Farms, food need united front

Declaring agriculture an essential service would give the industry more certainty, says The Weekly Times.

IT IS absurd that our state governments have not declared farming and food processing essential services.

The message from ministers to panic buyers and hoarders is to calm down; that there’s plenty of food for everyone; that our supplies can withstand this pandemic.

That is all true — if the settings are right. And that includes giving the agricultural supply chain certainty that, no matter what shutdowns occur in the weeks or months ahead, they can get on with their jobs.

Declaring agriculture an essential service would give the industry access to virus testing — vital to stop an outbreak within the supply chain itself.

State governments need to make the declaration now.

Surely it’s a no-brainer if we want to keep Australians fed during this crisis.

This is not the time for states to go it alone or one-up each other; we need unity to get through this.

And that warning also goes for those living and working in regional Australia.

At the time of publication, there were 35 known cases of coronavirus in regional Victoria.

It might not sound like a lot — and we need to keep it that way.

This is no time for complacency.

Given the evidence of how fast this virus spreads, we have one shot to slow it down and everyone needs to take it seriously and do their bit.

The discussion around essential services has shown us exactly how interdependent our supply chains are.

Look beyond your own paddock – just because something isn’t affecting you directly now, doesn’t mean there aren’t repercussions down the line.

Remember, #itstartswithag – let’s lead by example, work together and beat this.