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ALEC backs Keep Farmers Farming campaign
The Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council (ALEC) has thrown its support behind the National Farmers’ Federation’s Keep Farmers Farming campaign against anti-farming policies.
ALEC CEO Mark Harvey-Sutton said this was another example of the industry being united in its call for Federal parliamentarians to stand up against policies which threaten to slash billions from the agriculture sector.
“We know farmers are already hurting as a result of the Government's policy on the phase out of live sheep exports.
It’s another example of an ideological agendas driving policy.
The Government is taking away markets for sheep farmers, resulting in the loss of confidence we are seeing already,” he said.
The national campaign, titled Keep Farmers Farming, is being driven by the National Farmers’ Federation in step with members including ALEC.
It focuses on key issues such as the proposed ban on live sheep exports, worker shortages and environmental laws and comes only weeks after a national survey of more than 1600 farmers showed declining confidence in the approach of the Albanese Government, particularly for West Australians in the live sheep export industry.
Mr Harvey-Sutton urged people to support the campaign by signing the open letter to the Prime Minister, contacting their local MP or making a donation to the campaign.
“Shutting down live exports when the industry has reformed and now has world leading standards is poor policy and sets a terrifying precedent for all farmers. That’s why every NFF member organisation has joined us in calling this a red line issue for the sector.”
Specific outcomes sought as part of the campaign include:
- Blockage of the Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Bill, which lifts the cap on water buybacks in the Murray Darling Basin;
- Abandonment of plans to ban live sheep exports by sea
- A shake-up of Australia’s competition laws to secure a fair deal for consumers and farmers;
- A dedicated visa pathway for agricultural workers;
- A mandatory code of conduct for transmission projects; and
- Balanced reform of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act) to maintain productive land use.
For more information, head to keepfarmersfarming.org.au
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