Cutting red tape an egg-cellent outcome

The Liberal Government is cutting red and green tape, and bringing back common sense.

The new Primary Produce Safety Egg Regulations approved by Cabinet last week and which will commence on the 1st February are the least restrictive in the country. They are also much more sensible than those proposed by Labor and the Greens when in Government* (see the table below).

The Government has decided that small egg producers shouldn’t be tied up in red tape.

Only commercial producers who produce and sell more than 20 dozen eggs per week will be required to be accredited with an audited food safety plan, meaning that home egg producers will be exempt from the new national requirements.

Smaller producers who sell or supply less than 20 dozen eggs per week commercially will be required to be registered, but will not be charged any license fees or other costs to be registered. In addition, they will be provided with a free “mark of origin” stamp for their eggs for improved traceability in the event of a food safety concern.

Commercial producers will be able to continue to stamp their eggs with their own stamp or brand to demonstrate their compliance and safety accreditation.

These regulations strike the right balance between reducing red tape, and ensuring appropriate food safety standards for consumers.

Egg Food Safety Scheme
To meet the new National Standard introduced Nov 2012: 4.2.5 – Primary Production and Processing Standard for Eggs and Egg Products

Jeremy Rockliff, Minister for Primary Industries and Water