The Primary Industries Legislation Amendment Bill, which is currently before the Victorian Parliament is what is known as an “omnibus” bill, it seeks to amend a number of different acts within the Primary Industries portfolio, for a number of different reasons.

Some of those changes, to the Meat Industry Act 1993, will allow for game meat that is not intended for sale, to be processed on commercial facilities.

That will mean that hunters will have the option of paying someone else to turn the spoils of the hunt into delicious treats for the table.

The Australian Deer Association has been actively advocating for these changes for a number of years – it is important that more people get to make the most of their wild food and engage in “venison diplomacy” by sharing it with their friends and family.

On introducing the changes to the Parliament, the leader of the house, Jacinta Allan said "Amendments to the Meat Industry Act 1993 are also being made to support the Government’s implementation of the Sustainable Action Hunting Plan. Hunters have been calling for the removal of barriers that prevent the use of game harvest, including the processing of meat for the hunter’s personal consumption. These amendments will ensure that the processing of wild deer that is not intended for sale is not captured by the licensing requirements of the Act."

These changes were put up in the last Parliament, however, due to a number of factors, they didn’t proceed.

We are confident that they will successfully work their way through the Parliament this time around and we will be in there, actively advocating to make sure that they do.