Farmer sentiment towards the Federal Government’s policy agenda has continued to slide by up to 39 percent in the second National Farmer Priorities Survey by the National Farmers’ Federation in partnership with Seftons.

The survey of 1,026 farmers found heightened levels of concern across a range of issues compared to last year, up by an average of 8% across all metrics.

Biosecurity topped the list of concerns with 94% of farmers voicing concerns. The market power of supermarkets and processors fell to a close second place at 93.9%. Federal environment laws ranked third at 92.5%, both up more than 10% on 2023.

The largest swings in concern levels, compared with 2023, were seen towards biosecurity (up 12.7%) and live sheep exports (up 12.2%).

There has been a steep decline in farmers’ confidence in the Federal Government, with ratings across four sentiment measures deteriorating by an average of 32% in the past 12 months. This includes only 1 in 10 believing the Government has a positive plan for the farming sector, a drop of nearly 38% from 2023.

However, in good news the survey found 89% agree with the statement “I love what I do” and 78% say their community is a “great place to live” – with those measures rising by 18% and 10% respectively.

NFF president David Jochinke said the results were unsurprising.

“Critical issues like the live sheep export ban, biosecurity tax and water buybacks have weighed heavily on farmers.

“Particularly telling are the results around the live sheep exports. Despite only 10% of respondents hailing from WA, it rated as one of the highest areas of concern.

“This clearly demonstrates when bad policy infiltrates one sector, it puts every other sector on notice that they could be next.

“Despite a growing list of challenges keeping farmers up at night, it’s positive to see an uptick in farmers being proud of what they do and where they live.

“Farming is meaningful work where you get up each day knowing you are making sure people have food in their bellies and clothes on their back.

“As we look ahead, we now have a refreshed ministry on the hill. We hope the new ministerial team in Julie Collins and Anthony Chisholm will re-evaluate the Government’s direction and work with farmers to support the sector.

“Yes, farmers are frustrated. They feel they aren’t being heard and they are being steamrolled by harmful policies – that appear to be driven by activist groups or politicians, not farmers. But this can be the low water mark, as farmers are ready and willing to work with Government to turn this around.

“With meaningful engagement from the Government together we can build a more positive outlook for Australian agriculture and reach our shared goal to be a $100 billion industry by 2030.”

Not being heard

Managing Director of Seftons, farmer and report co-author, Robbie Sefton AM, said the data shows a stark shift from just 12 months ago.

“What this data clearly shows is that right now, people in farming communities do not feel like they’re being heard.

“I hope decision makers will look at these numbers and commit themselves to doing better. It’s important that regional Australians are heard when decisions are made that impact their future.

“I hope what these numbers can do is prompt a more positive discussion about the needs of regional Australia.”

Source: NFF. To view the full report click here.