![Wine Grape Council of SA executive officer Peter Hackworth says the government's actions on levies do not match it's premium food and wine strategy. Wine Grape Council of SA executive officer Peter Hackworth says the government's actions on levies do not match it's premium food and wine strategy.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-agfeed/2151162.jpg/r0_0_4256_2832_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
WINE Grape Council of SA executive officer Peter Hackworth has questioned the rationale behind the government's proposed NRM levy hikes.
Subscribe now for unlimited access to all our agricultural news
across the nation
or signup to continue reading
Under the National Water Initiative Agreement, he believes irrigators are already paying for the system and he will be taking the matter up with Water Minister Ian Hunter.
"The government is saying it meets its user pays delivery model but they are creating unfair distribution in terms of passing on costs - which should be met by the government - onto users," Mr Hackworth said.
"One of the government's priorities is food and wine from our clean environment exported to the world but this measure is not showing support for agriculture.
"What other industries in SA have got real potential to grow into the future other than agriculture including wine? But growers feel they are being taxed out of existence."
The peak council for SA grapegrowers said its members had accepted, in "goodwill", irrigation allocation cuts and the need for investment in efficient irrigation infrastructure while negotiating Water Allocation Plans across the state, but questioned where the government's goodwill was.
"The people producing the wealth for the state are being penalised again," he said.