NORTH East and Southern Riverina farmers labelled the decision to end the ban on beef imports from countries once affected by mad cow disease as “a step backwards” and a “bloody joke”.
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The 10-year ban on imports will be lifted on Monday, sparking a row over the possible risk to public health and to Australia’s international reputation as an exporter of beef.
Changes to be introduced will utilise the World Organisation for Animal Health risk assessment methodology to undertake a risk assessment to determine whether products from a country represent a risk to the health of Australian consumers.
However, farmers in the region are not happy about the Federal Government’s decision.
Bonegilla beef farmer Lindsay Rapsey labelled the importation of meat from countries which have experienced mad cow disease as a “bloody joke”.
“It’s a bit late once it gets in,” Mr Rapsey said.
“We’re isolated now because we’re clean and green and we’ve got the best market in the world but they want to let someone else in.
“The whole agriculture industry is a disaster because of bungling by outside parties.”
Mr Rapsey, who supplies beef to four Border butchers, fears suppliers, like himself, will be undercut due to the volume of imported meat.
“It’s just one part of a raft of issues that are knocking producers and the producers have got no redress because the farmers’ federations aren’t working for their benefit,” Mr Rapsey said.
Bungowannah farmer Eric Lavis said the Government was taking a step backwards by lifting the ban.
“It will create a third-world nation out of Australia within five years, because if Australia doesn’t keep the agriculture sector going they will starve and won’t be able to generate sufficient export income to pay for imports coming in to Australia,” he said.
Meanwhile, Meat and Livestock Australia director Lucinda Corrigan said she was still waiting to see how authorities wrote the new regulation.
Editorial — page 22
