Chicken meat import law review prompts health concerns

A peak poultry group says important human health concerns have been ignored in a review of the laws governing chicken meat imports.

Biosecurity Australia released a draft import risk analysis into imports in June.

But Dr Andreas Dubs, from the Chicken Meat Federation of Australia, is concerned the draft does not exclude countries which use 'human' antibiotics to grow chickens.

He fears it could lead to consumers developing a resistance to the antibiotics.

"In Australia we don't use antibiotics in animals that are primarily used in humans, so, an antibiotic like fluoroquinolone, which is a very important antibiotic as a last weapon in human health, is not allowed to be used in Australia, whereas it has been used in a lot of other countries," he said.

Currently strict protocols restrict imports to a bare minimum.