NFF renews call for a national food plan

The National Farmers’ Federation is seeking a commitment from political candidates of all stripes to tackle food security and supply chain disruptions.

Australia’s peak farm lobby group is called for a national food security plan ahead of the federal election to combat growing food insecurity and supply chain disruptions.

Echoing a recommendation of a 2023 House of Representatives inquiry into food security, the National Farmers’ Federation is seeking the commitment from political candidates of all stripes.

The strategy would mirror the one proposed in 2023 that was largely in response to the supply chain disruptions wrought by the pandemic, the onset of war in Europe, widespread flooding in Australia and outbreaks of Foot and Mouth and Lumpy Skin Disease in Indonesia.

NFF president David Jochinke said Australia’s ability to feed and clothe itself needed to be safeguarded.

“One in three Australian families now face moderate to severe food insecurity – a challenge

that will only deepen without decisive action,” he said.

“A National Food Strategy would help us understand the vulnerabilities in our supply chains,

and take action to ensure a food secure future for Australian families.”

Despite Australia being one of the most food-secure nations in the world, producing far more food than it consumes, dairy and seafood have been singled out as requiring government attention.

Australia is heavily dependent on seafood imports to meet domestic demand, while raw milk production has been declining for years.

The Australian Conservation Foundation has backed the NFF’s plan, calling for a national food strategy that ensures affordable and nutritious food while safeguarding and reversing the decline of nature.

“Any national strategy should prioritise ways to properly reward farmers who protect and restore nature on their farms while producing food,” ACF’s Business and Nature lead Nathaniel Pelle said

The call for a formalised, government-led strategy comes just days after the European Union released its own five-year blueprint for food “to ensure a stable supply of food in the EU at all times”.

The NFF is also calling for the next federal government to scrap any “unrealised gains” for superannuation holdings, maintain the Fuel Tax Credits scheme, implement a container levy to fund expanded biosecurity surveillance and introduce a legislative Right to Repair for farming machinery.