In a press release, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) said that the amendments represented "major changes" for producers of both fresh and frozen poultry meat.

The new rules set brine injection limits to 10 per cent for whole poultry carcasses, which is up from a previous limit of 8 per cent.

For individual portions of chicken products, the limit is now set at 15 per cent, where previously there was no limit.

The new rules also prescribe that the product names must include a description of the injected liquid, giving the examples of "chicken with brine" or "sweet ‘n sour marinated chicken drumsticks". Producers must now test their products to ensure they comply, and record the test results for at least one year.

The rules will be phased in over a period of six months.