The passing of the Food Amendment (Beef Labelling) Bill 2009 will help address consumer concerns about meat quality, NSW Minister for Primary Industries Tony Kelly claimed today.

Minister Kelly said the new legislation would also help encourage support for the State’s beef producers.

“Consumers have been concerned about the problem of inaccurate or deceptive beef labelling for decades,” he said. “The variability in beef eating quality impacts on consumer confidence – to the detriment of the retail beef market, and ultimately, our valuable beef industry.”

“People should be able to purchase the quality of beef they are looking for at a price that matches the quality.”

In many cases retailers already have information about the quality of their beef, although this information is often not suitable for consumers and is not generally made available to consumers, the government noted.

“These are the reasons why the Government supported the Food Amendment (Beef Labelling) Bill 2009 as introduced by Richard Torbay MP,” Country Labor MLC Tony Catanzariti said. “Mr Torbay’s bill will provide consumers with a more reliable and consistent description of beef.”

Minister Kelly said the beef industry and retailers will have an opportunity to be involved in the development and implementation of this initiative, with State Government support.

The Government said they were also supportive of the beef industry’s proposal to provide an update on developments regarding the new arrangements to the Primary Industries Ministerial Council next year.

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