Farming is not a “business” as it is an industry, says Dr John Hirst, the chief executive of the Institute of Agri-Food Systems, which has been monitoring food safety issues on farms for over 20 years.
“There’s a lot of emphasis on the production of a product, but there’s a much wider scope of issues that you can be involved in, and that can be quite complex,” Dr Hirst said.
He said the food industry had not really worked with agriculture to develop standards.
This is a very different world to what we used to have, Dr Hights told News24.
We can’t have a single set of rules for everything that happens, he said.
“The whole agricultural sector has to be part of the solution.”
There needs to be a concerted effort by the industry, particularly the processors, to be able to make sure that these standards are being followed.
“The ABC has received some of the best information and best advice on farm safety from farmers, he says.
But he said there were still some areas where the industry had “not got it right”.”
We have a number of issues which we have not really got it down to and the whole sector needs to step up to the plate,” he said, pointing to the use of insecticides and the use, for example, of pesticides in the dairy industry.
The Food Standards Agency has issued an alert for “an increasing number of pesticides on Australian farms”.
The agency warns that some of these pesticides have not been tested for safety, may have been released before they had been tested, and should not be used in the feed supply of a farm.
Farmers are advised to wear masks when on farms and to remove their masks when leaving the premises.
Dr Hirst also said the “food chain” needed to be better integrated, with farmers providing information to their farmers on what products were safe to eat.
However, he warned the focus needed to remain on the food chain and not just on farmers.
Food safety in the farm sector has been a priority for Dr Hildreth, as he led the national farm safety drive to promote farming to be safer.
Dr Hildrey was appointed in 2014, following the death of a farmer in South Australia in 2013, who was killed when his farm’s water pump failed.
Dr James Bowers, the CEO of the Australian Meat Institute, said the industry was in a “dire” position.”
We’re still a very, very small sector of the food system, but we have a lot to do, a lot that needs to happen, particularly with the new regulation, to take us forward,” Dr Bowers told News 24.
Mr Bowers said the regulatory framework needed to include a range of sectors, including meat, dairy, horticulture and fruit and vegetables.”
You’ve got to recognise that you’re a lot more than just the cattle that you feed, and you’re not the whole meat supply chain,” he added.
If you or someone you know needs help:For more information about eating safe and healthy, visit the ABC’s Health website.
