NFF launches Keep Farmers Farming campaign to hit back at anti-farming policies

The national lobby group says farmers across the country feel under attack due to the promised live sheep export phase out, the proposed 10 per cent increase on agricultural levies and the Albanese Government's plan for more water licence buybacks to complete the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

There's also increasing uncertainty in farming circles around upcoming changes to environmental laws and concern over the market power imbalance of supermarkets and the ongoing labour shortage.

The national campaign, Keep Farmers Farming, comes only weeks after a national survey of more than 1600 farmers revealed falling confidence in the farming sector and reservations about the approach of the Albanese government.

Speaking in Canberra at the NFF national conference, chief executive Tony Mahar called on parliamentarians to stand up against policies which threaten to slash billions from farm production.

"Farmers have always put food on the table for Australians and clothes on our backs, but decisions are being made in Canberra that will make it harder to do," Mr Mahar said

"They're taking away the water, land and workers needed to grow food. That means fewer farmers doing what they do and when farmers grow less, everyone pays more."

The NFF survey found the majority of farmers (54.3pc) thought the federal government's policies were harming the industry.

Mr Mahar urged farmers and consumers to unite behind the campaign and show their support by signing an open letter to the Prime Minister, contacting their local MP or making a donation to the campaign.

"In the coming months, decisions by the federal government threaten to shave billions off farm production. We need support to ensure we have the right policies that help keep farmers farming," he said.

The campaign has several goals.

One pressing issue is blocking the passage of the Restoring Our Rivers Bill, which lifts the cap on water buybacks in the Murray Darling Basin.

The bill has already passed the House of Representatives and will be debated in the Senate in November. Labor has indicated it wants the bill passed before the end of the year.

The campaign is calling for the government to abandon plans to ban live sheep exports. Labor is standing firm on the promise, which it took to the last two elections.

The agriculture, sheep and live export industries have slammed the government for ignoring its own data, which shows sheep mortality on ships is at an all-time-low. Just 0.14pc of sheep die on long-haul voyages, lower than the in-paddock rate of 0.22pc.

NFF is relaunching its calls for a dedicated visa pathway for agricultural workers, as the industry continues to be plagued by a long-term labour shortage. After years of lobbying, the previous Coalition government introduced the AgVisa, which was quickly scrapped by Labor, who claimed it had failed to deliver.

The peak farming body wants to see a mandatory code of conduct for transmission projects, as the number of land use conflicts in regional communities has skyrocketed.

The campaign also calls for a shake-up of Australia's competition laws to secure a fair deal for consumers and farmers, and a balanced reform of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act to maintain productive land use.

Scrapping the proposed 10pc increase on all agricultural levies to bolster biosecurity funding is also a core focus, as is abolishing changes to superannuation laws scheduled to take effect from July 1, 2024.

* ACM Agri, the publisher of this masthead, is proud to be the media partner for this campaign.