And then we must face the barriers which prevent Australian products from competing on a fair basis in international markets. Apart from high tariffs, there are a number of non-tariff barriers seriously affecting the capacity of Australian food products to compete. For example, in Thailand and Indonesia, products need to be registered with local authorities before they can be imported, and the registration number must be shown on the label. This cumbersome and lengthy procedure adds significantly to cost of exporting and often scares smaller firms away from the market. Other labelling problems are also causing problems for Australian producers.
Some markets require detailed listing of ingredients.
Others want the importer's name on the label and a separate label needs to be produced each time. And even labels for the English speaking countries have differing requirements. No doubt many of you are well aware of these and other trading difficulties, such as those connected with product classification. For its part, the Government in cooperation with industry is working hard to eliminate these barriers. Already we have achieved some success on this front.