The Victorian government in Australia has announced a new food security agency in order to create a more rationalized regulatory system.
The initial reaction of two dairy industry groups against the move said that the current system worked.
The objective of safe food Victoria is to better protect public health and give communities to trust their food safety. The authority will fall under the Minister of Agriculture and should start operations in mid-20126, subject to the adoption of the legislation.
Ros Spence, Minister of Agriculture, said: “”Safe Food Victoria will provide simpler processes and greater coherence for Victorian food companies while maintaining the excellent standards and expertise of existing regulators. »»
Consolidation plans
Food security in Victoria is currently governed by four laws and supervised by several regulators. Responsibility is shared between ministries, ministers, dairy food security Victoria, Primesafe and local councils. Primesafe regulates meat, seafood, poultry and pet meat in the state.
The new agency will consolidate these authorities – bringing Victoria in accordance with other jurisdictions.
Specialized knowledge, skills and expertise between existing regulators will be maintained and there will be no layoffs due to reforms.
Victorians have been encouraged to have their say on the role of the new organization, with comments used to help shape its concentration and priorities. Submissions can be made until October 17, 2025.
Once the food is safe that Victoria is established, other works will be undertaken to modernize laws, improve tools and responsibilities to manage food security and provide a stronger and more flexible system that reduces risks.
“Safe food Victoria will fulfill major regulatory functions to effectively provide the critical public health functions to ensure the security of victorians,” said Mary-Anne Thomas, Minister of Health.
Negative reaction
Plans have already been welcomed by a certain resistance. The United Dairy Farmers of Victoria (UDV) said that this decision should not compromise security and lead to an increase in costs for the dairy industry.
Bernie Free, president of the UDV, called on the government to clarify its decision and the absence of a profitability analysis.
“This decision united in industry in opposition to these so-called reforms. Replacing a proven and neutral and expensive specialized regulator with a single bureaucracy size will simply not work. Where is proof that the DFSV does not work?, Said Free.
Australian dairy producers (ADF) said that the consultation seemed “tokenist”.
“The so-called consultation looked like an ultimatum. You cannot consult when you do not bring any real options to the table, you can only apply your decision,” said Ben Bennett, president of the ADF.
“This is a solution in search of a problem. Do not dismantle a proven specialized regulator and replace it with a bureaucracy at a single size.
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