Dairy farm visit marks start of new regulator

MEREDITH Dairy played a part in marking the beginning of Victoria’s new food regulator last week.

Agriculture and regional development minister, and Eureka MP Michaela Settle visited the Cameron Road farm on Wednesday 1 July as part of the start of Safe Food Victoria.

The initiative combines multiple regulators such as Dairy Safe Food Victoria and Primesafe to make simpler actions for businesses.

Julie Cameron, director of Meredith Dairy, said the regulator would streamline the process and bring all the industries together, “so we’re all talking the same language”.

She said it was an exciting time to be in dairy, with the company seeing the United States as a growth market.

“Food safety and great food go hand-in-hand. We’re proud of Meredith Dairy’s products and look forward to working with the new regulator,” she said.

Settle said having a single regulatory system was good for producers.

“Meredith right here is a great example,” she said. “They have shelf products, but they also have dairy products.

“So instead of having to go through different regulatory systems, they’ve got a one-stop shop to make sure their food is safe and ready to get out there on the tables for Victorian families.”

The new regulator will report to the agriculture minister.

There will be no redundancies. Transferring staff will keep their current employment conditions.

The consolidation of regulators is part of Victoria’s Economic Growth Statement.

“Food safety is a public health priority, which is why consumers are such an important focus of this new regulator’s work,” health minister Harriet Shing said.

“Safe Food Victoria is a really good example of a collaborative and common-sense approach to managing and regulating food safety.”