Transcript - 5AA - 20 November 2009

SUBJECTS: Importation of potentially BSE-infected beef

(greetings omitted)

Leon BYNER: ...Now you had this same argument put to you, did you not?

Christopher PYNE: Yes, Leon. When I was a Parliamentary Secretary for Health in the previous Government we had the same debate about allowing BSE...beef from BSE-affected countries to be allowed to be bought into Australia. We had quite a discussion about that within the Government. In the end, it didn't happen.

BYNER: And it didn't happen because?

PYNE: Well I think a number of us remained to be convinced and still remain to be convinced that it won't do tremendous damage to our image as a clean and green market. One of the things about Australia which everyone around the world acknowledges is that we don't have any BSE amongst our herd and therefore when we export overseas we get premium prices for our beef. If, on the other hand, we had a BSE outbreak in this country through no fault of our own because it was imported from another country we would obviously lose that image immediately and be pulled back to the rest of the pack, so to speak, of all the other beef-producing countries.

BYNER: Alright, so...we've had enormous reaction to this and it's not just South Australia. Everybody who eats meat has an interest, a vested interest in making sure this doesn't happen. That we accept a risk to our health so somebody can sell us something or we can sell something to them. So my question is, what do you propose you'll do about this?

PYNE: Well Bill Heffernan, who is the one known to some of your listeners as the Senator from New South Wales who is in the Opposition has been given responsibility for running this argument. He has initiated and bought about a Senate inquiry into the importation of beef from BSE-infected countries. That is beginning to meet and seek submissions. I would suggest that anybody who has concerns about this to get in touch with Senator Heffernan in Parliament House in Canberra by phone of by email...

BYNER: ...I'm surprised Malcolm Turnbull hasn't come out on this because...I mean all of those who vote Liberal, or who might live in marginal seats eat meat.

PYNE: Sure, but of course the wisest thing to do would be to a report. If the Senate report is damning, which I am sure it will be, because to me the issues are very obvious, then we'll have a foundation to go forth and argue on an evidence-based position against the importation of BSE countries because what the problems with this, which I faced when I was Parliamentary Secretary for Health, which Mark Butler is facing, is some people who are actually in the cattle industry want to do this because they want to expand their own markets overseas and they have decided the risk of BSE is less than the advantage of getting into overseas markets currently stopping them. Now I'm not sure...I don't share that view. My view is that we're quite capable to make profits out of our herd because of the premium prices we can charge because we are, we have a reputation for being entirely BSE-free.

BYNER: Well, Christopher, Steve Lambert, President of the AMA was in the UK when this thing broke out. He came on this program and he was very unequivocal about what he said. The words were "you cannot risk-manage this disease, you must just keep it out ".

PYNE: Well I agree with him and that's why when I was in Government I was part of the decision that didn't allow this to happen. Sometimes, unfortunately, because there hasn't been an outbreak of BSE in some time and it hasn't been in the news, people get complacent. Now we can't afford to get complacent with our beef industry. And we certainly can't afford to be complacent with humans. You only need one outbreak of BSE in Australia to wipe out the value of the meat currently held in stores all across the country. Nobody will buy beef because they'll be too frightened to do so. Butchers, supermarkets and others could well go broke because of it. That's what happened in other countries and we can't afford to risk it here.

(ends)