Stop Potential BSE (Mad Cow) Beef Imports to Australia

AUSBUY urges you to sign this petition to strictly regulate the importation of Beef from countries which have proven outbreaks of Mad Cow Diesease "BSE".

We have higher quality management standards than imported countries. All Australian beef is tagged from birth allowing high quality control through the whole food chain. A steak in New York can be readily traced back to the farm in Toowoomba. We need to ensure that these strict rules under which our beef producers operate are the minimum standards for imports. BSE has a long gestation period and this needs to be taken into consideration. It will be too late if BSE is identified here. The whole of our beef industry will be shut down including our exports, which have already suffered with our high dollar. There is no guarantee that this will not get into the Australian food chain and infect our animals and our people. In addition, our farmers will lose a local market to supply our pies.

Trade is meant to be a service, not be the economy. Australians want to buy Australian food not foreign food, but despite AUSBUY'S submission to the Senate Inquiry into Truth in Labelling in late 2009 we are still denied the truth about the country of origin of foods on our labels. AUSBUY's research indicates consumers want to know the Country of Origin of their food. Country of origin should be indicated on all processed and fresh foods not just the name of the country in which the food in processed but the source of all ingredients.