Question Time

Horticultural Food Safety Regulations

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (14:31): I seek leave to make a brief explanation prior to addressing a question to the Minister for Primary Industries about melons, berries and leafy vegetables.

Leave granted.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI: I have been in conversations with the growers and stakeholders of the commercial horticultural sector, who are alarmed by a horticultural food safety regulations discussion paper. Despite being told multiple times during the consultation stage that an additional fee, dubbed a 'lettuce tax', for food safety certification of melons, berries and assorted leafy vegetables was unfair, unworkable and unnecessary, the Department of Primary Industries has still gone ahead with presenting the exact fees and regulations that industry advised not to introduce. My questions to the Minister for Primary Industries are:

1. Does the minister concede that this new fee does nothing to improve food safety standards for already regulated and certified growers?

2. Does the minister concede that this is yet another tax on farmers that will directly impact on the cost of fresh produce for South Australians?

3. Will the minister commit, on the record, to not following through with the discussion paper and commit to not implementing a new food safety certification fee for those regulated growers who already paid for, and have obtained, a food safety certificate?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (14:32): I thank the honourable member for her question. First, a little bit of background: this is about food safety, and I would imagine that most consumers would expect that when they buy berries, leafy vegetables and melons they are already subject to food safety requirements, and would be surprised to hear that that has not necessarily been the case until now. There are new national standards under the national Food Standards Code for these, and the task now is to work out how we can best apply them here in South Australia. The discussion paper that has been released refers to possible options, and it asks industry for feedback and to suggest any other options. It does not propose a new tax.

I am advised that there has been an increase in the number of incidents involving foodborne disease, including horticulture, with horticulture accounting for nearly 10 per cent of all recalls. When recalls occur it obviously puts additional pressure on producers and growers. We don't want to see food recalls because it indicates that there is something that has broken down in terms of the chain. I think the public is keen to have confidence that their food is safe from disease.

A discussion paper, it may surprise those opposite to know, is for discussion. That is why it's called a discussion paper. It puts forward options and it invites other options. Feedback is open until the middle of October. I look forward to getting a briefing from the department on what that feedback is.