Dar seafood ppp standard

11. Implementation, monitoring and review

Once accepted into the Code, the proposed Primary Production and Processing Standard for Seafood would become mandatory on a national basis. It would then be adopted into the appropriate legislation of each Australian State and Territory, providing each jurisdiction with the necessary legal basis for enforcement of the Standard.

Factors influencing successful implementation of the Standard include:

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  implementation timeframe;
  
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  provision of a suitable compliance timeframe for industry;
  
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  implementation of appropriate audit management and inspection systems; and
  
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  appropriate tools to provide assistance and guidance to industry (of which many currently exist – see Attachment 8).
  
  
  

Because of the non-prescriptive nature of the new seafood Primary Production and Processing Standard, interpretive documents are essential for enforcement officials (such as Environmental Health Officers) to assist with consistent implementation and for training organisations helping seafood businesses to meet the requirements of new standards. FSANZ will develop an interpretive guide to the Primary Production and Processing Standard to aid consistent interpretation of the Standard by enforcement agencies. The guide will be developed in conjunction with an advisory group comprising of SDC representatives and others and the Implementation Sub-Committee (ISC).
A qualitative review of the implementation of the Food Safety Standards (Chapter 3)⁴⁷ identified that the States and Territories were at different stages of implementation as a result of:

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  dissimilar timing of adoption;
  
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  diverse approaches to communicating with food businesses;
  
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  widely different context of implementation; and
  
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  different choices in aspects of implementation including inconsistencies in interpretation.
  
  
  

The Implementation Sub-Committee (ISC) of the Food Regulation Standing Committee is examining these issues.
In addition, the issues raised by industry SDC members about the consistent implementation of the seafood Standard will be facilitated through a process between industry SDC representatives and ISC. ISC is charged with responsibility for overseeing cross-jurisdictional agreement on consistent approaches to implementing and ensuring compliance with food standards.
ISC will have a major role in the implementation aspects of the Standard to ensure consistent interpretation of issues related to the implementation and enforcement of the Standard, and to encourage cost-effective approaches to compliance and enforcement.
FSANZ will undertake baseline qualitative research on businesses in the seafood sector to determine awareness, knowledge and behaviour in relation to safe food handling, current regulations, sources of information and staff training. Follow up research will be undertaken at least two years after the Standards are implemented in all States and Territories.
States and Territories will undertake routine surveillance of food for sale on the Australian market against the requirements of the Code as well as other specific surveillance activities. AQIS and FSANZ and the States and Territories will continue to work together to examine systems that can more reliably monitor the safety of imported foods.