Hundreds of cane growers gathered at Ingham Saturday afternoon to voice their concerns over the current impasse between Wilmar and Queensland Sugar Limited before Acting Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce.
More than 500 growers urged Mr Joyce – who is acting in the top job while Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is out of the country – and others like Member for Hinchinbrook Andrew Cripps to continue the fight.
Wilmar Sugar Australia and Queensland Sugar Limited have been unable to reach agreement on grower supply contracts.
“They are holding 1500 growers to ransom,” one grower told the meeting. “We need to have action and we need to have it soon.”
Local businessman Felix Reitano said the issue was not confined to the sugar industry.
“This is not only a cane farmers problem but a business owners’ problem because the business owners feel the effect of the industry,” Mr Reitano said.
“When you go back to Canberra ensure these people are properly informed and understand it effects the entire community.”
Member for Hinchinbrook Andrew Cripps said legislation to provide the mechanism for milling and marketing entities to resolve a dispute was being draft to be tabled in state parliament.
He said he wasn’t confident the impasse would be broken by 28 February.
Minister Joyce said it would be “smart” for Wilmar to resolve the issue immediately.
“If that doesn’t happen you have state legislation and if that doesn’t happen then we can go federally but the problem with that is it has to go through the whole process of parliament,” Minister Joyce said.
"If we have to go down that path, I can assure you that Wilmar will wish they had come to an agreement."