PrimeSafe eNews Edition 23

In this edition:

• Message from the CEO
• Highlights of the Year;
• Board Updates;
• Changes to Meat Transport Vehicle (MTV) Inspection Requirements;
• Reminder Licensee Renewals;
• PrimeSafe Licensee Survey.

Message from the CEO

This has been another busy year for the PrimeSafe team. Throughout 2024 PrimeSafe has been focused on embedding its regulatory modernisation program. This program is focused on streamlining compliance activities, removing unnecessary regulatory burden and prioritising food safety.

PrimeSafe also continues to invest in digitising our regulatory system, the digital licensing management system is in its third year and has achieved even better outcomes than last year. There are now 99% of PrimeSafe licensed businesses using the licensing portal. This has delivered cost savings to both PrimeSafe and licensed businesses.

PrimeSafe continues to strengthen its communication with licensees in many ways such as responding to queries, delivering free forums and publishing eNews. To improve on its delivery of information and support to licensees, PrimeSafe regularly conducts licensee surveys every 2-3 years to evaluate the effectiveness of its communication strategy. PrimeSafe recently sent a survey to licensees to complete so that licensees can have a say in how we communicate with you.

PrimeSafe continues to offer free food safety programs to retailers of meat and seafood. PrimeSafe also provided licensees advice on the more complex processing activities and alternative processing.

The PrimeSafe has a new website that is more user friendly and allows easier navigation especially when seeking technical information on more complex issues. We would love to hear your feedback on the new website by either completing the PrimeSafe licensee survey or by sending an email to info@primesafe.vic.gov.au.

Finally, I would like to thank all our licensees, auditors and staff for making the year a very rewarding one even with the challenges we had. I also understand that the festive season can be a busy one for most of our licensees but please take time to rest and enjoy the festivities with your family and friends.

Michael Coffey
CEO, PrimeSafe

Highlights of the Year

Licensee portal for licensing and renewal.

The investment in digitalisation has seen vast improvements in renewal and response rates. 99% of PrimeSafe licensees now utilise our digital platform. Independent economic modelling estimates will save industry and PrimeSafe over $800,000 year on year in reduced administration burden.

Implementation of the Regulatory Modernisation program.

PrimeSafe has now implemented the reduced audit program for Victorian businesses, reducing the audit footprint from 3,696 audits per year to 2,527 audits per year. The economic modelling indicated that the total expected yearly savings to industry will be approximately $1.5 million.

Unannounced Surveillance Verification Program

PrimeSafe has implemented an unannounced verification program to complement the reduced third-party audit model. The unannounced surveillance verification program inspected 117 facilities in the first half of 2024. A major or critical non-compliance was identified at 14% of these inspections. This compares to 5.23% for the third-party audit program.

Refreshed website designed.

The PrimeSafe website has undergone a major redesign to make it easier for users to navigate and find the information they need. The content has also been overhauled to make it easier to understand and more accessible to the community. These changes aim to empower licensees and the general public to access food safety information.

The PrimeSafe Annual Report for 2023-2024 was recently tabled in parliament and is available on the PrimeSafe website.

Changes to MTV Inspection Requirements

The PrimeSafe Board recently agreed to remove the requirement to conduct annual compliance inspections of Meat Transport Vehicles (MTVs) as part of our licence renewal process. This means that MTV licence holders will no longer be required to have their vehicles inspected and passed to renew their licence by 1st July each year

A review of historical compliance data indicates that MTVs pass their annual inspection in over 95% of cases.  In addition, food transportation poses a reduced risk to food safety in comparison to other areas of the industry and this change will allow our regulatory focus and resources to be shifted to higher-risk processes.  This approach also aligns with the food transport vehicle licensing requirements in some other Australian jurisdictions.

This change does not mean that MTVs will be permitted to operate in breach of the operational hygiene and construction requirements of the Australian Standard. PrimeSafe will continue to conduct surveillance activities of MTVs to verify that vehicles remain compliant and do not jeopardise food safety requirements. MTVs linked to licensed facilities will also continue to be subject to audits and inspections as part of the existing audit and inspection systems in place through PrimeSafe and third-party auditors.

MTVs will still require an initial inspection when first being licensed by PrimeSafe. These inspections will be performed by PrimeSafe remotely through an assessment of photos of each new vehicle uploaded with applications submitted via the PrimeSafe Licensee Portal. These changes will be applicable for the 2025-26 licence period.

PrimeSafe Board Updates

PrimeSafe welcomes the appointment of the following Board Directors:

Fran Freeman – is a respected leader in food safety, agriculture, trade with years of experience in the public service. Fran has chaired international food safety and trade committees and served as Minister Counsellor (Agriculture) in Washington. She is also a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a consultant for the Global Food Safety Initiative.

Stephanie Kaparos – Stephanie has over a decade of experience in the seafood industry, including serving as CEO of Clamms Seafood, a leading seafood processor and distributor. She also holds director roles in several industry organisations. With a strong background in finance, operations, and governance, Stephanie is well-equipped to handle the industry’s challenges.

Tim Ryan – Tim is currently the Interim CEO at the Australian Meat Industry Council and also leads the Industry Affairs team, which manages AMIC’s biosecurity, traceability, sustainability, animal welfare, industry standards and economic programs and advocacy work. Tim has close to ten years’ experience in the Australian red meat industry.

Reminder Licensee Renewals

Licence renewal due for some categories

PrimeSafe sent renewal reminders via Email and SMS to all retail butcher shops, seafood wholesalers, processors and retailer licences last month. 

The following licence categories are required to be renewed before
31 December 2024.

• Retail butcher shop
• Seafood Wholesaler Category A and B
• Seafood Processor Category A and B
• Seafood Further Processor Category A and B
• Seafood retailer including vehicle/boat

To complete the renewal, you must:To remain licensed by PrimeSafe to operate in 2025, existing licensees are asked to renew their licenses by 11 December 2024

1. Check and complete the renewal form

Renewal Forms were sent to licensees who do not have licensee portal access. You can complete the paper form that has been mailed to you and send it to PrimeSafe.

For Licensees that have access to the portal, please complete your renewal online through the PrimeSafe Licensee Portal. Guides for how to use the PrimeSafe Licensee Portal are available here

2. Pay the licence fee

If you are using the paper form, follow the payment instructions on the back of the renewal form.

If you use the PrimeSafe Licensee Portal, you can pay with a credit card or BPAY. Follow the instructions provided in the portal.

PrimeSafe Licensee Survey

PrimeSafe started its 2024 Licensee Survey on November 27th, 2024. The survey covers all licence types and is designed to help PrimeSafe improve its communication strategy and provide better support to licensed businesses. The survey was sent by email and licensees are encouraged to participate in this survey to help improve PrimeSafe’s services and regulatory practices.

The survey is conducted by WhereTo Research on behalf of PrimeSafe. If you would like further information about the survey, please contact PrimeSafe at info@primesafe.vic.gov.au