2009/752.10 SafeFish: Seafood Trade Expert Panel

By Alison Turnbull and Natalie Dowsett

SafeFish originated from the recognition by the members of the former Seafood Access Forum (SAF) (industry and government) of the need to provide coordinated, cohesive and robust technical advice to support Australian negotiators and delegations dealing with trade and market access issues related to food safety. While this expertise was variously available from different sources a more cohesive collaborative approach was required to bring together all relevant stakeholders (industry, scientists, government, and regulators) more collectively. This was the origin of the partnership approach known originally as the Seafood Trade Expert Panel which was then renamed SafeFish in 2011. This project was responsible for ensuring the most appropriate technical expertise was available to support Australian trade negotiations relating to seafood and to coordinate robust technical advice for input to international trade fora such as Codex and bilateral and multilateral trade agreement discussions.

SafeFish has been very successful in delivering a multi-disciplinary approach to often very complex trade issues which has ensured that Seafood CRC participant business operations and practices were considered in developing Australia’s negotiating positions.