Premier Needs To Beef Up WHO Response
The Victorian Government needs to explain what it is going to do about potential impacts of the World Health Organisation’s coronavirus origins investigation.
The WHO report released last week indicated one of the four possible outcomes was that the virus was imported to China on frozen food, including Australian beef.
Australia exported $2.7 billion, or more than 300,130 tonnes, of boxed beef in 2019 with China accounting for 25 per cent of it.
Member for Western Victoria, Bev McArthur, said while few take the China-controlled WHO report seriously, any perception of trouble or doubt could be damaging for Victorian beef farmers.
“The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has rejected the hypothesis outright, yet not a word from the Victorian Government on behalf of its producers and farmers.
“The Premier, Daniel Andrews, his Agriculture, Trade and Economic Development Ministers need to burn the midnight oil on this one.
“Strangely enough – we don’t have a Minister for Science.
“If we had one - surely that person would be shouting for proper science to be done and demanding we disprove a potentially damaging theory.
“We have Ministers for Racing, the Suburban Rail Loop, Solar Homes, Sport, Multicultural Affairs, Fishing and even and a Department of Fairness, but no Minister for Science.
“Which of these other Ministers is going to give a damn about the ‘science’ just splashed out by the WHO? Where is the Minister for Agriculture on this? She should be beefing up support for our hard working meat producers.
“A Science Minister would be shaking every test-tube he or she could get until this disgraceful hypothesis is wiped clear from possibility.
“This is a multi-billion-dollar problem for farmers – especially Victoria’s south west beef farmers who hold 40 per cent of the state’s beef cattle.
According to Meat and Livestock Australia, 85 million beef cartons are exported from Australia around the world each year ‘without issue’. More than 100 countries take our beef.
“Doesn’t it beg the question that this conclusion by the WHO scientists is rather bizarre?
“Why is it that the only country where the beef is a potential issue is China?
“If Australian exported beef goes to more than 100 nations – and is a carrier of the virus – then why didn’t the virus emerge in all 100 countries?
“Clearly – Australian beef is not the problem.
“The Chinese Communist Party’s disinformation campaign and coercion of the WHO investigation is the problem.
“The Victorian Government needs to get proud and loud – and demand a retraction of the mischief making report – or get busy doing some science of its own – to immediately quash this damaging and silly response by the WHO.”
“Our farmers deserve better than a lazy assumption that everything will be okay.”
14 February 2021