Tasmanian hemp growers and the state government have been waiting almost 20 years for hemp to be approved as a food product.
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The Health Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation met today at the Council of Australian Governments meeting in Adelaide and approved the recent Food Standards Australia New Zealand recommendation to allow low-THC hemp to be legally designated as a food.
Industrial Hemp Association of Tasmania president Tim Schmidt said the announcement was a long time coming.
“It’s a wonderful milestone for Tasmanian agriculture and a major step forward for the hemp industry,” Mr Schmidt said.
“It was 19 years ago that hemp for was first trialled in Tasmania and, after a number of recommendations by FSANZ to the Food Forum, at last they’ve taken notice and supported hemp as food in Australia and New Zealand,” he said.
The food standard comes into effect in six months after it has been gazetted to allow all states and territories to amend legislation.
“The timing is very good. Anyone involved has time to prepare themselves for next season,” Mr Schmidt said.
“It gives time for the industry to be more organised for its ramp up in production. There’s a lot of people who have been anticipating this announcement.
“Now the roadblock has been taken out of the way it gives them confidence in making an investment, which leads to increased contracts and more hectares grown,” he said.
Last season just under 300 hectares of industrial hemp was grown by 20 producers in Tasmania.
“It will definitely increase now. There has been speculation that the planting area could double,” Mr Schmidt said.
Hemp seed can be added to cereals and used in cooking and hemp oil is used as a topical health treatment, Mr Schmidt said.
“The markets will just expand now,” he said.
The Tasmanian government sees this decision as a new economic opportunity for Tasmanian farmers, Health minister Michael Ferguson said.
“Tasmania is ready to go and whilst our preference was for this to commence immediately, it does mean that the Tasmanian industry can plan, plant and market next season’s crop with full confidence and no delay at all,” Mr Ferguson said.
Primary Industries and Water minister Jeremy Rockliff said allowing the use of low-THC hemp in food products had the potential to boost overall production and open new markets in regional Tasmania.
“We now have nothing standing in our way – we’ve done the legwork and industrial hemp in Tasmania is now ready to rock and roll,” Mr Rockliff said.
“Special purpose legislation for the cultivation and supply of industrial hemp for commercial production was introduced and licences have been extended from one to five years,” he said.