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Labor Bows To Pressure And Orders Aquaculture Review

The Bracks Government has finally bowed to pressure from farmers, industry and the Liberal Party to review the new licence fee structure for the aquaculture industry.

By Philip Davis - 17th December 2004 - Back to News

Shadow Minister for Agriculture Philip Davis said Labor should have backflipped months ago on this issue.

"We have a situation now where the Bracks Government’s seafood safety body PrimeSafe has waited until sectors of the aquaculture industry have already been regulated out of existence before it conducts consultation," he said.

"The aquaculture industry should have been consulted about the licence structure before it was implemented, not 12 months later."

Mr Davis said in Parliament yesterday that in the past 12 months, the number of aquaculture businesses renewing their licences had dropped two thirds.

"The Victorian Aquaculture Council has made the point this week that Victoria’s industry is stagnating, that there has been a collapse of licence renewals from 300 to 100 this year and that half the mussel farms in the state are on the market," he said.

Mr Davis has been contacted by family business, Stuart and Sheryl Raines, who operate a shellfish company producing muscles at Port Arlington whose licence costs had risen 45 per cent in 12 months.

"According to the Raines, cost recovery, which was introduced on 1 July, along with the introduction of PrimeSafe fees has caused the cost of mussel farming in Victoria to be priced out of the marketplace," he said.

"Before cost recovery was introduced, Victoria was already the most expensive state to operate a mussel farming businesses.

"Fisheries Victoria licences have skyrocketed between $250 and $2000 over the last year or so.

"In the yabby sector alone there has been a reduction from 150 enterprises to 20, and in terms of licenced enterprises producing yabbies for human consumption we now have only three of 60 that were previously registered.

"The aquaculture industry in Victoria is in turmoil thanks to the Bracks Government’s mismanagement."

Mr Davis also questioned the timing of the review.

"As PrimeSafe knows, Christmas and New Year are the busiest times of year for growers, who are swamped with seafood orders," he said.

"Yet growers have been given only until 11 February 2005 to review the background paper, prepare and send in their submissions to the review."

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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