EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
STATUTORY RULES 1987 No. 308
Issued by the Authority of the Minister for Primary Industries and Energy.
WOOL MARKETING ACT 1987
WOOL MARKETING REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT)
The Wool Marketing Act 1987 provides for the Governor-General to make regulations for the purpose of enabling the Australian Wool Corporation to carry out its quality assurance functions in relation to pesticide residues. The Act provides for regulations prescribing penalties not exceeding $5000 for offences against the regulations.
Under the Act, the Australian Wool Corporation has power to ascertain the ownership of wool found at test facilities to contain an excessive level of pesticide residue, inform relevant woolgrowers and State authorities of instances of excessive pesticide residue in wool or wool products and prohibit the offering at export auction, or order the withdrawal from export auction, of wool which does not meet industry standards in relations to pesticide residue.
The Wool Marketing Regulations were amended by the inclusion of provisions making it an offence to fail to comply with an order by the Australian Wool Corporation prohibiting the sale of wool which does not meet industry standards in relation to pesticide residue; to export wool sold in contravention of such an order, unless the wool has subsequently been re-prepared to comply with such standards; and to fail to provide information required by the Corporation to enable it to trace the owner and grower of wool containing excessive levels of pesticide residue.