EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
STATUTORY RULES 1985 NO. 244
Issued by the Authority of the Minister for Primary Industry
PIG SLAUGHTER LEVY REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT)
The Pig Slaughter Levy Act 1971 (the Act) provides for levies to be imposed on the slaughter of pigs at an abbatoir for sale for human consumption.
The Act imposes two levies, one for promotion and one for financing research. The proposed levy change concerns only the financing of industry research.
Section 8 of the Act provides that the Governor-General may make regulations for the purpose of section 6(1)(a) of the Act, which prescribes a maximum rate of levy of 20 cents per pig slaughtered.
Sub-section 6(2) requires that before making such regulations, the Governor-General shall take into consideration any relevant recommendation made by the Australian Pig Industry Research Committee and that regulations prescribing a rate of levy higher than that recommended by the Committee shall not be made.
In accordance with section 6 of the Act, the Australian Pig Industry Research Committee, supported by the
the Australian Pork Producers Federation, has recommended to the Minister an increase in the rate of levy for research purposes from 15 cents to 20 cents per pig slaughtered. The Minister has accepted the recommendation of the Committee.
The increase in levy of 5 cents per pig slaughtered by the Committee accords with the Government’s objective of encouraging rural industries to increase their contributions for research, within the next five years, to 0.5% of the industry’s gross value of production. The Government has undertaken to match the contributions of the individual industries to the same percentage level within the same time frame. The increased levy rate represents an increase from 0.13% to 0.17% of the industry’s gross value of production at present levels.
The purpose of the proposed regulations is to apply, from 1 November 1985, an operative levy for research purposes of 20 cents per pig slaughtered.
Currently the operative rate is 15 cents per pig slaughtered.