The announced consultation process for the establishment of the National Food Security Strategy will boost the resilience of food production systems and is a welcome step forward by the Australian Government.
GrainGrowers CEO Shona Gawel said the release of the Feeding Australia discussion paper was in line with the election commitment and was a positive move that would help boost the security of Australian agriculture.
“The decision to move ahead with the development of the strategy reinforces the industry position that resilient and diversified supply chains are essential for feeding the nation and our neighbouring regions as well as dealing with global shocks.”
“While Australia is a large net exporter of grain, the heavy reliance on imported farm inputs such as diesel and urea exposes the fragile nature of maintaining our national food security.”
“Given this situation, we are pleased the government is adopting a whole of system approach through the National Food Security Strategy. In our recent report Reaping the Benefits: How Australian Grain and Oilseeds Can Support Australia’s Low-Carbon Fuel Security, we touch on how the grains industry can play a significant role in this.”
Ms Gawel said the approach would enable a detailed consideration of ways to tackle weaknesses in the supply chains, including the production of low-carbon liquid fuels to build domestic fuel resilience.
Ms Gawel said GrainGrowers noted the establishment of the National Food Council, comprising industry and community experts, to advise on the development and implementation of the strategy.
“As an industry representative body, we are committed to working with the government to deliver a strategy that is in the best interests of growers and the wider Australian community,” she said.
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