Tasmanian farmers have won their battle for country-of-origin food labelling with an agreement yesterday by state and federal governments to strengthen labelling laws. Unpackaged products will have to display a specific country-of-origin label, not just a statement that the product is imported.

Tasmanian farmers had been angered by a decision of McDonald's fast food chain to acquire potatoes from NZ, and they launched a high-profile campaign a few months ago with a tractor convoy from Hobart to Canberra. That was quite a wake-up call.

Of course it is a gain to all consumers, now we will no longer have to read 'made from Australian & imported ingredients'. Federal Agriculture Minister Peter McGauran described the agreement as "a significant step" for Australian producers and consumers. The changes will inform consumers who want to support local producers and buy Australian-grown products," he said.

The products to have country-of-origin labelling, include vegetables, nuts and fruit as well as stuff we're not interested in such as pork products and processed unpackaged seafood.

The govt has asked the trans-Tasman food authority, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), to extend country of origin labelling to packaged products with up to two whole food ingredients. The change, expected to be considered in March, would replace labels identifying "imported product" with the ingredients' country of origin.

The parliamentary secretary for health, Christopher Pyne, has also asked the government to consider strengthening rules relating to the use of the labels "Made in Australia" and "Product of Australia".

AUSVEG, the vegetable growers' association which has campaigned hard for clearer labelling, said it was happy with the new rules. AUSVEG has repeatedly complained about the rule allowing the Made in Australia tag if more than 50 per cent of a product's value is added through local processing, even if the core ingredients are imported.