Tuesday, 10 September 2024

Agriculture and Food Safety Legislation Amendment Bill 2024

Introduction and first reading

Ros SPENCE (Kalkallo – Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Community Sport, Minister for Carers and Volunteers) (12:08): I move:

That I introduce a bill for an act to amend the Dairy Act 2000, the Food Act 1984, the Meat Industry Act 1993 and the Seafood Safety Act 2003 and for other purposes.

Motion agreed to.

Emma KEALY (Lowan) (12:08): I ask the minister for a brief explanation of the bill.

Ros SPENCE (Kalkallo – Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Community Sport, Minister for Carers and Volunteers) (12:08): This bill will address significant regulatory risks relating to animal welfare and high-risk foods, being raw milk, to ensure regulations can more effectively implement existing government policy on all matters. The bill will also improve overall consistency between the acts that make up the agriculture food safety legislative framework, providing increased clarity for the Victorian primary production businesses that the framework regulates. Amendments to the Food Act included in the bill respond to two recommendations in the June 2023 report of the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office on regulating food safety.

Read first time.

Ordered to be read second time tomorrow.