NEWS BRIEFS:
Biosecurity trumps all on beef imports
NSW Farmers have backed calls for an independent scientific panel to review federal authorities’ decision to lift biosecurity restrictions on US beef imports into Australia.
NSW Farmers’ president Xavier Martin said there was no room for error when it came to biosecurity and said a review was vital to ensure confidence that US beef imports would comply with Australia’s biosecurity and food safety standards.
“You can’t trade away our biosecurity, Minister – farmers cannot and will not support that,” Mr Martin said.
“Any changes to our market access must be subject to rigorous, evidence-based science and independent scrutiny, and our industry will simply not accept anything less than that.”
A review of the decision must take place before US beef found its way into Australia, Mr Martin warned.
“The Albanese Government needs to be prepared to be held accountable if this all goes wrong,” Mr Martin said.
“Put our farmers and our clean, green nation first – we’ve warned you what might happen to our industry if you don’t.”
Liverpool Plains action against illegal tobacco
Liverpool Plains Shire Council will call on state and federal governments to take action against illegal tobacco trade.
Council will call on the NSW and Commonwealth governments to take stronger action against the illegal tobacco trade and ensure that relevant agencies, including local councils, are adequately resourced and funded to carry out enforcement, compliance and administrative duties to address the illegal trade.
Reports from both the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and the Australian Border Force indicate that illegal tobacco and vape imports are increasingly associated with organised crime, event in rural and regional communities. Council will make a formal submission to the NSW Inquiry into the Illegal Tobacco Trade, which is accepting public submissions until August 1.
