Tuesday, 26 August 2025

Meat industry

Wendy LOVELL (Northern Victoria) (13:35): In February this year I raised the difficulty small-scale animal producers were having accessing kill facilities and the need for the government to support micro abattoirs. Last week I was delighted to see the government press release from the Minister for Planning and Minister for Agriculture claiming they were making it easier to establish such facilities. Micro abattoirs service kills for farmers’ personal use and for small-scale producers that produce meat for sale at farmers markets or boutique butchers, much of which is organic and sells at a premium price. The trouble is that the release failed to address detail and left readers with more questions than answers about whether the changes will even deliver the desired outcome. If readers of the release were not already left wondering if the government knew what it was doing, their concerns were confirmed by the Minister for Planning’s comment:

These changes will help our most vulnerable to continue accessing Victoria’s world-class fresh produce.

Well, I have news for the minister: the most vulnerable Victorians are not shopping for organically grown prime cuts of beef or lamb at farmers markets or boutique butchers; they are looking for the best value they can find in the supermarkets or lining up for food parcels at local food shares and other charities. Comments like this show just how out of touch this arrogant and tired Labor government is with the people of Victoria.