With EP rail winding up, farmers’ group calls for strategic review

An Eyre Peninsula farmers’ group is calling for a review into the region’s grain movements in the wake of Viterra announcing it would stop using the local rail network to cart grain.

An Eyre Peninsula farmers’ group is calling for a review into the region’s grain movements in the wake of Viterra announcing it would stop using the local rail network to cart grain from May 31.

This move is estimated to add an extra 25,000 to 30,000 truck movement a year onto Eyre Peninsula roads.

A major factor in the decision was the condition of the rail infrastructure.

Eyre Peninsula Cooperative Bulk Handling spokesman Bruce Heddle said “in an ideal world” the review would be a joint undertaking between the State Government and Grain Producers SA.

“We don’t believe the use of rail will come back so we have to have a completely new, fresh look at how grain is handled on the Eyre Peninsula,” he said.

“It’s not just grain we need to look at, it’s other bulk commodities as well.

“Depending on road transport is not necessarily a bad thing, it’s a competitive sector, but at least when we had access to rail, it provided an alternative.”

Mr Heddle said a review needed to be undertaken, not just for the sake of businesses on the Eyre Peninsula, but residents as well.

“The Lower Eyre Peninsula has very dependable grain production, and the 2018 season demonstrated that, if you look at the amount of grain that came out of that area.”

Mr Heddle said without looking at new options, the extra number of trucks travelling in and out of Port Lincoln at the peak time of harvest would have a significant impact on local residents, with the potential to add an additional 200 truck movements a day.

“Improving road infrastructure is important but it will only reduce the time it takes to shift the grain, not reduce truck numbers,” Mr Heddle said.

EPCBH was formed by farmers in 2017 to improve competitiveness for the grain industry on the West Coast and has been working with the mining company Iron Road on the Cape Hardy port project.

Mr Heddle said the group was supporting this project for a range of reasons.

“The Cape Hardy project is so much further advanced than any other deep water project planned for the EP,” he said.

Mr Heddle said a facility at Cape Hardy, located about an hour out of Port Lincoln, would help ease traffic congestion.

Cape Hardy would be the only Capesize vessel port — the largest dry cargo ships — in South Australia.

Grain Producers SA chief executive officer Caroline Rhodes said the organisation was leading the call to establish a statewide infrastructure blueprint to assist industry in long-term planning.

Ms Rhodes said to remain globally competitive, it was essential SA growers continued to access the most efficient and cost-effective export supply chain.

In late 2017, the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure and rail infrastructure owner Genesee & Wyoming Australia announced an investment of $150,000 to deliver an Eyre Peninsula freight strategy but the results of that study have not been released.