Thursday, 20 February 2025

Small-scale livestock farming

Martha HAYLETT (Ripon) presented a petition bearing 221 signatures:

To the Legislative Assembly of Victoria

The Petition of the Australia Food Sovereignty Alliance (the Petitioner) and the residents of Victoria (the Petitioners) draws to the attention of the House:

Small-scale livestock farmers in Victoria are facing a devastating blow as Hardwicks (owned by Chinese multinational Kilcoy), has announced it will close its doors to service kills on 14 December. This will decimate small-scale livestock farming and access to local meat in Victoria.

The petitioners therefore request the Legislative Assembly of Victoria to pay attention to the following demands:

1. That the Victorian Government urgently implement Recommendation 27 of the Parliamentary Inquiry into Securing the Victorian Food Supply:

That Agriculture Victoria work with the Victorian Farmers Federation, PrimeSafe and commercial abattoirs to negotiate small livestock producers’ ongoing access to kill facilities in the short-to-medium term. The Victorian Government amend the Meat Industry Act 1993 (Vic) to specifically provide for and define micro-abattoirs and the Victorian Planning Provisions to introduce micro-abattoirs (including mobile micro-abattoirs) as a Section 1 use in the Farming Zone, Rural Activity Zone, Green Wedge Zone and the Green Wedge A Zone. The Victorian Government support small scale livestock producers to establish micro-abattoirs (including mobile micro-abattoirs) in communities which can demonstrate a need for this critical shared agricultural infrastructure.

2. That the Victorian Government apply the standards set out in AS4464:2007 the Australian Standard for the Hygienic Production of Wild Game Meat for Human Consumption, which could be safely applied to domestic livestock, enabling them to be slaughtered on farm, chilled and inspected, and subsequently transferred to a licensed butcher for further processing. This would support the survival of small-scale livestock farmers.

Ordered that petition be considered tomorrow.

Ordered that petition (Coburg High School) presented by Anthony Cianflone (Pascoe Vale) on 19 February be considered tomorrow.