Will Studd - The Roquefort Case

The Roquefort Case

In January 2002, Studd challenged minor changes to Australian food regulations relating to raw milk cheese by importing 80 kilograms of Roquefort as a test case.

After the Imported Food Inspection Program (IFIP) refused to test the cheese for compliance, Studd appealed to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. It took 21 months before the court reached a decision, but during the delay Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) changed the dairy regulations to allow the production and sale of hard cooked cheeses made from raw milk. (Amendment P 296)

The court upheld the ban on Roquefort and it was subsequently buried in a public tip. Two years later FSANZ also granted a special exemption for the sale of Roquefort in Australia (Amendment A 499) after an 11 year ban.

Studd lodged applications with FSANZ for similar exemptions for the production and sale of all European raw milk cheese in 2004 (A530/5310). After a delay of five years FSANZ finally announced a review of the domestic regulations on the production and sale of raw milk cheese in Australia in 2009 (P1007)

In 2008, the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) allowed the sale of Roquefort on the basis of the Australian report (A499). The following year they announced proposals to change the regulations on the production and sale of raw milk cheese in New Zealand, and proposals to recognise European regulations for some cheese types.