, and non-beef flavourings.
FSANZ subsequently undertook a comprehensive scientific risk assessment , in consultation with national and international experts, which examined the available scientific data and information to evaluate the risk to human health from consumption of beef and beef products containing the BSE agent. This assessment was released by FSANZ in August 2002. Based on this risk assessment, FSANZ recommended a refinement of the emergency measure to require bulk tallow and bone-derived gelatine to be derived from cattle free from BSE.
The requirement that bovine meat and meat products must be derived from animals free from bovine spongiform encephalopathy forms Standard 2.2.1 , Clause 11. Food products that are exempt from these requirements are;
- collagen and gelatine from bovine skins and hides;
- bovine fat and/or tallow included as a minor ingredient of a processed product (no more than 300 g/kg of the food); and
- dairy products sourced from bovines.
The BSE requirements are implemented through a country categorisation and certification scheme. The framework for this scheme is set out in the policy “ BSE: Human health requirements for the importation of beef and beef products (8 July 2001) ”.