Victoria is blessed with diverse geography, high rainfall areas, good soils and land for growing some of the highest-quality food in the world. In fact, Victoria is a major exporter of food to the rest of Australia and the world.
Victoria’s farmers play an important role, alongside the food processing, transport, retail, restaurant and catering sectors, to ensure food sold in Victoria is high quality and safe.
The Department of Health and Human Services shares responsibility for developing and administering food regulation with the Commonwealth and Victorian local councils, PrimeSafe and Dairy Food Safety Victoria, collaborating to promote consistent regulatory requirements across the food industry.
Some farming operations require licences, permits and quality assurance schemes before they are able to produce food for human consumption. For example, dairy farmers need to apply for a dairy licence with Dairy Food Safety Victoria before they can sell milk.
The red meat industry has a system of on-farm assurance, Livestock Production Assurance, animal identification and traceability, ensuring a clean, safe and natural product.
Every farm industry has a form of quality assurance and traceability. Traceability is critically important in being to track down where any problem may have occurred if there is a food quality issue.
Supermarket companies and many food processors have their own quality assurance schemes they expect farmers to abide by on top of industry schemes.
All these farm QA programs are regularly audited.
Chemical and Veterinary Medicine Use
Just like with human medicine, the use of medicines for animals, and the use of pesticide and herbicides on food crops and pasture is highly controlled and regulated.
The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) is the main regulator of what technology can be used and how it will be used.
Farmers keep detailed records of the pesticides and veterinary medicines used, to ensure that withholding periods (the time from application to when the plant or animal is safe for human consumption) are adhered to.
Victorian farmers want to feed their families safe, high-quality food. The food they produce on their farms is the food they feed their families. This same level of care is applied to the food that enters the shops, markets and restaurants of our towns and cities.