Recent changes to BSE import policy
On 20 October 2009, the Australian Government announced a change in Australia’s bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) food safety policy for imported beef and beef products setting new requirements for countries that wish to export beef and beef products to Australia. The policy change came into effect on 1 March 2009.
The Cattle Council of Australia supports modernising the import policy setting being adjusted to a risk-assessment approach because we believe it is in the best interests of Australian beef cattle producers.
The Cattle Council represents 15 million cattle directly through its State Farming Organisation members, including AgForce (representing Queensland producers) Tasmanian Farmers Graziers Association (representing Tasmanian producers), Victorian Farmers Federation (representing Victorian producers), Western Australia Farmers Federation (representing WA producers), Northern Territory Cattlemen's Association (representing Northern Territory producers) and NSW Farmers' Association (representing NSW producers).
Why does the Cattle Council support the policy change?
In the event of a single case of BSE being detected in this country, domestic beef could be removed from the shelves and major trading partners could lock us out of their markets.
This would have a disastrous and long term impact on the entire beef production chain. All sales, deliveries, processing, wholesaling and retailing would grind to an immediate halt with the loss of tens of thousands of jobs.
Our trading partners underpin their assessment of Australia’s capacity to trade by scientific principles.
Cattle Council supports the policy being adjusted to better align with international standards and trading policies that are backed by science to avoid a trading backlash. Failing to address Australia's inconsistent policy could put some of Australia’s $6 billion worth of beef exports a year in jeopardy.
Imports into Australia from the policy change will have little impact on Australian beef cattle producers. America imported 34 tonnes on average per year into Australia in the five years prior to Australia imposing the ban on the US. This compares with Australia's annual exports to the US of 280,000 tonnes and to the world of 968,000 tonnes (2008-09). The risk of imports competing with local products is nothing compared to Australia’s risk of losing our second largest export market, America, from an outdated policy.
Major beef-trading countries around the world have already adjusted their trade rules in recognition of modern science.
For example, New Zealand, which holds a similar clean image to Australia’s, changed its rules three years ago and retains the same BSE-FREE status and clean, green image. Only small amounts of US beef has been exported to NZ since the policy change. BSE is a non-issue in New Zealand.
FSANZ has assured us that the BSE agent will not enter this country.
Visit the FSANZ website to learn further about the requirements for countries that wish to export beef and beef products to Australia.
Any overseas country wishing to export beef to Australia must make an application to the Australian Government’s BSE Food Safety Assessment Committee for individual country risk assessment to address human health and food safety issues (led by FSANZ).
Biosecurity Australia will conduct country specific quarantine determinations based on animal health.
In addition, an Import Risk Analysis (IRA) will now be conducted. This request was made by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
The Cattle Council believes the IRA process should be conducted for scientifically justified reasons. For example, if countries deemed ‘high-risk’ applied to export beef to Australia than the Council would support a thorough IRA.
Learn further about the handling of market access requests and quarantine requirements for beef and beef products for human consumption by Biosecurity Australia.
View a graph demonstrating Biosecurity Australia's process for considering market access requests.
What is the beef industry doing about the policy change?
The industry is ensuring that the Australian Government takes into account all of Australia’s requirements under existing protocols – such as equivalency of livestock traceability, food safety, animal health, surveillance, feeding and slaughter practices.
The Cattle Council is calling on the Federal Government to:
1. Undertake whatever risk assessment is required to ensure that the BSE prion never enters the Australian human or animal food chain.
2. Ensure traceability in the import protocol delivers equivalency of outcomes to the Australian standards, that is, traceback and traceforward, including cohorts. We expect no more or no less to what we currently deliver to our domestic and international consumers.
Other information:
Article: BSE, a case of do unto others
Cattle Council's opening statement to the Senate Inquiry into BSE, 22.02.10
About the new policy
The new policy came into effect on 1 March 2010. Under this policy, certain beef and beef products may be imported from countries that apply and are assessed by Australian authorities as being able to demonstrate they have in place, and appropriately monitor, controls necessary to ensure that beef and beef products exported to Australia are derived from animals free of BSE.
Read the Government's statement on the new policy.
Why can’t we just keep the policy as it was?
The previous policy no longer reflects the latest scientific knowledge surrounding the disease and the food safety systems that the beef industry worldwide has developed and implemented.
In the unlikely event a case of BSE is ever found in an Australian animal, the previous policy stipulated that State food/health authorities had the right to remove all beef from domestic shelves right across the country. Therefore, in such a case, not only would we lose access to our 114 export markets, but we could also lose our largest and most loyal market for beef – our domestic market. The industry could not support such an unacceptable situation and this policy change removes the ability for this to happen.
The Red Meat Advisory Council comprises a membership of five Peak Industry Councils: Cattle Council of Australia, Sheepmeat Council of Australia, Australian Lot Feeders' Association, Australian Livestock Exporters' Council and Australian Meat Industry Council and supports the policy change.
