Comments that whilst it is clear that Option 3 would provide maximum public health protection, she understood that there were no plans to impose similar standards on imported seafood. Remarks that if this were indeed the case, seafood in Australia would fall into two safety categories with the onus being on the consumer to distinguish between these – ‘a poor public health strategy’.
The DAR identifies bi-valve molluscs, with some exceptions, as high risk product, internationally. The priority is to introduce higher standards for this category of seafood (e.g. Option 2) and to apply these uniformly to domestic and imported products.
Comments that only after this measure has been successfully implemented should we move on to Option 3, with similar restrictions on all imported seafood products.
