Steritech are an old part of the nuclear establishment in Australia, with ideas (and regard) for public safety as about old. They commercially irradiate goods, in the alleged interests of public health and safety. They recently succeeded in secretly lobbying the government to remove the moratorium on Food Irradiation and are currently planning to build a food irradiation facility in Caboolture Shire just north of Brisbane.
If any food had to be irradiated, consumers will need to ask, what was wrong with it ?
GOOD FOOD DOESN'T NEED IRRADIATION. (1)Support the Campaign Against Steritech and Food Irradiation :
http://come.to/nuke.free.narangba/
http://www.squirrel.com.au/~sbryce/Contact : Friends of the Earth Brisbane
Ph (07) 3846 5793 and Fax (07) 3846 4791
294 Montague Rd, West End, QLD 4101
P.O. Box 5702, West End, QLD 4101
Email foebrisbane@uq.net.auDownload FoE Brisbane's Recent
EPBC Submission on Narrangba (PDF ~ 32 kb).Background to Steritech
In 1959 the world's first commercial irradiation plant was constructed in Dandenong, VIC. The plant was used to treat bales of wool being imported into Australia as a quarantine measure. The radioactive Cobalt-60 isotope was provided by the (then) United Kingdom Atomic Energy Commission (UKAEC). This plant was decommissioned in 1977. It is not known who built and operated this plant.In 1965, Johnson & Johnson built a commercial irradiation facility in Sydney for medical purposes. This plant was designed and supplied by Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd (AECL), who also supplied the Cobalt 60 isotopes. This plant was decommissioned in 1990.
The launch of Steritech occurred around 1971, when their own Melbourne plant was commissioned. They later commissioned a facility in Sydney in 1986. Both plants are AECL designs, with supply of Cobalt-60 also from AECL.
Steritech are the only commercial irradiation company in Australia, and thus have a nice little monopoly indeed.
With the downsizing of the medical manufacturing industry over the last decade (80% of medical instruments, gloves, etc., are now imported), much of Steritech's traditional business shrank considerably. They saught new business "markets", and saw Food Irradiation as a major potential money earner.
They were stopped in 1987, with a permanent moratorium placed on the irradiation of food.
However, with the recent adoption of genetically modified foods, the federal government slipped through the removal of the moratorium without the virtually no public debate. Steritech have got their way, well almost. The local community in Caboolture Shire, in conjunction with Friends of the Earth Brisbane, are fighting Steritech's new proposed nuclear facility
General Manager : George West Contacts : Registered Office :
160 South Gippsland Hwy, Dandenong, VIC 3175
Ph (03) 9793 5566 - Fax (03) 9701 3158
Postal Address :
P.O. Box 4040, Dandenong South, VIC 3164
NSW Office :
5 Widemere Rd, Wetherill Park, NSW 2164
Ph (02) 9609 5566 - Fax (02) 9604 4396
W. J. Harvey - Mob 0412 372 955Website : http://www.steritech.com.au/ Email : sterivic@ozemail.com.au (VIC) and
sterinsw@ozemail.com.au (NSW)ACN : 007-308-027
Background information from :
- West, G, 1995, Commercial Irradiation in Australia. Proc. "ANA 95 - Nuclear Science and Engineering in Australia, 1995", Held by the Australian Nuclear Association at Lucas Heights, NSW, Oct. 30-31, 1995, pp 55-56.
- (1) - Webb, T & Lang, T, 1990, Food Irradiation - The Myth & The Reality. Thorsons Publishing Group, London, UK.
Last updated April 17, 2001.
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