SafeFish addresses industry’s priority trade issues
The Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) 2020 Stakeholder Survey shows that most stakeholders are satisfied or very satisfied that contributions to FRDC are being invested wisely and for the benefit of industry.
There are many opportunities for commercial, Indigenous and recreational fishers and people along the fishing value chain to shape FRDC’s R&D investments, including through its 8 Regional Advisory Committees, its 12 sector-based Industry Partnerships and through ongoing services like SafeFish, which is the leading platform for addressing seafood safety and trade, and trade and market access issues affecting Australian seafood.
SafeFish is primarily funded by FRDC and it provides research and technical advice to overcome issues of public health and to support Australia’s seafood trade and market access negotiations and helps to resolve barriers to trade.
The technical SafeFish program is underpinned by a strategy to identify current and emerging food safety and market access issues, to prioritise them, and to undertake technical work to provide potential solutions to address the highest priority issues.
The SafeFish Work Program for 2019 to 2021 was established after a hazard identification and issue prioritisation process that identified the three highest priority issues for the Australian seafood industry. Technical research is being undertaken to:
Review the microbiological criteria relating to seafood in the Australian New Zealand Food Standards Code, to remove all process hygiene matters from the criteria and to include them in a separate guidance document for industry.
Better understand and manage the emerging risk of vibriosis in the shellfish industry
Improve risk management of Ciguatera Fish Poisoning in Australia.
As well as providing technical advice on seafood incidents and supporting international delegations, SafeFish contributes to information dissemination and adoption through technical reports and guidance materials, factsheets on seafood hazards and workshops on topics such as extending seafood shelf life.