Launch of the Primary Production and Processing Standard
28 June 2005
The Hon Christopher Pyne
Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen
Good morning.
I’m wearing two hats at this function.
The first, as Parliamentary Secretary, gives me government responsibility for Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) – an independent bi-national agency charged with developing food standards for Australia and New Zealand.
FSANZ occupies a pivotal role within a complex food regulatory system. This system involves the governments of ten jurisdictions, including the Australian and New Zealand Governments.
Local government, through environmental health officers attached to city and shire councils, also plays a crucial role in the effectiveness of the regulatory system, especially in matters of public hygiene and food safety.
My other hat is that of Chair of the Australia and New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council – the body that, three years ago, asked FSANZ to develop food safety standards for the primary production end of the food chain.
At that time, FSANZ had already developed food safety regulations for the manufacture and retail of food.
FSANZ was asked to extend its risk assessment and risk management processes for food safety to the farm – or the boat, as would be more appropriate here.
In this way, the Ministerial Council adopted a whole-of-chain or paddock-to-plate approach to food safety in this country.
I believe that the Ministerial Council’s decision to go down this path was a far-sighted initiative that will have favourable long-term consequences for Australia’s primary industries in the years to come.
Primary Production and Processing Standard for Seafood
The seafood industry was the first cab off the rank.
It was chosen because some States were starting to develop their own standards and because the industry itself had well-regarded codes of practice in place.
However, the seafood industry was also selected because of the enthusiasm of the industry itself for a national standard and because the industry had already laid down the foundations for such a standard.
Three years later, I am standing at the Sydney Fish Market to announce that the Primary Production and Processing Standard for Seafood is now law and will come fully into effect two years from now.
We have successfully plugged a gap in the seafood supply chain with national food safety laws.
This is the first time in Australia that an entire food sector has been covered by nationally consistent food safety regulations.
You may ask: if the seafood industry had codes of practice in place, why should the government step in with new regulations?
There are three main reasons: the Primary Production and Processing Standard for Seafood is national, enforceable and a visible sign to consumers and overseas markets that the Australian seafood industry operates to the highest international standards.
The scientific evaluation carried out by FSANZ into the seafood supply chain has been applauded by overseas experts as the most comprehensive study attempted anywhere in the world.
I share in FSANZ’s pleasure at receiving plaudits of this kind. It confirms that FSANZ has covered all the bases and should enhance public confidence in the safety of seafood sold in Australia.
Industry as a partner in regulation
Having said this, I repeat my earlier comment that FSANZ is but one element of Australia’s complex food regulatory system – albeit an important one.
There is no way in the world that we would be here today without the active participation of the seafood industry at all stages of the standard development process.
After all, this is where the knowledge lies. What does government know about working conditions on trawlers or the history and experiences underpinning current industry practices?
The seafood industry knows what it needs to be competitive and profitable. It must be doing something right to produce 300,000 tonnes of seafood a year, worth more than $2 billion.
Between them, government and industry – together with consumer groups – found a way to achieve an end result that satisfied their objectives.
I have been especially heartened by the way in which State and Territory jurisdictions have been major players throughout the standard-setting process.
The level of cooperation between the States and the Australian Government has, I believe, been exceptional.
It has more than lived up to the expectations of the Ministerial Council when, in 2002, the Council put in place the current arrangements for regulating the safety of the food supply.
I understand that the consultative mechanisms put in place enabled industry and consumers to have a critical input into discussions at the planning and scoping stages of the process.
This may have led to the protracted nature of the deliberations.
However, this model ensured that there were few loose ends towards the end of the process and is a model that FSANZ will adopt for other primary industries.
On behalf of the Ministerial Council, I thank all participants for their commitment to the project.
Consumer expectations
Today’s consumers expect – and have every right to expect – a safe and nutritious food supply.
The Australian Government acknowledges this expectation.
Through our departments and agencies, we will continue to provide the intellectual and financial resources needed to shape and grow our food industries in the direction we all want.
But nothing dents public confidence as surely or as quickly as a food safety incident.
Australian seafood is among the safest in the world. Consumers are voting with their stomachs and consuming, according to one industry source, more than 1.1 billion seafood meals a year.
This is a public confidence worth protecting.
I am confident that the Primary Production and Processing Standard for Seafood will make a difference – for consumers and for the industry’s reputation on world markets.
I have great pleasure, therefore, in officially launching the Standard – and an interpretive guide that tells you what it all means.
Thank you.