Agriculture

The Issues

Australian farmers are dedicated to a sustainable and secure food supply for the nation, but they face significant variability due to global warming, volatility of commodity price indices and water availability.

According to the State of the Environment Report 2024, Australia is enduring harsher fire seasons, more ocean heatwaves and sea-level rises.

Our Plan

• Research and implement working models that benefit food and production.

• Review biosecurity policies and regulations to address current and emerging threats.

• Increase our skilled workforce to support current and future needs.

• Include agriculture as a curriculum subject in all secondary schools, with long-term support to education and training providers.

• Invest in research, technology, and strategies for sustainable farm production.

• Redefine drought zones and provide support and resources to strengthen resilience.

• Overhaul legislative barriers to capitalising on emerging technologies, and create a funding avenue for adaptation to and mitigation of climate risk.

• Review regulations governing water allocation and ownership by foreign entities.

• Implement the Productivity Commission’s recommendations for the right to repair.

• Adopt the 35 recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture (Australian food story: Feeding the Nation and beyond), especially:

• Develop a comprehensive national food plan.

• Appoint a Minister for Food within Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C).

• Establish a national food council responsible for the implementation of the National Food Plan.

The Evidence

Agriculture consumes 75% of total available water within Australia. As of December 2021, farmers used 7.8 million litres of water to support the longevity of crops and pastures (ABS) and, of this, 1.9 million hectares of agricultural land was used for irrigation (28%).

Australian farmers play a crucial role in ensuring our food security. Managing 55% or 426 million hectares of Australia’s land, they are both producers and stewards of our country. Agriculture stands as the bedrock of Australian society, with the sustainability of our food security impacting all Australians.

During 2022 23, Australian farmers produced 29.9 million beef cattle, 2.1 million dairy cattle, 79 million sheep and 700 million chickens for domestic consumption. In the same year, horticulture produced 1.3 million tonnes of wine grapes, 3.6 million tonnes of vegetables and 2.7 million tonnes of fruit, generating a local value exceeding $13 billion. The production of broadacre crops included 41.2 million tonnes of wheat, 8.9 million tonnes of canola and 32.6 million tonnes of sugarcane sold, generating a local value exceeding $21 billion.

As of June 2023, the gross value of agricultural, fisheries and forestry production had increased in Australia by 51% to $94.3 billion. By September 2024, red meat consumption had increased by 0.8% and chicken meat production by 0.9% (ABS). By December, farmgate earnings totalled close to $85 billion and continued to support rural and regional economies throughout Australia.

We will continue to assess the social, economic and environmental impact on our domestic agriculture farm industry, particularly the long-term effects of climate change if the threat is disregarded and the right to access water is compromised. We will gain a deeper understanding of the terms and conditions of water usage, emphasising how these aspects might influence the future of food security in Australia.

We will examine the existing guidelines concerning the Foreign Investment Review Board to ensure they are in harmony with Australia’s national interests, scrutinising the approval and screening procedures to guarantee compliance with the law and upholding all disclosure requirements. This initiative is vital for safeguarding the integrity of our agriculture sector and ensuring sustainable practices for the future benefit of our nation.

We will continue to support the bargaining power of producers within our domestic and export supply chain, regulating the monitoring of the domestic supply chain to ensure regulatory compliance is upheld and codes of conduct are abided by. This includes supporting the National Farmers Federation (NFF), who continue to advocate for reform of competition laws and improved access for smaller farm businesses seeking commercial avenues to small-scale abattoirs across the domestic supply chain.

We will review the Australian chemical regulator to ensure compliance is met crucial for reducing the negative impact of invasive pests and diseases on crop yields and future trade deals, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and ensuring Australia’s competitiveness in the global market. Supporting the farming industry’s right to repair their own equipment is also crucial: we aim to review the current right-to-repair law and management practices so farmers can choose their preferred local repairer for machinery repairs, rather than being obligated to use an authorised dealer.

References

• Snapshot of Australian Agriculture 2024 DAFF.

• Effect of recent (2001 to 2020) seasonal conditions on farm profit.

• Australia’s small-scale farmers are ‘meat in a market concentration sandwich’.

• Climate change impacts and adaptation on Australian farms.

• The effects of drought and climate variability on Australian farms.

• Where to next for Australian agriculture?

• Australian Agriculture: Livestock statistics on value of principal livestock disposals and products and the cattle herd.

• Australian Agriculture: Broadacre Crops statistics on the production and value of a range of broadacre crops.

• Australian Agriculture: Horticulture statistics on the production and value of a range of horticultural crops.

• Water Use on Australian Farms statistics on irrigation, including pastures and crops irrigated, and water sources.

• Register of foreign ownership of water entitlements Report of registrations as at 30 June 2021 (Foreign investment in Australia).