Delegates to this year’s Victorian Country Womens’ Association conference have voted overwhelmingly in support of a reduction in food safety red tape reductions.
The Gippsland Hills branch last week asked conference delegates to call on Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford to ensure the full implementation of all reccomendations in last year’s PrimeSafe review.
Kardella branch member Lill Roberts said Gippsland Hills, which represents a number of smaller groups, took the matter up, after agreeing small producers were burdened by both excessive regulation and an un-cooperative city based administration.
“My interest in this matter is making sure that local, handcrafted food is available for people to eat if they choose to do so, and that consumers are not forced to eat mass produced food, like substances made by multinationals whose profits go overseas,” Ms Roberts said.
In its initial motion, the Gippsland Hills branch noted “with disappointment” the increasing number of small food producers who had ceased to make hand crafted small goods.
“ These small businesses are the backbone of many communities and encourage healthy eating and tourism,” the motion read.
Ms Roberts said the state conference motion called on Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford to ensure all the recommendations of last year’s PrimeSafe Performance Review were implemented.
The motion also called for the encouragement of the production of hand crafted smallgoods, by small food producers.
She said all but one of the 700 delegates present voted for the resolution.
If you don’t already know, the motion I moved at the CWA State Conference in Melbourne yesterday, which said:
Ms Roberts said farm gate sales should be encouraged.
“Small producers are doing it really hard, they are going out of business, and we can’t buy locally manufactured hams and smallgoods.”
Two north-eastern small goods producers, who said they had been directly affected by PrimeSafe, welcomed the support.
Wangaratta smallgoods producer Felix Gamze said the support was “terrific.”
“They are realising, more and more, the opportunities for those niche markets – in particular in rural tourism. It’s terrific, its very good to hear,” Mr Gamze said.
He said he changed his butchering and smallgoods making course, after pressure from PrimeSafe inspectors, and other producers had met with similar problems.
“We had to change it because of the warning we got from PrimeSafe over it,” he said.
And Benalla’s Sandy Leatham, who closed the Hook and Spoon paddock to plate butchery and kitchen because of restrictive regulations, said she was not surprised CWA members were showing an interest.
“There are so many boutique and artisan businesses opening – there is such an interest in it.”
PrimeSafe has been contacted for comment.
