Small-scale farmers in Tasmania are caught up in the fear and uncertainty. Proposed new food safety regulations may limit their capacity to sell products directly to consumers. David Simmons is the owner-operator of a 3-hectare market garden, Sparrow Foot. He showed great concern about how manageable and realistic these regulations are for small local producers.
Sparrow Foot operates a widely-subscribed vegetable box program and runs booths at six different farmers’ markets. Simmons paints a picture of the difficult burdens imposed by the rules under Food Standards Australia and New Zealand. These new regulations represent an effort to bring Tasmania’s food safety standards in line with other states.
Foodborne Illness Incidents Prompt Regulatory Changes
The oyster industry has been advocating for updated regulations for nearly a decade after some of the nation’s most egregious foodborne illness outbreaks. From 2011 to 2019, there were over 40 salmonella outbreaks related to horticultural products. Together, these outbreaks were responsible for causing 10 deaths and 275 reported cases of foodborne illness. These points were illustrated by Jim Beck, product integrity manager of Biosecurity Tasmania. They are the most cited motivating factor for the new guidelines.
“Between 2011 and 2019 there were a number of outbreaks [of] salmonella,” – Jim Beck
The regulations the DOL proposes would cost farmers $175-$750 per farmer just for compliance. Simmons fears this cost might be enough to deter would-be new growers from jumping into the market. He explained how the expensive burden and time obligations can intimidate would-be food producers.
“A big concern for me is new growers and farmers getting into producing food, not being able to due to the costs and time considerations that we’re now [potentially] going to have to meet,” – David Simmons
The Need for Practical Regulation
Simmons argues that many of these regulations fail to take into account the realities of local growers. He argued that new, direct-to-consumer sales should get greater flexibility. These transactions do not merit the same stringent standards as larger-scale transactions.
“But in terms of local growers and farms selling direct to their customers, I don’t think it makes a lot of sense,” – David Simmons
Jennifer Robinson, the chief executive of Biosecurity Tasmania, couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She noted the challenges that producers, particularly small-scale farmers, face in navigating a more rigorous regulatory environment while maintaining their economic viability.
“When your livelihood is put at risk foreseeably by something that’s out of your control, it can feel quite daunting and pretty overwhelming,” – Jennifer Robinson
Robinson raised a number of issues with the current draft of the regulations. He doubted the authenticity of the public consultation process, particularly since this iteration does not feature a tiered approach that has been effective elsewhere.
“Given … they’re not tiering in the current draft, [producers] are slightly concerned that the public consultation won’t be genuine,” – Jennifer Robinson
Consultation Period and Next Steps
Biosecurity Tasmania is still consulting on the proposed regulations, with submissions due back by December 5. The non-profit’s goal is to receive feedback directly from stakeholders, farmers from the area such as Simmons and Santos.
The conversations continue, it is imperative that regulators strike a balance between ensuring the highest food safety standards and the realities of small-scale farmers’ operations. This consultation will directly affect all Tasmanian farmers. It will better equip them to understand the new rules of the road as they proceed into the future.
