CEO COMMENT

By Dan Galligan, CEO CANEGROWERS

REAL STORIES BY REAL PEOPLE

The absolute bedrock of the CANEGROWERS philosophy is that we are an organisation that speaks from the perspective of farmers.

But more than that - we encourage growers, who are the heartbeat of our organisation, to step forward and be the voice of the industry.

This is more than just an aspiration; it is a core belief that we put into action every day. When we meet with politicians, present to parliamentary committees, or do media interviews, we call on growers to tell their story.

The organisation supports, guides and supplements these stories, highlighting the rich and diverse approaches growers take and the innovations they develop and adopt as they grow their businesses, support regional communities, and boost the Queensland economy.

It is a similar approach to that being taken by the National Farmers' Federation in a new campaign to promote and celebrate sustainability in farming.

CANEGROWERS is a proud foundation member of the NFF, which has taken a leading role in many high profile and sometimes polarising policy issues.

Their leadership is crucial. The NFF represents a ‘broad church’, bringing together representative organisations that focus on the needs of a specific supply chain, such as CANEGROWERS, and state farming organisations such as NSW Farmers and AgForce, which deal with more generalised policy issues across a myriad of rural and regional sectors.

The NFF’s new digital campaign uses clever technologies to inform targeted audiences about the work being undertaken on farms across Australia to address climate change.

As we do at CANEGROWERS, they are using the strength of their membership to tell this story. Farmers from across the country, including our own cane growers, have shared videos online describing how they are responding to climate change.

There is no disputing that the science of climate change is complex, and for many it is the topic of much debate. There is also no denying that strong government leadership is needed to resolve the pathway forward for Australia to deal with the risks of a changing climate.

As farmers, our industry and our communities are not new to this challenge, and in many respects we are at the coalface of climate change. The very future of our industry is at stake, so we have an important voice that needs to be shared.

Growing cane in some of the most variable, risky climate landscapes in the country is entirely sustainable. Unlike many production systems, growing cane can adapt to a changing climate and with our supreme capacity for energy production, we can be part of an energy transition for Australia.

We literally reside on both the impacted and mitigating side of the ledger on climate policy. A lack of clarity on that policy will only leave us exposed to the downside risks and none of the upside opportunities.

If you want to know more and, even better, if you want to be involved in the NFF #realclimateaction campaign, visit www.farmers.org.au/realclimateaction/.

I would sincerely like to thank the growers in our industry who have been involved. It is your willingness to participate and share your stories that gives us the impetus to drive this industry forward. 