I see with interest that the '20 year' ban on imported beef, from countries that had comfirmed cases of BSE, is about to be lifted and, these counties will once again export 'chep meats' to our shores.

Now most, if not all of this meat will be in frozen form and used to produce pies, burgers, sausages etc.

Do you place your trust in the authorities of these countries to 'do the right thing' and police the processing standards?

Remember, Australia has one of the toughest processing standards in the world, mainly due to the fact that we export in excess of 85% of what we produce. In contrast, the Us exports about 10% of what they produce but they don't have to and, their 10% (in volume) is far more than our 85%.

Lifting a ban on imported meat would be a seriously bad idea.

The animal diseases that we are lucky enough to not have in Australia enjoy chronic low incidence in all other continents. If a flare-up occurs in any of them, it will be apparant after material has been shipped. It may ship even if there is no flare-up.

All other meat exporting nations are aware of the advantage to our meat industry of not fighting these diseases. They don't care except to the degree a limited financial penalty might be applied. Such penalty will not reflect the permanent and onging cost to australian industry, and may be unenforceable.

Such penalty will not serve to make their exporters vigilant on our behalf. Not without fail.

If we don't trust them, we shouldn't do it.

If we do trust them but think they could make a mistake, we shouldn't do it.

If we think their insurance (or government) will not cover the costs to Australia (for, say, the subsequent twenty years) in event of a contamination getting through, we shouldn't do it.

If their insurance (or government) does not explicitly cover malicious contamination (terrorism), we should not do it.

How cheap does meat need to be to justify both the risk that meat might become *anything but* cheap, plus the cost of cleaning up an outbreak?

BSE in Britain was a disaster. Foot and mouth the same. After major outbreaks, the affected nation is usually dependent on clean imported meat. In our case that means more of the problem, and a guarantee of price gouging.

Rusty.

rehctub,

I posted twice on this issue in the thread on Australian Industry, but maybe you did not see my comments. Rather than re-post, here is the link if you are interested. I gave several reasons for opposing this decision by the federal government:

http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?discussion=3436&page=5

Even if the importation of meat is allowed it is very, very poor of the government not to agree to public demand that the meat and products containing it be clearly labelled to show that it is imported meat.

Here is an interesting problem though, how will the Blood Bank react? Didn't the Blood Bank refuse blood from Australians who visited countries where Mad Cow disease was discovered? Should the blood of all red meat consumers be refused from here on?

It is insane that the federal government has given away out clean meat label for zilch.

Old foot soldier Belly at it again.
I however am a bit confused over who I soldier for on this issue.
It may be the salvation army?
John Howard, no do not condemn-the bloke for every thing, bought in the American free trade agreement.
Unloved by some, it always would be, it opened up markets for our farmers and did not do for some, say Lamb into America.
2010 was the year this free trade was to allowe imports from America,,, of beef and meat products.
Before the ban we imported such meat, it amounted to half of one percent of meat eaten in Australia.
Free trade/world trade what do we do if we do not take part in it?
Are we sure their are health risks.
Do many understand the ban on blood donations is from those who lived in affected county's while the outbreak was happening?
Not today? or even the last ten years?
And how many of us know restrictions are going to make it impossible for ANY meat to arrive before next year.
Butcher is it in any way going to cost you sales.
Can you put your hand on your heart and say you have true concerns disease may come via it?
Can Australia set up a barrier to free trade but still insist on farming products being the world wide back bone to free trade one day.
A medical story in news now tells of mums and dads refusing to inoculate kids.
Because of what looks like clear fraud, we must be careful in getting away from true.
Shoulder arms [ sorry tambourines ]

It will not be cheap meat in the supermarkets and products using it will not be cheaper.

However it will result in more meatworks closing in Australia, which affects country towns.

Regarding any health problems in the exporting country, I am sure we will be the last to know and the audit trail will be near non-existent.

Belly, thanks for the potted history.

Has anyone stopped to think that there might be sound legal and trade ramifications for maintaining the ban?

Maintaining a ban when it is clear that the reason the ban was implemented has passed is a violation of the WTO accord, and opens Aus meat products to a retaliatory ban from the EU and America.

Considering that Aus exports 85% of the meat and imports very little, and the meat here is cheaper than most other countries who might have small surpluses, Australia stands to lose the most by a tightening of trade conditions.