AUSTRALIAN farmers and graziers will soon be showing the world exactly how good their food products are, with the National Traceability Project getting underway.

Australian beef in the high-end City Super retail outlet in Shanghai’s Times Square shopping centre

Agriculture minister David Littleproud said the project would enhance trust in Australian-grown products and give Australian farmers a competitive edge.

“We’ll be able to more easily find where a biosecurity or food safety problem began so an isolated incident won’t impact a whole industry,” Minister Littleproud said.

“It will also let us stop overseas shipments earlier if there’s a food safety issue. We already do this well, but this will make us even better at it.”

The program would also let producers fully-support claims, such as ‘organic’ and ‘environmentally friendly’, he said.

“This improvement will build greater trust in Aussie food and strengthen ‘brand Australia’. If we can demonstrate our food is world’s best, we’ll see better profits for farmers,” Minister Littleproud said.

Modelling showed broader traceability and biosecurity could increase Australian agricultural production by $1 billion a year.

Consultations will soon get underway to develop a National Traceability Policy Framework and Action Plan within the next six months.

“Improving our traceability systems will help us strengthen our reputation for delivering high quality, clean, green and safe food,” he said.

The National Traceability Project is being led by a Traceability Working Group with members from all Australian governments.

• More details about the traceability project can be accessed here. 

Source: DAWR