Industry groups have joined forces to protect Australian's valuable reputation for cattle integrity in the wake of claims of fraudulent tagging in Victoria.
The Australian Livestock Exporters Council, Australian Dairy Farmers and Australian Livestock and Property Agents have written to Agriculture Minister Jaclyn Symes expressing concern regarding the reported incidents.
All three organisations are represented on SafeMeat and the Integrity Systems Company, which both manage domestic integrity systems ,and have and will continue to actively encourage their members to report any suspected wrongdoing throughout the supply chain to the relevant authorities.
ALEC chief executive officer Mark Harvey-Sutton said it was vital to keep scrupulous livestock records.
"If our systems are not adhered to, it can put the whole market at risk so it's incredibly important people maintain their integrity," he said. "It comes down to biosecurity and clear transparency in trading, so people get what they paid for."
ALEC supports the department's investigations into the claims of fraudulent tagging of cattle in Victoria and understand they are ongoing.
Any activity to jeopardise our trading markets requires thorough investigations and severe penalties across of all our respective areas of the supply chain if allegations are proven, Mr Harvey-Sutton said.
We recognise the incredible importance of our industrys integrity systems in underpinning our international trade by providing surety around biosecurity and traceability.