LOCKYER Valley Foods CEO Colin Dorber has challenged both sides of government to back up their “Buy Australian” rhetoric with meaningful investment and policy action.
Mr Dorber urged the Federal Government to expand its commitment to the Feeding Australia policy, direct National Reconstruction Fund (NRF) investment towards re-shoring food manufacturing, and fast-track food infrastructure projects with special development designations.
“It’s all very well to ask consumers to buy Australian, but when the Government is only paying lip service to supporting our farmers, and retailers are chasing the lowest prices around the world, individual action is not going to get us anywhere,” he said.
“The Government must restore food sovereignty to this country and fix the crisis that is seeing farming industries dwindling or disappearing altogether, and they must act now, or it will be too late.”
Mr Dorber criticised the Federal Government’s $3.5 million Feeding Australia pledge as inadequate.
“Three and a half million dollars to create a ‘plan’ does not sound like actual support for farmers and growers to me,” he said.
“Let’s do the maths: three million tonnes of fruit and vegetables go to waste every year, and the average price of veggies today is around $5 per kilogram – fruit is even more. Conservatively, in the next two hours, $3.47 million worth of fresh Australian produce will be wasted due to policy failures. The Government is pledging two hours’ worth of fruit and veggie waste to fix our national food supply? I don’t think so.”
Mr Dorber called on the NRF to prioritise investment in food supply projects and introduce a special “essential development” designation to fast-track critical infrastructure.
“Beetroot is a prime example – last year we had a canned beetroot shortage because we’re so reliant on imports.
And why? Because there’s nowhere to can beetroot where it’s actually grown.
“All our fruit and vegetable processing plants are decades old and owned by US, Canadian, and other overseas interests – and if you can’t see why that’s a problem, then you shouldn’t be making agricultural policy.”
Mr Dorber also warned that global supply chain disruptions had exposed Australia’s vulnerability due to over-reliance on imported food.
He said it was a matter of national pride to increase support locally.
