On 22 May 2012, the Australian Meat and Live-stock Industry (High Quality Beef Export to the European Union) Order 2012 was registered on Comlaw. An independent review of the quota scheme was undertaken in 2011 and concluded that while industry broadly supported the current arrangements, there was scope for further improvement. The administrative amendments are expected to deliver more efficient and effective management of the European Union High Quality Beef quota by minimising barriers to exporting and reward market development in the export industry, including for new entrants. The amended order includes changes relating to smoothing allocation fluctuations and rewarding consistency in performance, limiting third party trading of quota, more effective recall of unused quota, introducing penalties for hoarding quota and ensuring the commercial viability of small allocations. The Regulation Impact Statement was prepared by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and was assessed as adequate by the Office of Best Practice Regulation.
