Labor’s fresh food tax risks Mallee farmers’ productivity and Australia’s $100 billion goal for farm gate output by 2030, Member for Mallee Dr Anne Webster says.

While Australia’s gross value of agricultural production had increased by about 51 per cent in the past 20 years, the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) reported this week that productivity growth had slowed from an average 2.18 per cent to just 0.6 per cent each year since 1999-2000.

“Australian agriculture is targeting over $100 billion income by 2030 but Labor is slugging the industry with a $153 million tax over three years to pay for the biosecurity risks farmers’ foreign competitors bring into the country,” Dr Webster said.

“Our farmers work very hard in an unpredictable environment, but Labor’s heavy-handed fresh food tax puts the handbrake on Mallee farmers’ productivity by increasing their operating costs. Either farmers will wear this cost or Australian families will pay that cost through higher prices at the supermarket checkout.”

Dr Webster said an importer container levy, recommended by the Independent Craik Biosecurity Review, was a better approach to protect and support Australian farmers.

“Under the Coalition’s plan importers will pay for the biosecurity risks they bring into Australia,” she said.

Dr Webster said Labor’s fresh food tax added fuel to the anti-agriculture fire Labor started with its industrial relations policies.

“Bad policy decisions in Canberra are hampering our farmers, take for just a few examples the proposed biosecurity levy, mandating a 30-hour week for Pacific workers regardless of whether there is work to do on farm, letting unions stomp onto farms or Labor ripping water out of irrigation communities to meet environmental targets and appease green inner-city voters” Dr Webster said.

“Australia has lost more than 15 per cent of its farmland in the past 30 years, under Labor’s watch this will continue to grow especially through transmission lines, wind turbines and masses of solar panels. Only the Nationals in a Coalition Government will support our farmers and improve agricultural productivity.”