Australians and their food
Australia has a strict regime of pesticides and their use, which food importers don’t have to comply with. Jim Pratley, Professor of Agriculture at Charles Sturt University, urges all Australians to stand up for their local food supply.
Australians spend only about 17% of their disposable income on food. Compare that with those countries where nearly 100% goes on providing barely enough. About 1 in 7 of the world’s population suffers from hunger, yet in Australia we are blessed with the best supply of the best quality 24/7/365.
It is so good that we take it for granted, and we tend to place little value on it. It seems to me that we need to change before our complacency comes back to bite us. Whereas we have food security pro tem, climate change, a breakdown of our biosecurity, changes in terms of trade, population explosions on shore, loss of productive land through mining and urban sprawl and the like may change the equation. Valuing our food, appreciating where it comes from and protecting that source become future imperatives.
Our farmers need to compete in order to remain profitable and in business. Why is it then that they have to meet the standards we impose as a society but those farmers of imported foods do not? In Australia we rightly have a strict regime of pesticides and their use. The cost of compliance and the unavailability of cheaper options reduce the profit margins for local producers. Yet food importers do not have to comply with such standards and often use rates of chemicals and compounds that are not allowed in Australia. There is nothing wrong with competition as long as all are playing by the same rules. Australian agriculture needs to have a strong accreditation system.
Most Australians would like to support Australian products. In many cases they purchase food they think is from Australia only to be duped by the official labels. We have truth in labelling and advertising laws yet the origin labels are a joke. We need politicians with guts to change the food labelling requirements so that consumers understand what they are buying.
So Australians, start valuing your food supply and appreciate the role that Australian farmers play in ensuring it is there for you at all times. In doing so, stand up for ensuring that importers meet the same standards we enjoy from our own. And pressure the politicians to get the labelling laws sorted so that you can be sure you have bought what you think you have bought.
CSU Emeritus Professor Jim Pratley currently leads the plant systems research pathway at the Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation. He was the foundation Dean of the Faculty of Science and Agriculture at CSU and is secretary of the Australian Council of Deans of Agriculture. Professor Pratley has served as President of the Australian Society of Agronomy and Vice President of the International Allelopathy Society. His research has focused on conservation farming, herbicide resistance, weed science, and the development and management of self-weeding crops.
alexisstarke
June 26, 2014 at 9:47 pm
I Totally Agree
People should have a deeper understanding of, and greater respect for that Australian farmers play role in producing food, supporting the nation’s economy, building rural communities and protecting the rural amenity. Thanks!