Qld starts developing food policy

THE Queensland Government is taking the first steps down the long road of developing a food policy for this State.
This is something that QFF and our members have been calling on for some years, and something that we finally started receiving political traction with last year following the debate about a ‘big Australia’ and the various food policies floated during the election campaign.
From the Queensland perspective, last week CEO Dan Galligan and I attended the first ‘Dialogue for Action Forum’ chaired by Agriculture Minister, Tim Mulherin.
Stakeholders from the farm gate, processing and retail sectors were in attendance, representing all those who desire a profitable agriculture and food processing sector in Queensland.
It is noteworthy that the discussion last week focused on a food policy rather than just food security.
Australia is of course a net exporter of agricultural products, although with some produce such as fruit and vegetables there are increasing volumes of imported food hitting our shores and ending up in supermarkets.
This is a concern for both farmers and consumers, particularly given that our farmers comply with stringent environmental standards which are not necessarily enforced in other parts of the world.
Ultimately, though, a good food policy will ensure amongst other things that Australia will not be reliant on imported food supplies..
Even before the meeting, I knew that it would be a complex task developing this policy, so one of the first things that QFF will be looking for is a vision statement and policy framework that reflects the significant importance of a viable and expanding agricultural production and food processing in this State.
It must provide a reference point against which all other policies being developed which directly or indirectly must be judged that are likely to impact on food production in Queensland.
Essentially it is rather like the need to do a regulatory impact statement only it relates to policy including both those policiest hat are supportive and those that have the potential to adversely impact,I note that we have blueprints for coal seam gas so surely given its significance there should be a blueprint for agriculture which should not be confused with other policies such as Blue Print for the Bush
It would be an excellent outcome if a future food policy acted as an umbrella policy that ensured positive outcomes for the myriad of other challenges that confront farmers.
The SCL policy is one example that is dragging on too long, especially given the community concern on the issue and the speed of gas development in the Surat Basin.
Unless policies such as this are enshrined in legislation, then farmers would quite rightly view the food policy process as a political distraction.
Minister Mulherin has also set some ambitious targets for agriculture in Queensland and the Department is seeking a tripling of the current value of the sector to $40 billion by 2020.
In politics, 2020 is an eternity away and governments will come and go in that time. But for farmers, the reality is that if we are to have any hope of reaching this target in nine years’ time then the work must begin now.
The development cycle for crop varieties can take seven years or more; fruit trees take four or five years to start producing commercial crops; and sugarcane crops ratoon for up to five years.
That means the forthcoming State and Federal budgets will need very firm commitments on agricultural research and development this year to meet these targets.
By doing that, government at all levels would give the industry real confidence that they are indeed serious about implementing a long term food policy for Australia.