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Rural
NSW FARMERS WELCOMES ADDITIONAL DISASTER ASSISTANCE
NSW Farmers President James Jackson has thanked the state and federal governments for listening to calls for additional natural disaster declarations.
Disaster assistance is now available in 13 additional local government areas of Blayney, Brewarrina, Broken Hill, Cabonne, Cobar, Gilgandra, Gunnedah, Gwydir, Narrabri, Port Macquarie Hastings, Upper Hunter, Warrumbungle and Weddin.
“This will no doubt come as a relief to many farmers and rural communities who have been seriously impacted by this rain and said.
“Minister McKenzie and Minister Elliott are to be commended for listening to the community and extending these natural disaster declarations.
“While there is still substantial rain on the radar for the weekend and no doubt many will be closely watching announcement will give some assurance that recovery and rebuilding can begin once the waters recede.”
The possibility of bare barbecues on Australia Day should be an alarm bell to all sides of politics MEAT SHORTAGES EXPOSE SUPPLY CHAIN FAILINGS
The possibility of bare barbecues on Australia Day should be an alarm bell to all sides of politics, NSW Farmers says, with the major retailer supply chains continuing to struggle. NSW Farmers President James Jackson said ongoing failures to prevent anti-competitive behaviour had led us to a handful of companies controlling most of our meat supply, and called on the Federal Government to address the issue. “COVID is hitting everyone, but vulnerabilities in our food supply chains are particularly concerning,” Mr Jackson said. “Farmers are telling us there are bottlenecks in the meat industry because of a shortage of Rapid Antigen Tests, combined with changing rules around isolation, which is a real headache for processors. “Of course we don’t want people working while sick or infectious, and we need to avoid any further disruptions to the system at this time, but long term this situation cannot continue as is.” Years of corporate mergers and buy-outs in Australia’s retail sector have led to a few major players dominating the market, and when their supply chains fall over so too does our national food supply. Mr Jackson said the Federal Government should look at what the United States is doing to rein in anti-competitive behaviour.
“President Biden is actively pursuing better competition in their meat sector, and I think it’s high time our government acted on the many reports and inquiries that have recommended reform,” Mr Jackson said. “We have seen independent supply chains avoid the worst
of the squeeze here in Australia, surely better competition would deliver better results for consumers. “What we need is a two-pronged approach: more RATs today to get things moving, and real competition reform tomorrow to make sure this never happens again.”
NEW LEVEL OF TRANSPARENCY FOR THE RECREATIONAL FISHING SECTOR IN NSW
Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall has today released the inaugural Recreational Fishing Annual Report, delivering a new benchmark in accountability and transparency on the projects and services licence fees.
Mr Marshall said the Annual Report showed $19 million in projects had been funded through the Recreational Fishing Trust in 2020-21.
pay their licence fees and every single one of those dollars goes back into hundreds of projects and initiatives to support and promote industry,” Mr Marshall said.
“In 2020-21, 89 projects worth more than $19 million were approved. These projects are diverse as building safety infrastructure and access upgrades.
“They also fund some of our most popular ongoing programs such as Fish Aggregating Devices, Offshore hundreds of community
“The release of the inaugural Recreational Fishing Annual Report is part of our commitment exactly how we spend their license fees and can see the value in their investment.”
Mr Marshall said the online, interactive report provided multiple ways to explore how licence fees were spent.
“This is a new way for we are investing in and what they can enjoy in their communities fees,” Mr Marshall said.
“These are audited reports with a full for those who want to dive into the detail, but we have also produced 40 pages of the best projects, facts and
“I would encourage our more than one licence to jump online and learn more about how their fees are put to work.”
The Recreational Fishing Trust Annual Report will be released annually and is now available at www.dpi. nsw.gov.au.
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