Coalition fights to protect Australians from mad cow disease
24-February-2010
Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton has backed a move to block the Rudd Government’s attempts to lift the ban on the importation of beef from countries affected by BSE.
Mr Coulton said the Coalition will introduce a Private Members Bill into both houses of Parliament that will protect both Australians and the nation’s beef industry from the threats posed by mad cow disease.
He said the bill would ensure that the Department of Agriculture undertake an Import Risk Assessment on beef imported from countries which have had BSE outbreaks.
“It is terribly concerning that the government are prepared to import beef into Australia from countries that have had BSE outbreaks without conducting a simple risk analysis or allowing the proposal to be adequately scrutinised in Parliament,” he said.
“The accountability and transparency that currently protects the Australian beef industry is being ripped away.
“Our industry legally requires a National Livestock Identification Scheme to sell beef to Australian consumers and it is astounding that we are now set to introduce a system that will allow beef in from countries which have lower food safety and quarantine standards than our producers.”
Mr Coulton said the beef industry was worth millions of dollars to the Parkes electorate and provided employment to hundreds of people.
“The many towns in the Parkes electorate that are heavily reliant on the beef industry for their survival would suffer incredibly if there was an outbreak of BSE in Australia,” he said.
“I have been receiving many, many phone calls from constituents who are extremely concerned about the threat that importing beef from countries which have experience mad cow disease will pose.
“Agriculture Minister Tony Burke is playing Russian roulette with our beef industry. His refusal to demand an Import Risk Assessment and update the import protocols for all countries which are currently banned from importing beef into Australia because they have had BSE outbreaks is a disgrace.”