The federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry revealed United Airlines twice failed to report it had brought dogs to Australia – in December 2022 and in March 2024 – and failed to provide biosecurity officers with information when requested or meet prescribed disinfection measures, including procedures to control or kill the insect vectors of human diseases and agricultural pests or other insects, both in August 2023.

But despite the potential seriousness of these multiple breaches, which could have introduced rabies or other exotic pests and diseases that threaten food production, United Airlines was given a “slap on the wrist” according to NSW Farmers Biosecurity Committee chair Tony Hegarty.

“It is unbelievable that our response to an international airline not only repeatedly breaching biosecurity rules, but also refusing to hand over information to authorities, is an enforceable undertaking,” Mr Hegarty said.

“This is the equivalent of promising not to do it again after doing it again and again.

“The federal government needs to take breaches seriously and ensure companies like United Airlines also take it seriously, not just give them a slap on the wrist.”

According to DAFF, the airline voluntarily agreed to meet a number of requirements over the next 15 months which would be monitored by the department, including “revising their internal processes, systems, and training”.

Mr Hegarty said while this arrangement could be enforceable in a court, it was a far lighter response than many Australians would accept as appropriate to protect our food supply.

“Aussies cop a bigger penalty for jaywalking or littering than United Airlines has been dealt, and that’s just not good enough,” he said.

“You cannot tell me a pilot wouldn’t know they had a dog on the plane or what the rules are at their destination, and if they don’t know, we need to make sure they do!

“The continued protection of Australia’s biosecurity is paramount, and that means a heavier hand when multiple breaches occur.”

Read more:

• Biosecurity threats concern NSW Farmers
• On the frontline of biosecurity

The post Weak response to biosecurity blunder  appeared first on The Farmer Magazine.

NSW Farmers Business Economics and Trade Committee chair John Lowe said the changes to the Treasury Laws were set to impose new taxes on unrealised gains in superannuation holdings, including family farms – meaning farmers could be taxed for income they will never see.

“This law is not going to affect the people with hundreds of millions of dollars in their superannuation accounts, but rather the hard-working Australians who own their businesses or farm assets in structures such as self-managed superannuation funds,” Mr Lowe said.

“Self-managed superannuation funds are a common tool farmers use to manage their farms and aid business succession, and now, their farms are at risk because the government wants to rush through new tax laws without considering how agriculture operates.”

As several accounting bodies and financial associations also raised their concerns around the bill, Mr Lowe said it was critical that any changes made to tax laws did not place unfair financial pressure on family farms among other small, family-owned businesses. 

“These proposed changes could well force many farmers to sell the farm they operate or lease to their children, unless they’re able to take out even more loans to try and meet new tax obligations,” Mr Lowe said. 

“NSW Farmers supports sensible amendments to super – not taxes that will enable the super-rich to continue unaffected, while the small businesses and farm family businesses suffer.

“Aussie families and young Aussie farmers all deserve to be able to run their own businesses without crippling bureaucracy and taxes and there’s no doubt we need our family farms to stay if we want to have our own, homegrown food and fibre.”

Read more:

• National Farmer Rally in Canberra
• NSW Farmers secures win on property tax

The post Super tax to hurt family farmers appeared first on The Farmer Magazine.

On Friday , media reports incorrectly claimed NSW was “a global hotspot for deforestation”, citing NSW Government figures claiming “landowners cleared land equivalent to almost twice the size of the Australian Capital Territory over the five years to 2023”.

But NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin said these “cherry-picked” numbers had been weaponised to falsely paint farmers as environmental vandals.

“It’s very sad to see these baseless attacks on the farmers that feed and clothe our nation continue, this time from activists within the NSW Government itself,” Mr Martin said.

“The amount of land cleared stated as facts is wrong, alarmist and irresponsible, and it’s clear they are designed to demonise farmers rather than continue a productive conversation on protecting the environment.

“Australian farming practices are world-leading – and we have made significant progress on this issue, but that is being undermined by the people pushing an activist agenda.”

Clearing figures made no reference to the amount of land set aside for conservation, which was roughly four times as large, Mr Martin said. While the NSW Government claimed 420,000ha had been cleared of native vegetation from 2018 to 2022, it miscalculated the environmentally beneficial clearing of invasive native species.

Mr Martin said the NSW Government knew the actual amounts of land cleared were dwarfed by plantings and environmental gains, including on-farm conservation efforts and setting aside of farmers’ land for the environment, but this had been wilfully ignored or distorted.

“The activist strategy of using incorrect deforestation figures may have far-reaching consequences for all Australians,” Mr Martin said.

“This will impact our international markets and undermine the genuine environmental and sustainability credentials of Australian farmers.

“There is clear evidence that partnering with farmers improves conservation outcomes – such as the fact that forest cover in NSW has increased every year since 2007 – but this has been deliberately distorted by those who simply want to sell a message.

“I am deeply disappointed the NSW Government has taken this approach, and I call on NSW Premier Chris Minns to recommit to a constructive dialogue with agriculture.”

The post NSW Farmers calls out activists in state government appeared first on The Farmer Magazine.

NSW Farmers members, who demanded a fair go for farmers, were joined by people from all states and territories, including the National Farmers’ Federation, and truckies and farmers from Western Australia who would be drastically impacted by the Australian Government’s ban on the live export of sheep by sea.

The rally in Federation Mall – on the doorstep of Australian Parliament House – was a landmark moment in the fight to protect food and fibre production from anti-farming decisions set to cost the nation billions.

“Farmers have always put food on the table for Australians and clothes on our backs, but decisions are being made in Canberra that are making it more and more impossible to do this,” NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin said.

“We need good decisions out of Canberra that support the farmers who quite literally feed and clothe our nation, and this rally is our chance to show politicians and policymakers that farmers will not stand by while they ignore facts and science to comply with the theories of anti-farming activists.

“The water, land and workers needed to grow our food is being taken away by bad decisions, and we need to act now to keep our farmers farming before our food security is thrown into real jeopardy.”

The national rally focused on key issues such as the ban on live sheep exports by sea, the proposed double tax on farmers for biosecurity, the impacts of the renewable energy transition on rural communities, and the the draining of fresh water out of Murray-Darling Basin communities into the ocean.

Mr Martin thanked attendees for their support for the agricultural industry and called on federal parliamentarians to reverse anti-farming policies.

“Farmers around the world are increasingly having to stand up for agriculture, as politicians put policies into place that threaten our food security and force farmers out of business,” Mr Martin said.

“Australia is no exception, and we hope to see farmers turn out in their thousands this September 10 so we can ensure every Aussie family has food on their table, and clothes on their backs.”

Activists on agenda at National Farmer Rally

Exposing false claims about farmers was one of the key goals of the National Farmer Rally in Canberra, with consumers urged to stay alert to fake news from activist agendas.

NSW Farmers Conservation and Resource Management Committee Chair Bronwyn Petrie said the environmental credentials of the agricultural sector were not being accurately portrayed by special interest groups and activist agendas, who continued to peddle fake news to influence politicians.

“Claims that land clearing is out of control in agriculture are simply wrong and counterproductive to what should be a unified effort to care for our environment,” Mrs Petrie said.

“There is clear evidence that partnering with farmers improves conservation outcomes – such as the fact that forest cover in NSW has increased every year since 2007 – but this being is ignored by those who simply want to sell a message.

“We continue to see unfounded reports that farmers are recklessly clearing land by including vegetation management approvals, regrowth control, responsible removal of invasive species, land covered by non-woody vegetation, land affected by drought and disasters, and even land used for roads in figures on ‘land cleared for agriculture’, which is simply inaccurate and untrue.”

Mrs Petrie said it was critical the right information was used to make the right decisions for the environment.

“Ill-informed activist agendas have gone too far and threaten to prevent farmers from protecting the environment as they produce the food and fibre that feeds the nation, as well as our export markets,” Mrs Petrie said.

“We know exactly how important the environment is, but building biodiversity and protecting our landscape needs to be done in partnership with farmers, or else practical solutions simply won’t be achieved.”

Read more:

• ESG: The good, the bad and the confusing

The post National Farmer Rally in Canberra appeared first on The Farmer Magazine.

On Sunday Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Tasmanian MP Julie Collins would replace Murray Watt as Agriculture Minister, adding to her existing portfolio of Small Business.

Senator Watt, meanwhile, was appointed Employment and Workplace Relations Minister amid a pre-election reshuffle prompted by the retirement of Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney and Skills Minister Brendan O’Connor.

NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin said while the incoming Federal Agriculture Minister had a big task ahead of her, the portfolio was also a unique opportunity to drive positive change within the sector to keep farmers farming.

“The appointment of Julie Collins as the nation’s Federal Agriculture Minister marks a new chapter for the industry, we’re hopeful of a more practical and common-sense approach – certainly as small business minister she already has an appreciation for some of the challenges we face,” Mr Martin said.

“All Australians have a stake in the future of farming, and the Federal Agriculture Minister has several key responsibilities to enable us to feed the future.

“While there’s much to be done, by working together with the new Minister’s team, there’s much we can do to make a positive difference within the industry and the rural communities that rely on it.”

Key priorities for agriculture

As Ms Collins takes the reins of the nation’s Agriculture portfolio amid the Albanese Government reshuffle, Mr Martin said NSW Farmers looked forward to engaging with the Minister on key priorities for the sector as soon as possible.

“Solutions and support with national traceability reforms, biosecurity concerns and meaningful competition reform are just some of the priorities we hope to be able to work with the Minister as we move forward into this new period,” Mr Martin said.

“This is an exciting time to be in agriculture, and we look forward to engaging and moving forward on key priorities for our state’s farmers with the Minister as soon as she can get her boots in the paddock.”

Mr Martin said Senator Watt’s experience as Agriculture Minister would be vital as he stepped into the workplace relations role, with labour shortages a major constraint for farmers.

“Australian farmers pull their boots on every day to produce the healthy plants and healthy animals that feed and clothe the nation, but they cannot do it alone,” Mr Martin said.

“Whether it’s year-round roles or extra pairs of hands at harvest, we need to ensure we have workers who can support this critical job of getting food from farm gate to dinner plate.

“Former Employment Minister Tony Burke was deaf to our concerns about the practical impacts of legislative changes, but hopefully Senator Watt’s experience with farmers will help him deliver better outcomes.”

• Read more: NSW Farmers joins campaign against anti-farming policies

National perspective

National Farmers’ Federation President David Jochinke welcomed Minister Collins to the role in a statement on Sunday.

“The agriculture portfolio holds enormous strategic importance,” Mr Jochinke said.

“The farm sector is central to Australia’s climate and energy plans, as well as our economic prosperity.

“Most importantly, a thriving farm sector means quality, affordable produce for Aussie families amid cost-of-living pressures.

“We hope Minister Collins will be a champion for sensible policies to support and grow our farm sector.”

Mr Jochinke also welcomed Senator Anthony Chisholm into the role as assistant minister to the agricultural portfolio.

“We look forward to also working with Senator Chisholm and having that additional horsepower of an assistant minister in the portfolio,” Mr Jochinke said.

Mr Jochinke said the NFF looked forward to working with the new-look frontbench on a positive plan for the sector as the next election draws nearer.

“We need Minister Collins to work closely and collaboratively with industry to strengthen agriculture’s relationship with the Government,” Mr Jochinke said.

“What farmers are looking for is a demonstration of this government’s commitment to our $100 billion growth target. We want to see positive plans and investments to grow the economy through food and fibre production.”

The post Albanese Government reshuffle offers fresh start for farmers appeared first on The Farmer Magazine.