Not one Victorian business has been fined for flouting mandatory country-of-origin food labelling laws in the eight years since they were introduced. That’s despite clear breaches across the state in that time.
The revelation has angered farmers and prompted calls for the State Government to assume the role of enforcement agency from resource-stretched local councils.
Victorian Farmers Federation president Peter Tuohey said a lack of enforcement was making “a mockery” of the laws, introduced in 2006 to protect Australian farmers by distinguishing local produce from the rising flood of cheap imports on to supermarket and greengrocer shelves.
Agriculture Minister Peter Walsh this week admitted enforcement in Victoria wasn’t “in line with what consumers or Australian producers would expect”.
In NSW, there is a dedicated enforcement team and a public “name and shame” register of offenders.
Under the current rules, signage that “identifies the country or countries of origin” must accompany the retail sale of fresh food.