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PRICE NEGOTIATIONS between supermarkets and farmers tops the Australian Federal Government’s green paper on competitiveness in the agriculture sector.
Farmers have welcomed the paper, released this month by Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce at the National Farmers Federation annual conference in Canberra. It calls for changes to the way supermarkets and farmers negotiate prices, and suggests more farmer-owned cooperatives could play a key role in such talks.
The paper recommends ways to improve relations between farmers and supermarkets. It comes after years of talks on a code of conduct, with only an interim voluntary code currently in place.
Joyce told reporters that prices paid to farmers is an issue seen repeatedly in submissions received by the Federal Government to the green paper.
“We believe unconscionable conduct should be controlled,” he says. More needs to be done “to bring about a more honest approach by those who wish to exploit their market position in a way that is hardened and discriminatory against smaller players trying to supply them.”
Water storage is another key issue in the green paper. Joyce says the Government is seeking to identify new dam and infrastructure projects.
National Farmers Federation president Brent Finlay says the green paper identifies nine policy principles, including greater returns to the farmgate, secure futures for family farms, infrastructure for the 21st century and a stronger voice for Australian farmers.
“Australian agriculture needs certainty for the long term, so that we can invest in our businesses and our futures. This in turn, benefits the Australian economy as a whole.
“The green paper builds on many of the NFF policy priorities, including rebalancing competition policy, support for drought-affected farmers, greater access to labour, reform of coastal shipping and removing unnecessary regulation in work health and safety laws.
“The commitment to further explore water infrastructure opportunities is an important acknowledgement that infrastructure investment, including in water, must grow to promote increased capacity and development in rural and regional areas.”
Finlay says Australia is lucky to have an agriculture minister “with such a passion for the agriculture sector”.
Submissions on the green paper will be accepted until December 12.
“We’re looking to farmers to tell us about the most important ideas and the policies we should focus on to take agriculture forward,” says Joyce.
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