Agriculture needs certainty and support from politicians

Politicians must back agriculture to the hilt in midst of the coronavirus crisis, argues The Weekly Times.

Plant hygiene: Bairnsdale’s Vegco plant is one of the backbone food processors that supports regional Australia.

THE collapse of tourism and retail businesses under the weight of coronavirus restrictions has reinforced regional Australia’s reliance on agriculture and food processing to keep the economy afloat.

Right across Australia pubs, caravan parks, wineries, vineyards and local retailers are battling to survive. But agriculture is still delivering.

We need state premiers and the Prime Minister to guarantee the food supply chain will be exempt from any further coronavirus restrictions or shutdowns — not just to maintain food security, but to sustain regional communities that feed off agriculture.

Abattoirs, milk processing plants and other food processors need certainty. Butchers need to know they can keep operating, rather than being sidelined while supermarkets keep operating.

Everyone engaged in agriculture needs to know governments have their backs.

There is no reason why coronavirus testing of management and workers should not, like health care workers, be given priority to keep the flow of food to domestic and export markets.

We need to know the detail of what contingency plans are in place, so we can all identify the shortfalls and ensure a co-ordinated and clear approach.

At the moment many players along the supply chain have no idea what’s going on.

Agriculture Minister David Littleproud says contingency plans are in place. But what are they and how do they operate?

He also claims agriculture is an essential service, yet it is the states with the real power over coronavirus restrictions.

Australian consumers have already woken up to how essential agriculture is to their existence, now it’s time for our political leaders to do the same.