New labelling rules for seafood
The industry now has to get used to a new labelling scheme for imported fish and fish products in restaurants.
The new scheme, announced by Deputy Premier Troy Grant at the Nationals’ annual conference on Friday will be similar to those in the Northern Territory where police enforce the rules and at the same time, try to educate restaurant owners before slapping a fine on them.
Mr Grant said the new scheme would support the seafood industry by promoting locally sourced products given that 85 per cent of seafood eaten in NSW was imported.
Details have yet to be worked but the plan is to work with business, fishing, catering industries and retailers to provide for a new standard in New South Wales.
The proposal will go before cabinet by the end of the year.
The proposed change has drawn a mixed response from the industry.
Restaurant veteran Michael McMahon, who has run Catalina in Rose Bay with wife Judy for more than two decades, described the plan as “an absolutely cracking idea.”
“We don’t have fish from supertrawlers. We don’t have fish from people poisoning reefs. I have really strong feeling about it,” McMahon told the Daily Telegraph.
“I hate the rape of the oceans by many Asian countries and Scandinavian countries. I think we should have really strong connections with the people who fish our oceans, rather than caught fish from countries where they have no scruples, people who are raping and pillaging our reefs and our oceans, it’s horrible.”
But supplier John Susman from fisheads Seafood Strategy was less than enthused.
He described it as a nanny state approach. Labelling restaurant meals would put people off, he said.’
It doesn’t apply to any other part of the menu,’’ he told the Daily Telegraph. “I take umbrage putting another barrier on front of the menu. The last thing we need is a barrier of entry to the general consumer. And who is going to police it?
“I think the money would be much better spent keeping pirates out of our fisheries.”
by Leon Gettler, May 30th 2016
