!!!February 1, 2024
Locally owned and independent
The Northern Rivers Times
RURAL NEWS 33
The Urgent Call for Collective Biosecurity Awareness In a matter of weeks, the term ‘biosecurity’ has leaped from obscurity to the forefront of public attention, drawing concerns from not only those in politics and agriculture but the broader public as well. Six months ago, few understood the gravity of this concept; now, it’s a pressing issue, and for good reason. The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) warns that an outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) could result in an $80 billion loss for the country, involving export market closures, travel bans, and the culling of livestock. FMD, a highly contagious disease affecting various animals, poses a significant threat to Australia’s agricultural landscape. The last occurrence of FMD in Australia was a century
ago, making the recent outbreak in Indonesia a cause for alarm. If this disease reaches our shores, it could have dire consequences for animal health and disrupt international trade. Reflecting on the impact of FMD in the United Kingdom
over two decades ago, marked by livestock pyres, travel bans, and lockdowns, underscores the potential devastation that Australia could face. Our nation’s competitive edge in global trade relies on a reputation for high-quality, disease-free products.
An FMD outbreak would shatter export markets, plummet livestock prices, and jeopardize the livelihoods of generations of farmers. The current surge in public interest in biosecurity is a positive development for the farming sector. For too
long, the challenges faced by farmers have been overlooked in an increasingly urbanized world. Agriculture, however, affects everyone as consumers of agricultural products, from breakfast cereal to clothing. Caring about the essentials in our lives
should extend to caring about farming. The path to preventing FMD’s introduction is straightforward but demands collective compliance. Recent incidents involving imported meat products highlight the potential risk. Vigilance in supply chains, both domestic and foreign, is paramount. Transparency on incoming traveller cards, proper hygiene practices, and avoiding contact with farms in FMD-endemic regions are essential measures. In contrast to COVID-19, FMD is a known entity with known transmission methods and prevention strategies. The shared responsibility lies in adhering to rules and safeguarding our nation from a potential outbreak that could inflict financial losses in the tens of billions when economic resilience is paramount.
Scrap unjust tax on farmers CANEGROWERS has added its voice to a growing chorus of agricultural bodies from across the country demanding the Federal Government abandon plans for the introduction of a biosecurity levy on farmers. Representatives from more than 50 peak ag groups, including CANEGROWERS, have signed a letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese calling for the proposed biosecurity levy to be scrapped. CANEGROWERS
Chairman Owen Menkens said the proposed levy would in fact operate like a new tax on farmers, saying the introduction of such a tax would be akin to fining the victims of crime while the perpetrators walk away scott free. “All farmers take biosecurity seriously on their farms every single day,” Mr Menkens said. “That’s why growers already pay significant amounts through their levies to fund industry and farm-based biosecurity protection
measures. “What the government is proposing is not what we traditionally understand as a levy, where those contributing have, through their representative bodies, some sort of oversight of how that money is spent. “Instead, funds from this new levy would disappear into a blackhole in Canberra where we would have no idea how or where they are used by the government. That’s not a levy, that’s a tax. “And what’s worse,
it’s a tax on the wrong people. If the government wants to raise additional funding for biosecurity measures, they should firstly look to the cause of many of our biosecurity breaches – importers and shipping companies – not to the farmers whose livelihoods are threatened by such breaches. “It’s like someone stealing your car, but you are the one who is fined by the government while the thief walks away without a care in the world, it’s unjust.”
While CANEGROWERS has been calling for increased funding by the Australian Government to make the national biosecurity system better for all Australians, with increased accountability and shared responsibility, the proposed tax on farmers is simply a revenue raising exercise with no accountability. It will also undermine the confidence of farmers in the value of existing R&D levy arrangements that invest in measures to prepare the ag sector
for any incursions by new pests or diseases, Mr Menkens said. “Whatever way you look at it, this is a poorly thought-out decision by the government and just another example of the bad policy we get when bureaucrats in Canberra make decisions without properly consulting the industries involved.” CANEGROWERS is calling on its members to act by contacting their local federal member of parliament to raise their concerns at the proposed tax.
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