INDEPENDENT candidate for the Mallee Sophie Baldwin says the grains industry deserves more than lip service from government.
“It is one of Mallee’s biggest industries and yet it is being held back by a lack of transparency, high input costs and a lack of willingness within government to listen to grower needs,” Ms Baldwin said.
She said more than six million tonnes of grain is grown across the electorate of Mallee and almost seven billion tonnes during the 2021/22 season.
“For years organisations representing grain growers such as Grain Growers Ltd and the state farming organisations through Grain Producers Australia, have been calling for the government to instruct the ACCC conduct a review of the Australian grains industry,” Ms Baldwin said.
“While the government has supported reviews of the red meat, dairy and horticultural industries and subsequent actions to address the identified problems inhibiting competition and impacting farmers, the requests for a grains industry market review have been ignored.”
She said as an independent member, she would advocate for and support a grains industry market study.
“It is clear that since deregulation the grains industry has been left without any of the mechanisms required to ensure a flourishing competitive market able to take advantage of supplying 10 per cent of international trade,” she said.
“To continue producing grain we need local manufacturing of green fertilisers, pest and weed control options and internet connectivity to support market development. Ignoring a major agricultural industry is just not good enough.”
