Tasmania's peak seafood body has welcomed proposed changes that legally require hospitality businesses selling seafood to label their product's country of origin.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Tasmanian Seafood Industry Council chief executive Julian Harrington said the long-called-for changes would be a win for consumers.
"It's about making sure that consumers are getting what they think they're getting," Mr Harrington said.
"There are laws in place about mislabelling or substitution, but currently, if a consumer wants locally sourced seafood in the food service outlet, they either have to ask or guess."
Assistant Trade Minister Tim Ayres, who announced the Country of Origin Labelling model last week, said the Australian Government was eager to strike the right balance by improving consumer access to information and being practical and low-cost for local businesses.
Under the proposed changes, businesses would need to state in writing if seafood was Australian, imported or international, or of mixed origin.
Mr Ayres said following a consultation period, the changes would be gradually implemented to ensure businesses were able to adjust.
However, Mr Harrington said some areas of the seafood industry remain opposed to any labelling reform.
"Some have argued it will be too complex for them to have menus for species that are changing on a daily or weekly basis," he said.
Seasonal closures, catchability, and environmental changes could impact the availability of products, he said.
The discussion paper also noted the new labelling system would involve "some practical challenges" for businesses.
But Mr Harrington said he remained adamant any reform would have a net-positive impact locally.
"When people buy Tasmanian, they're supporting local fishers, local marine farmers and all the subsidiary businesses that have the flow-on benefits of our sector being located in Tassie, and in particular, regional Tasmania."
Submissions to the discussion paper on the changes will be available until 15 March 2023.
READ MORE: Gorge Hotel TASCAT hearing wrapped up
If approved, the proposed changes would form part of a shift in recent years in what information Australian seafood consumers were provided with.
Access to country of origin information has been legally required in retail settings since 2018, following new legislation introduced two years earlier.
A cost-benefit analysis of that scheme by the Australian Government found every $1 of costs incurred generated $3.30 in benefits.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark www.examiner.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter: @examineronline
- Follow us on Instagram: @examineronline
- Follow us on Google News: The Examiner