Primary Production and Processing Standard for Dairy
(Australia only)
Standard 4.2.4 Primary Production and Processing Standard for Dairy Products was gazetted on 5 October 2006 and is now part of Chapter Four of the Food Standards Australia New Zealand: Food Standards Code. There is a two year implementation period for the Standard which means dairy businesses will be required to comply with the Standard by 5 October 2008.
The Standard sets out a number of food safety requirements including the implementation of documented food safety programs for dairy primary production, collection, transportation and processing. However the Standard does not apply to retail activities, these are covered by the requirements of the Chapter 3 Food Safety Standards.
To help with interpreting Standard 4.2.4, FSANZ is developing an Interpretive Guide.This guide is intended primarily for use by government agencies responsible for enforcing the requirements of the Standard. However the guide may also assist dairy businesses with interpretation of the standard through its explanations and examples. It is anticipated that a draft of the Guide will be available for comment in February 2007.
Dairy businesses who would like to seek additional guidance on how to comply with the requirements of the Standard are encouraged to contact their State or Territory Dairy Authority.
Background to development of the Standard
A Dairy Standard Development Committee (SDC) comprising of members from industry, government and consumers assisted FSANZ to develop the Standard.
- An Initial Assessment Report was released in December 2004 inviting comments on the scope of the standard and outlined the risk analysis approach underpinning the standard development process.
- A Draft Assessment Report was released for a second round of public consultation in March 2006. The report contained information about the scientific evaluation process, the regulatory impact analysis and proposed management options.
- A Final Assessment Report was completed in September 2006 and the FSANZ Board approved the new Standard. The Standard essentially consolidated existing regulatory measures into a single set of outcome-based national requirements.