31 October 2023. By AgForce CEO Michael Guerin.
Have you noticed the bureaucracy around farming seems to be getting more complex every year? And that the impacts of each of these incursions is more keenly felt?
You’re not alone. In fact the problem is becoming so large, cumulatively it’s costing our industry many millions of dollars.
AgForce has thrown its support behind an unprecedented national campaign against anti-farming policies - Keep Farmers Farming.
I’m proud of AgForce for taking this stand. It means the Australian agriculture industry is united in its call to Federal MP’s to stand up against policies which threaten to slash billions from production.
And as we know, united voices have far more impact.
Farmers have always put food on the table for Australians and clothes on our backs, but decisions made in Canberra of late are making it harder than ever for us to continue doing that.
This national campaign led by the National Farmers Federation will focus on key issues such as water buybacks; the proposed ban of live sheep exports to the Middle East; worker shortages on farms and in the food supply chain; environment laws; transmission lines and competition policy.
This comes only weeks after a national survey of more than 1600 farmers revealed falling confidence in the farming sector and reservations about the approach of the Albanese Government.
I’m urging farmers and consumers to show support by signing an open letter to the Prime Minister, by contacting their local MP, or by making a donation to the campaign.
Sometimes we forget our power as local constituents, and we’re calling on you to make your voice heard. Don’t be afraid to talk to your local MP about your concerns and the impact that is having on the whole food supply chain.
Some of the specific outcomes we’re lobbying for in the Keep Farmers Farming campaign include blocking the Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Bill, which lifts the cap on water buybacks in the Murray Darling Basin. We’re also calling for a shake-up of Australia’s competition laws to secure a fair deal for consumers and farmers.
We must convince the Federal Government to abandon plans to ban live sheep exports to the Middle East, and of the great need to create a dedicated visa pathway for agricultural workers.
And rather than the current hotchpotch approach to power planning, we need a mandatory code of conduct for transmission projects, and a balanced reform of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act) to maintain productive land use.
Far better to prevent negative outcomes than try to wind them back. So the time to act is now.
So head to keepfarmersfarming.org.au and add your voice to this vitally important campaign for our collective future.