2015-12-15
“Reports of slave labour sourced prawns being sold in Australian supermarkets is deeply disturbing and reinforces the need for better seafood labelling laws in Australia,” said Greens spokesperson for Consumer Affairs and Fisheries, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson.
“Consumers in Australia have the right to know where their seafood comes from. We need to be able to have confidence that as consumers we aren’t perpetuating horrendous working conditions or environmental degradation across the region.
“While some supermarkets and fish retailers voluntarily indicate the country-of-origin of the stock they sell, there are still many who do not. In the restaurant sector country-of-origin seafood labelling is more of a rarity than a norm.
“Despite goodwill among individual MPs and Senators, the Labor and Liberal Parties joined together to vote down a Bill that would have made it the law in restaurants and in retail outlets to display the country-of-origin of the seafood at the point of sale.
“How many more warnings do we need to put this common-sense measure into law?
“Country-of-origin labelling measures give consumers greater confidence in their ability to make purchasing decisions that don’t negatively impact on their health, on the rights of workers, or on the health of the oceans.
“The Greens will be bringing forward a new country-of-origin seafood labelling Bill in the new year and this time I hope we will have the support of Labor and the Liberal Government”, he concluded.