TasFarmers Matters - Making our voices heard

ADVOCACY has never been more important.

Competition for farmland is increasing, government decisions are having far-reaching impacts, and the provenance of what we eat and wear, along with the future of our processing sector, are all steering the direction of our sector.

Too often, agriculture is not being heard or given the respect it deserves in government decision-making circles.

The barrage is non-stop and would appear never-ending. TasFarmers this year has continued a sustained campaign to shine a light on the sale of Rushy Lagoon.

We continue to ask how government backing impacted the outcome of the sale of our state’s largest farm and distorted the market.

Importantly, our advocacy has progressed to a state-backed parliamentary inquiry and should lead to controls to ensure it never happens again.

Federal Opposition Leader Angus Taylor will also put a bill to Parliament next month to stop the Clean Energy Finance Corporation going beyond what it was established to do: investing in clean energy, not carbon schemes for big polluters.

One Nation’s Pauline Hanson has also drawn attention to the issue, criticising putting net zero ahead of food security and taxpayer support for foreign investors.

We also continue to support our potato growers in their negotiations with giant American processor Simplot, which recently left the negotiating table to single out growers in negotiations.

After much discussion and media attention, they have now returned to the table, with negotiations focused on consulting with growers collectively.

Feral deer cost producers in Tasmania’s Midlands and eastern regions more than $53 million annually.

Through sustained advocacy, we have secured important policy reforms to ease this burden.

Landholders now benefit from extended permit validity and greater freedom to harvest both male and female deer statewide, year-round.

Bag limits and tagging requirements have also been removed in key management areas to make on-ground control easier.

Council rates are another issue squarely in our sights, particularly as the decisions of the City of Launceston grab headlines.

The need for fairer rate setting has become increasingly apparent, along with the need for broader reform.

Agricultural land should not be treated like commercial or industrial property simply because councils need to raise additional revenue.

The list of issues we have confronted does not stop there.

We have advocated on biosecurity and avian influenza preparedness, fuel and fertiliser security, rising input costs, right to repair, dairy pricing and farm profitability, and food security.

The work of Lindsay White also deserves to be recognised and congratulated.

We continue to work together with Lindsay, FLAG and farm for reform of the FPA, from legislation and regulation through to the way it operates on agricultural land.

We are pushing for clear agricultural exemptions, fair enforcement, due process, independent scrutiny, and getting agricultural regulation into an appropriate framework.

We have also continued to push for better freight, telecommunications and regional infrastructure, and state and federal policy settings that support rather than hinder the future growth of Tasmanian agriculture. The future of food processing is also critical.

We have to protect our processing sector for the next generation, and we need to work with government to make sure the policy environment is exactly what processors need to keep factories here in Tasmania.

There is little point growing more if we lose the capacity to process what we produce.

We don’t expect government to agree with us every time, but we do expect agriculture to be heard, understood, and properly considered when decisions affecting farmers are made.

We’re here for farmers, and we encourage you to keep raising your voices and telling us what you need.