February 5, 2010

Australia's decision to relax beef import threatens jobs

The Australian government's decision to allow beef to be imported from countries that have had outbreaks of mad cow disease could put 300,000 people out of work in a week.

The upper house's Rural, Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee is examining the government's decision to relax beef import restrictions.

In October last year, the government announced that from March 1, 2010, it would import beef from countries that are able to demonstrate they have appropriate controls in place to ensure beef products coming into Australia are free of BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) - or mad cow disease.

"Such a move would put 300,000 out of work in a week," a submission from the Australian Beef Association to the inquiry said.

"No government in the world did this when BSE broke out within their borders," the association said.

Australia has made much of being free of diseases like FMD, BSE, Blue Tongue and Scrapie and had gone further to promote the nation's image with its National Livestock Identification System.

Despite these factors the nation's producers are receiving the second lowest prices in the developed world, the association said.

"By allowing in beef from BSE-affected countries, we are relinquishing this much-touted selling advantage," the association said.

Veterinary surgeon Bob Steel told the inquiry once countries that have BSE were allowed to export beef, there was uncertainty surrounding how effective and thorough the overseas testing would be.

Professor John Mathews, who was the federal government's consultant over its changes to the import restrictions, rejected suggestions the government should wait to relax the restrictions until the new testing processes for BSE are proven more comprehensively.

"The combination of control mechanisms that are in place in the UK and other BSE-affected countries have brought the risk of BSE in those populations down," he said.