Jacquie Petrusma

Tasmania is a producer of some of the finest quality beef products in the world, however, there are significant issues related to the branding of our beef that have to be addressed.

On a recent trip to Bruny island I was horrified to learn from the Bruny Island Primary Industry Group that even though the cattle their members sell is Hormone Growth Promotant (HGP) free, they receive no financial gain for this achievement.  Even when you and I buy the beef from the supermarket there is nothing to indicate that the meat is HGP free  the meat might as well have come from a state that does use Hormone Growth Promotants.

The current State Government has failed in ensuring that consumers are not misled about the beef they are buying.  Meat should be clearly labelled with its place and country of origin.  Tasmanian beef, which is produced without the use of HGP and in an environment which is GMO-free should be sold as such, and beef imported into this State should be certified that it has been produced using standards that are as good or better than the standards Tasmanian producers adhere to.  Otherwise consumers are buying an inferior meat.
 
Because our State Government has failed to publicly champion the rigorous standards applying to beef produced in this State, the consequence has been that local beef producers have effectively been 'locked out' of their own local market as only 8% of the meat in the major Tasmanian supermarkets is sourced from Tasmanian meat producers.
 
We need to have a single, professional, and properly-resourced focus on projecting, enhancing and protecting, the Tasmanian brand, and promoting it to the world.  

A Hodgman Liberal Government will establish a Tasmanian Brand Commissioner to drive this top priority policy.  Products and services carrying the Tasmanian Brand will be synonymous with values such as the highest quality, innovation, safety and sustainability and, as such, will command a premium in the marketplace. The Brand Commissioner will also develop labelling strategies to underpin the Tasmanian brand  that will address the labelling concerns in sectors such as the beef industry.