The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) has been forced to take the extraordinary step of launching its largest protest campaign in almost 40 years, as Labor continues to decimate the industry and the regions.
Federal Member for Flynn, Colin Boyce said the NFF was desperately trying to save farming from a Labor government that had torn up farming confidence. New NFF president David Jochinke also gave a dire warning at the NFF Conference that it was in the fight of its life.
“It has taken just 18 months for Agriculture Minister Murray Watt and the Prime Minister to lose the confidence of the agriculture sector,” Mr Boyce said.
“Our farmers are under siege. NFF’s public campaign, ‘Keep Farmers Farming’, is an embarrassment for Minister Watt and the Albanese Labor Government. Every single Australian is feeling the impact of the pain and hurt being put onto farmers, because the end result of Labor’s bad policies are families being forced to pay more for food at the checkout.”
Farmers are being punished by Labor in almost every possible area. Just some examples include;
Fresh food tax – Labor is taxing farmers more, by forcing them to pay for the biosecurity risks of international importers.
“It is unfathomable the Labor government would ask farmers pay for the biosecurity risks of international importers from other countries.
“All farmers will be impacted by Labor’s new tax, which will push up the price of fresh food.”
Scrapping the Ag visa – Australia’s top peak food industry bodies warned that agriculture required an additional 172,000 workers, yet only around 16,000 Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) workers have come in since Labor got into office.
“Labor is refusing to reinstate the Agriculture Visa, even though changes to the PALM Scheme are making it even more difficult and costly for farmers to get their product from paddock to plate.
“Farmers simply can’t get the workers they need and will be forced to offer a minimum of 30 hours per week, despite agriculture work being seasonal and weather dependent.”
Banning live sheep exports – Labor is destroying the livelihoods of 3000 people and an industry worth $85 million, by banning live sheep exports.
“Minister Watt has turned his back on the live sheep industry. If Minister Watt is so confident in his decision and the science behind it, details from the Independent Panel Report, handed to Minister Watt, must immediately be released.
“It begs the question, what industry will Labor target next?”
Renewable energy policies – Labor’s reckless race to 82 per cent renewables by 2030 means 28,000 thousand kilometres of transmission lines will rip up native vegetation and prime agricultural land.
“We don’t need to put in $80 billion dollars of transmission lines.
“Labor’s ideology is putting our food and fibre production is at risk. As well as ripping up agricultural land, chopping down thousands of hectares of native bushland and pristine farmland for wind farms is senseless.”
Other issues include – Potential Cultural Heritage laws putting farmland at risk, forcing farmers to pay for the unrealised capital gain of their properties in superannuation funds, delays to an Infrastructure Review and critical regional projects, delays to red imported fire ant eradication funding and delays acting on Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), a lack of impetus to finalise meat labelling and not progressing with the domestic regulation of organics.
“It’s no wonder our farmers are on their knees and now begging Labor to stop destroying the industry,” Mr Boyce said.
“A future Coalition government will stop this madness and senseless destruction of our farmland for the sake of left-leaning ideology. Unlike Labor, a future Coalition government will support, protect and grow our farming industry.”
