South Australia introduces bill to regulate pet food labeling

The South Australian government wants to introduce stricter rules surrounding pet food marketing and labeling with the Pet Food (Marketing and Labelling) Bill 2024.

The new rules will require pet food manufacturers to follow Australian Standard AS 5812:2023 (Manufacturing and marketing of pet food—Cats and dogs), a framework outlining labeling and marketing guidelines for pet food makers, sellers and marketers.

Under the new law, selling pet food that is not labeled in accordance with the existing standards will be an offense.

Sellers are also required to provide buyers with relevant information about the product, and the bill mandates that they not engage in “prohibited marketing.”

The new legislation will affect a broad range of pet food products, including raw meat, dried animal parts, supplements and processed foods for cats and dogs.

Enforcement

Authorized officers may be appointed to enforce the legislation.

They would have the power to search, inspect and remain on premises suspected of committing the offense. They are also allowed to investigate and search packages and records and track the names and details of defaulters.

The maximum penalty for hindering an authorized officer has been set to A$5,000 ($3,346/€3,075). Offenders will face fines starting at A$20,000 ($13,486/€1297) for a first offense, escalating to A$60,000 ($40,459/€36,290) for repeat violations.

The bill, introduced in June 2024, will come into effect 2 months after assent to ensure pet food businesses have time to comply.