SA FARMERS will return to having a direct line to policy-makers in Canberra and a seat at the table discussing major agricultural issues.
During the inaugural Growing SA conference held at Hahndorf on Friday, Primary Producers SA executive Rob Kerin announced the SA lobby group was joining the National Farmers’ Federation.
“With the leadership of Grain Producers SA and Livestock SA we have made a decision to rejoin the NFF and try and get our voice heard on the national scene, but also put our shoulder behind the NFF’s wheel to try and influence policy in Australia,” he said.
The peak national ag body has strongly courted PPSA for the past two years and now has each state farming organisation, except the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers’ Association, back in the fold.
PPSA’s predecessor SAFF withdrew its membership in 2008, unable to pay the annual fee with a dwindling member base.
In the past decade, SA farmers have only had input through peak councils such as WoolProducers Australia, Sheepmeat Council of Australia and GrainGrowers Limited.
GPSA chairman Wade Dabinett says it is critical SA graingrowers are part of the national group.
“For us in GPSA, there is a significant return because of the number of sub-committees we can sit on from trade to taxation,” he said.
He acknowledged there were some critics who saw the NFF as having an ‘east coast-centric’ agenda’ but strongly believed the organisation was still the best national voice for farmers.
“It is not always about seeing the value in the past but making sure SA farmers are well represented across state and national issues in grains, state cross commodity issues and federal cross commodity issues – now I think we can say we have it covered,” Mr Dabinett said.
“We have no idea what lies ahead in the next five to 10 years.
“What if the grains industry has a live export moment?”
Livestock SA president Geoff Power said was difficult to put a price on the benefits NFF membership would deliver, but the deal the NFF offered was “affordable”.
At both Livestock SA and GPSA’s annual general meetings on Friday it was revealed PPSA’s membership fee to the NFF for 2017-18 will be $44,000.
Mr Kerin said the timing is right for SA to rejoin.
He told the crowd of nearly 300 people at the Growing SA conference it was a logical next step for the organisation formed four years ago, to gain a stronger voice on issues including infrastructure, energy and taxation.
PPSA is the overarching body for Livestock SA, Grain Producers SA, the SA Dairyfarmers’ Association, the Horticulture Coalition of SA and the Winegrape Council of SA.
“We have had some wins with government here in SA but a lot of issues facing our growers are national issues and at the moment we are not around the table,” Mr Kerin said.
“We can see us getting stuff out of being a member of NFF but we are willing to jump in and help wherever we can for mutual benefit across Australia.”
NFF chief executive officer Tony Mahar said it would strengthen their national advocacy base.
“We work for farmers right across Australia but there has always been that gap for us that we didn’t have direct membership with SA,” he said.
“It is a win-win situation. They get to help us set our agenda and we get to amplify the issues that are important in SA.”
NFF president Fiona Simson welcomed working with SA farmers who she said “punched above their weight”, contributing $18.6 billion in 2015-16 to the $60b Australian ag production.
She said PPSA’s membership would add another dimension to the NFF’s representation of Australian farmers.
Grain Producers SA chairman Wade Dabinett said the NFF had a number of recent wins, including lobbying to reduce the backpacker tax.
Mr Dabinett said SA would be in a better position to lobby to reduce mobile blackspot areas.
“Technology has the ability to make a huge difference to graingrowers’ businesses but it is only as good as the connectivity and we have some of the worst connectivity in graingrowing areas of any state,” he said.
“What is the point of us going to the government individually when we have a strong single voice that can also advocate for SA blackspots?”
Livestock SA president Geoff Power said it was important SA farmers looked “beyond the farmgate”, with the decision showing PPSA was coming of age.
“The thing about the NFF is it has the ear of Canberra – we have got the ear of Adelaide for our members but we also need to be around the table in Canberra,” Mr Power said.
