House debates

Tuesday, 17 March 2009

Questions without Notice

Food Labelling

3:21 pm

Photo of Tony WindsorTony Windsor (New England, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. It relates to New South Wales Independent MP Richard Torbay’s truth in meat labelling bill, which would make it an offence to falsely describe meat—including beef, sheep meat, goat meat and pig meat—in advertising, packaging and labelling. Given that beef producers—for instance, in New South Wales—are currently being disadvantaged by voluntary labelling that is not enforceable and given that this issue is bigger than just New South Wales, what will the federal government be doing to address this issue at a national level? Will the minister bite the bullet on this issue, ignore some sectors of the meat industry which have railed against truth in labelling for their own purposes, and provide some leadership at a national level?

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