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 2024 Election Priorities – Farm Viability

2024 Election Priorities - Farm Viability

  • Overview

    Food security in Australia continues to face threats due to market forces impacting farm viability at both ends of the supply chain.

    Many farmers are receiving the same supermarket price for their product as they were nine years ago, and they are also facing increased pressure from escalating input costs and a growing number of government policies making it harder and harder to do business.

  • QFF's Position

    QFF is calling for strengthened support mechanisms to enable long-term growth, viability, competitiveness, and profitability of farm enterprises.

    This is not only important for a strong future for Queensland agriculture and the economy, it also will protect food and fibre production for consumers and future generations.

  • Policy Actions
    • Invest $10 million over four years in the industry-led SmartAg Queensland Program to increase skills and capacity within the agriculture sector.
    • Invest in farm safety initiatives at a level equivalent to that of other states with an amplified focus on education, prevention, and capacity building, not just compliance.
    • Instigate a rebate program to support farmers to transition to side-by-side vehicles and install rollover protection on farm vehicles.
    • Review of market transparency across the agriculture supply chain for companies providing input products such as chemicals, similar to what has been undertaken for supermarkets.
    • Invest $300,000 of seed funding to support the continued implementation of the FutureFields Horticulture Strategy and provide continued support to the ‘Geared up Growers’ initiative.
    • Mandate the Guideline on Equity and Fairness in Rating for Queensland Local Governments to assist in establishing consistency and best practice of rating principles across the state.
    • Commit $6 million over 4 years to facilitate the development of an AgTech efficiency and adoption program to assist farm enterprises to achieve efficiency and productivity gains through well informed adoption of technology.
    • Commit to assisting industry to implement the Queensland Dairy Plan.