A rogue Melbourne seafood company who imported prawns from China tried to swap them for clean ones after they were found to be diseased with white spot, allegedly to foil investigations.An outbreak of white spot disease has been detected in prawns caught in Queensland's Moreton Bay and Logan River area
"It's a disgrace, it could ruin the livelihood of an entire seafood industry," said Matt Poile from bait company Tweed Bait.7.30 first revealed the company — then called Sino Dilin — was under investigation in January 2017 when, comparing the conduct to sports drug cheats swapping urine to pass drug tests.WatchBarnaby Joyce has hit out at seafood importers suspected of knowingly selling diseased prawns, comparing them to sporting drug cheats.
Then, the power and lights went out and an electric freezer door stopped working, so a technician was called. EB Ocean pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching the Biosecurity Act for hindering the inspection and storing prawns outside a biosecurity area, and was convicted and fined $80,000 in the County Court of Victoria on the 11th of December 2019.Dan Rossman says EB Ocean's $80,000 fine pales in comparison to what he's invested to keep white spot disease out of his farm.
In a review of Australia's biosecurity defences following the 2016 outbreak, Helen Scott-Orr found there was a major failure to stop the systematic rorting by importers because the Department of Agriculture had left gaping holes that were easy to exploit. The company also disagreed with the suggestion the $80,000 fine was inadequate, stating: "This small family company has ceased trading, with the loss of the jobs of its nine employees and income for its owners."Public deserves a 'level of transparency'
The department argued it could not answer the ABC's questions because they contained commercial-in-confidence information and the ABC should consider submitting another Freedom of Information application. The Morrison government has also asked a scientific advisory group to examine whether current protections are adequate to prevent another outbreak.
What doesn't help is fishermen buying these prawns as bait.
The importets probably not even Australians
Why would the federal department of Biosecurity do anything? Any Biosecurity threats once in the country are solely the states burden. Same as COVID-19. ScamONoShow again
Fancy that, diseased seafood sent to our shores and our industry gets decimated. Surely China had NO IDEA AT ALL, almost like it was a calculated and deliberate 'accident' but I'm sre they will pick up the pieces with more shipments illegally poached by their fishing fleet...🙄
Imported prawns are a biosecurity danger. Perhaps we should ban crustacean imports, like bee produce, to protect our local industries.
What’s the bet that Licences transferred to new co controlled by the same bloke. Import license should be ripped up. Any co directors of associated entities should have theirs torn up too. Keen for industry informants to ID wholesalers in these racquets
Ali_Yesilyurt
Another rort by a Chinese company. $ above anything else no matter what the collateral cost.
Most of the fresh prawns/fish in Coles are from Vietnam, I will never buy them, they are cheaper than the Aussie prawns but I don't care. I also double check the frozen fish & see where it is from. Lucky the law makes them show where the fish comes from.
Another Dutton failure
Our Chinese mates at it again.
Yeah, it breaks the flow a bit.