The Victorian Government in Australia has announced a new food safety agency in an attempt to create a more streamlined regulatory system.
Initial reaction from two dairy industry groups against the move said the current system is working.
The aim of Safe Food Victoria is to better protect public health and give communities confidence in the safety of their food. The authority will report to the Minister for Agriculture and is expected to begin operation in mid-2026, subject to passage of legislation.
Ros Spence, Minister for Agriculture, said: “Safe Food Victoria will provide simpler processes and greater consistency for Victorian food businesses while maintaining the excellent standards and expertise from existing regulators.”
Consolidation plans
Food safety in Victoria is currently governed by four pieces of legislation and overseen by multiple regulators. Responsibility is shared across government departments, ministers, Dairy Food Safety Victoria, PrimeSafe and local councils. PrimeSafe regulates meat, seafood, poultry and pet meat in the state.
The new agency will consolidate these authorities — bringing Victoria in line with other jurisdictions.
Specialist knowledge, skills and expertise across the existing regulators will be maintained and there will be no redundancies because of the reforms.
Victorians have been encouraged to have their say on the role of the new body, with feedback used to help shape its focus and priorities. Submissions can be made until Oct. 17, 2025.
Once Safe Food Victoria is established, further work will be undertaken to modernize laws, improve the tools and responsibilities to manage food safety, and provide a stronger and more flexible system that mitigate risks.
“Safe Food Victoria will perform the important regulatory functions to effectively deliver the critical public health functions required to keep Victorians safe,” said Mary-Anne Thomas, Minister for Health.
Negative reaction
Plans have already been met with some resistance. The United Dairy Farmers of Victoria (UDV) said the move must not compromise safety and result in increased costs for the dairy industry.
Bernie Free, UDV president, called on the government to clarify its decision and the lack of a business case.
“This move has united the industry in opposition to these so-called reforms. Replacing a proven, cost-neutral, specialist regulator with a one-size-fits all bureaucracy just won’t work. Where is the evidence that DFSV is not working? The current model enables a specialist, self-funded regulator that operates effectively and efficiently,” Free said.
The Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF) said the consultation felt “tokenistic.”
“The so-called consultation felt like more of an ultimatum. You can’t consult when you don’t bring any genuine options to the table, you can only enforce your decision,” said Ben Bennett, ADF president.
“This is a solution in search of a problem. Don’t dismantle a proven, specialist regulator and replace it with a one-size-fits-none bureaucracy. The stakes are too high for guesswork. You don’t bulldoze the house to replace a door.”
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