Another "kick in the guts" for Australian farmers will push produce prices up even higher at the check-out and further tighten producers' purse strings as a new biosecurity levy nears implementation - much to the collective outrage of the nation's agricultural industry.
Victorian grain and livestock producer and National Farmers' Federation president David Jochinke led the charge at Beef 2024 on May 8 to demand the federal government to #ScrapTheTax - a proposed biosecurity protection levy that would see producers front the cost of goods imported by foreign competitors.
"They want to tax farmers to basically subsidise or take away farmers' ability, our right to not have to pay for other people to have to import their goods into Australia. As a united front, all Australian farmers have said 'no' to this biosecurity levee and the way farmers will be taxed," Mr Jochinke said.
"We're calling on all senators and the cross-benchers to vote against this piece of legislation.
"Australian farmers already pay our fair share and the Productivity Commission and the Australian National University agree that there is a better way to do this and that is the people who are creating the risk should be the ones who should be paying for the additional biosecurity funding.
"We definitely want to support biosecurity and want to make sure it's sustainably funded into the future, but by introducing a tax that's not well thought through, that's targeting the wrong people, essentially being rushed, is the wrong thing.
"It shouldn't be coming at the expense of Australian farmers...it's a compounding factor.
"We have not been consulted...this whole process needs to be started again."
Mr Jochinke said the government have been told to head "back to the drawing board" and divert the costs to the "risk creators" - those importing the goods into the country, rather than the farmers.
"We're not sure who's going to collect these funds, how they're going to be collected and that fact is it's going to be introduced in two months' time - it's been rushed," Mr Jochinke said.
"We implore all senators to vote against it and we're asking the general public and the farming community to use the hashtag #ScrapTheTax. Make sure you tag your local member, make sure you tag Murray Watt, tag the prime minister to say 'this isn't good enough'.
Federal member for Dawson Andrew Willcox stood firm for his rural constituents, slamming the levy as "ridiculous".
"It's just another kick in the guts for our farmers (and) it's going to be a kick in the guts for all Australians," he said.
"Farmers are...already struggling with all their input costs, fertiliser is going up, fuel is going up, freight is going up...the barrel is empty.
"They're going to have to pass the cost on and people will be paying more at the check out...everyone in Australia is going to end up paying the bill for this.
"It's crippling the farmers, it's going to kill some of the farmers off, but it's going to hurt each and every Australian.
"It's bad policy and I demand it be scrapped straight away."
AgForce general president and cattle producer Georgie Somerset said biosecurity was critical for her family business for securing the country.
"We believe strongly in biosecurity and traceability, but our belief is this tax is not going to deliver the benefits for agriculture because we're not even sure that it's going to come to agriculture," she said.
"This is another general tax on Australian farmers. We already fund our biosecurity, our traceability, we fund Animal Health Australia, Client Health Australia, we're doing our bit for industry. We don't need another tax at a time when our costs are increasing on farm. We need strong systems that keep our industries safe."
South Australian cattle producer Gillian Fennell demanded prime minister Anthony Albanese stand by his word to deliver a "more transparent government" and by allowing farmers a say in how the fund would be collected, distributed and targeted to address the issues faced by producers.
"All we're really asking for is for this to be an equitable and fair process...and payment from the people who are making the risk versus the people who have to live with the risk," she said.
David Littleproud congratulated the prime minister on achieving a feat he was unable to do during his term as Minister of Agriculture.
"That is to get every agricultural industry to agree on one issue and actually become united and fight in their disdain for this government in posing a $153m tax on Australian farmers, to pay for the biosecurity risks of their foreign competitors to bring their products to Australia," he said.
"In what parallel universe does a government impose a tax on its own farmers to help their foreign competitors to come in and have a free swing at us?
"The solution was about to be enacted before the last election...that was for a container levee, for those importers to be charged for the processing of those containers...and for bulk importers to pay a cost recovery fee as well.
"Murray Watt...simply had to sign the piece of paper and he would not be imposing this tax.
"I will be meeting with the Greens and cross-benchers next week. We will work collaboration with them to get them to understand what they're imposing on these people."
