Susan McDonald (Queensland, National Party, Shadow Minister for Resources) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Australian meat industry is facing attacks on multiple fronts and most assertively from the plant protein lobby. From a quick glance at the websites of such companies as Food Frontier and Impossible Foods and the Alternative Proteins Council, you'd be forgiven for thinking they just want to introduce more people to plant based meals. They say they want to save the planet by encouraging more people to eat plant proteins, but they also criticise traditional agriculture as a major driver of world emissions and climate change. Their plan is to reduce emissions by reducing animal farming. They appeal to youths to get angry, join the movement and demand change. In 2021, the CEO of plant protein company Impossible Foods, Pat Brown, said that he wanted to end all animal farming by 2035.

The Alternative Proteins Council was founded in 2021, with Food Frontiers acting as the secretariat. The council promotes itself as merely a marketing body, and it is quick to jump on suggestions that it has activist tendencies—even demanding that journalists take down stories that quoted me saying exactly this. I invite the CEO of the APC, Jennifer Thompson, to publicly deny that her group wants to see an end to animal farming and say what APC's links to Food Frontiers actually are, because, while the APC claims it merely wants to help create more food for a growing world, the organisations it represents are highly critical of animal farming. Food Frontier, Cellular Agriculture Australia, Change Foods and Harvest B are all very critical of animal production.

If we take APC at its word, and it doesn't want to end animal farming, it is still clear that it is a front for those making a concerted effort to discredit the animal protein industry. They seek to exert this influence not through clever marketing or creative labelling but by unfairly attacking one of our most important and sustainable industries and all the people who participate in it. Instead of mounting a staunch defence of Australian primary production, the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Murray Watt, has sided with the activists at every opportunity. He's banned live sheep exports. He doesn't show the slightest interest in the end of commercial fishing in North Queensland. He couldn't wait to sign Australia up to the global methane pledge. He's forcing farmers to pay for biosecurity services which should be part and parcel of any government's responsibilities. Now he's refusing to honour a Labor election promise to legislate food-labelling laws that will protect traditional agriculture and leather industries in this country.

At a recent Senate estimates hearing, it was shocking to hear the Albanese Labor government is still sitting on its hands because the Alternative Proteins Council have come up with their own guidelines on food labelling that the department has gone out to consult on again, despite extensive consultation already. A close look at these guidelines reveals the APC is still advocating for the use of established names for animal proteins, such as beef, chicken and lamb, and is merely advising companies to ensure they use the same font for vegan qualifier words on packaging. It also states that companies can use animal imagery on food packaging so long as it takes up less than 15 per cent of the space. These are exactly the problems which were highlighted in the Senate inquiry as causing consumer confusion and which need to be dealt with in legislation. But, instead of acting to protect Australian farmers and leather makers, Labor says it is reviewing the APC guidelines.

Compare this to the minister's handling of Australia's live sheep export trade.

Like the APC, the live export industry launched its own animal welfare guidelines years ago, but that didn't stop Labor from moving quickly to shut it down. It's a nice, collaborative approach to activists by this government but cold efficiency when it comes to attacking primary producers. That Labor would halt progress on this legislation because of a vocal minority of activists is beyond the pale. We should be protecting the intellectual property of Australia's $26 billion meat industry and supporting the farmers, graziers and processors who invest millions of dollars in brand recognition and confidence in Australia's seafood, red meat, pork, chicken and dairy industries.

The constant delays are another broken promise by this government and an abrogation of its sworn duty to protect long-established, proven and valuable Australian primary industries.