Biosecurity levy: Farm lobby group calls for “day of action”

The National Farmers’ Federation is rallying farmers to demand their local politicians vote against the federal government’s controversial biosecurity protection levy.

The National Farmers’ Federation is rallying farmers to “take a stand” on Wednesday and demand their local politicians vote against the federal government’s controversial $50 million biosecurity protection levy.

The peak farm lobby group will hold a “national day of action” in a last-ditch attempt to scrap the Albanese Government’s proposed levy that is expected to be voted on when the Senate next convenes next week.

NFF president David Jochinke said farmers were fed up with the government’s “dogged pursuit” of the levy despite strong opposition from agricultural groups and independent experts.

“On behalf of our members, nearly all of Australia’s 85,000 producers and the thousands of individuals and businesses in the supply chain, we are telling this Government to scrap the tax,” Mr Jochinke said.

“We are just 24 days away from this proposed levy being implemented, yet we still have no idea how the levy will be collected and managed. What a shambles.”

Nationals leader and agriculture spokesman David Littleproud said it was unlikely the BPL would pass the Senate.

“I’m getting more and more confident about that. We’re seeing the Greens show interest in stopping this in the Senate and I’m going to be having conversations with them and the crossbench too in David Pocock,” he said.

The Biosecurity Protection Levy bills were waved through the Lower House without the support of the Greens or independents in March.

It was swiftly referred to a Senate Committee for further scrutiny, with a report due on Friday.

The tone of the committee’s report is not expected to be positive. At the committee hearing late last month, witnesses took the opportunity to lament the lack of consultation from the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and vent their overwhelming opposition to the levy many in the industry see as a tax.

The BPL was first announced in last year’s federal budget with a start date of July 1 this year, but that now appears uncertain as its passage through the Senate looks increasingly shaky following public opposition from Greens Senator Peter Whish-Wilson and independents David Pocock and Helen Haines.

The levy is designed to collect about $50 million from farmers annually, which would form part of the Albanese Government’s four-year $1 billion biosecurity package.

Farmers have cried foul they’re being asked to foot part of the bill – about 6 per cent – given the majority currently pay annual levies to fund biosecurity activities.

Grain Producers Australia chief executive Colin Bettles said farmers were blindsided by the proposal last year.

“We feel the policy is fundamentally flawed and the consultation process before it was flawed … it needs to be parked and dealt with properly,” he said.

Many within the industry have taken aim at the amount being raised from farmers, labelling it “arbitrary” and without an oversight as to how it will be spent. The money raised will be funnelled into consolidated revenue.