NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin says it’s time for Australia to stop bending to European demands that would cripple food and fibre production.
Irish Farmers have been turning out in droves to protest against the planned methane emissions reduction target, which could see 200,000 head culled. Photo: Twitter
The latest broadside on Australian agriculture came in the form of a motion to Labor’s federal conference – inspired by European laws – that would directly limit what farmers were able to do on their properties.
The Labor Environmental Action Network’s ‘Climate, Clearing and Cows’ motion – which also sought to halve all methane emissions by 2030 – would have dire consequences for Australia’s farm productivity and food security, Mr Martin said.
NSW Farmers president Xavier Martin
He pointed to heavy-handed environmental laws in Europe that led to drastic change for farmers, from limits on the amount of fuel and fertiliser that could be used, through to reductions in livestock numbers.
“It’s time we stopped listening to bureaucrats in Brussels with no idea where their food and fibre comes from,” Mr Martin said.
“This constant interference in agriculture over there has caused enormous problems for the farmers who are simply trying to make a living by feeding people.
“It is madness to limit food production when there are already so many hungry people in the world.”
Mr Martin said Europe – which accounted for about 10 per cent of the global population – was trying to push around the rest of the world by demanding compliance with its laws. Meanwhile, European farmers were being subsidised to not produce food, and also had to spend a lot of time in the office doing compliance work instead of being productive.
In the end, there was a simple answer as to whether Australia should be forced to meet European requirements, Mr Martin said.
“If Europe doesn’t want our food, that’s fine, there’s plenty of other people who’ll eat it,” Mr Martin said.
“I know that sounds blunt, but we cannot keep bending over backwards to accommodate the demands of foreign lawmakers.
“Australian agriculture is arguably the world’s best – we’re sustainable, we’re healthy, we’re producing top-notch food and fibre – if Europe doesn’t want it someone else will.”
Source: NSW Farmers
“Australian agriculture is arguably the world’s best…”
Wow typical arrogant comment, Roy and H.G. Nelson always make fun of the Aussie …Best in the world…
and rightly so.
Holy Words … coming from an European!
The Australian farmers are 100% correct If Europe is only 10% of our market. I have seen how the common market has decimated uk farmers with milk quotas etc. The lunacy of committees and so called experts beggars belief. Just buy some corks for the cows LoL or better still for the politicians. Next thing they will be saying is ban baked beans, hahahahaha
The World Economic Forum and the ‘Great Reset’. It’s very scary stuff! . . . . But what can you do?
Australian farmers need to be able to do what they do best farm. Not be told what to do by foreign bureaucrats that have no idea or practical knowledge on what happens in our country we have enough problems with our own political leaders that have no practical experience you need to live the life of a farmer to no how to farm and live with the land
At last someone in a leadership role with the intestinal fortitude to stand up. The hypocrisy of the European climate policy is astounding. Pretending to be climate neutral while gaining their energy from Russia Now with the war in the Ukraine they are scrambling to Africa, but Putin may cut them off at the socks there as well. They may have to live within their energy means and turn into a poor third rate economy. The quest of climate policy will herald in soviet style starvation across the world which of course will be blamed on the climate. Perfect. We should all do what Sri Lanka’s people did and oust the idiots in power who tried to implement carbon neutral nonsense.
Like what has happened to Australian East Coast Spanish Mackerel which has seen the Government decrease the commercial quota by 80 percent and recreational fishers allowed only one per person and only two per boat. In England under the green paper reform where locals aren’t allowed to catch Spanish Mackerel only multinationals own all the quota not the people
I totally agree.
Sounds like early days Pauline Hanson, bloody good politics, over the shop counter but not much good where decisions are made.
South America produces bloody good food and how close is there east coast to Europe?
we do have good food and fibre but so do many others and if they comply with Europe they are in!! also SouthAmerica has a much closer cultural connection
It’s long time Farmers took back control of their own property..
Leave the EU if necessary..
Europe have lost the run of them selves . It’s time for farmers to say stop . It appears the want to drive all farmers of the land and controls them . Now we have to register to purchase fertiliser. What next ?
Get labour& the greens out quick before too much damage to Aust is done!!
About time for farmers to speak up to Brussels.
Sooner or later we will have another federal election. The liberals right wing needs to take the party back to the government we want and need. For too long the libs have looked too much like the loonie left Labor and Australia has suffered for it
Have we got here an Agro politition that’s got the necessary equipment in his mid piece to tell it like it is? If so we should be encouraging him into the Federal sphere wholeheartedly. His comments remind me of a frustrated Auctioneer at a tough sale who appeals to the buyers as follows: DO YOU WANT ‘EM OR NOT?
Simply put, PROTECTIONISM.
That is true Australian leadership!
Who cares that their potential European customers pay great premiums once you meet the standards their citizens support?
We cannot keep believing our standards are the greatest ever, ever imagined if these pesky upstarts don’t understand we cannot keep improving things if prices are tough!
It’s food ! Food is what we can produce and in such abundance that we can feed some 60-70 million!
Of course production on such an industrial scale might need some compromises but how are our local multimillionaires and foreign based corporate owners going to keep their bonuses fat and pay scales high if your bog standard consumer starts being listened to?
Not good enough at all!
We don’t test our our vegetables so why should they?!
Thank goodness for SkyAfterDark , Alan Jones and our rural enterprise leaders!
Third world markets are a lot less fussy about all this regulation crap and just think how great it feels to sell whatever you want to and all you need to do is accept less income!
True leadership!