Agricultural chemicals and veterinary medicines (agvet chemicals) are critically important to Australian production systems, each with a place among the suite of tools and technologies used as part an effective…
Across the country, Australian farmers continue to endure the devastating effects of drought, floods, fire, COVID-19 and China’s recent decision to introduce duties on Australian Barley. As these issues converge,…
Australia’s agricultural industries are extremely diverse and subsequently, require individuals with skills and experience as equally varied to meet the needs of farm businesses and allied service and supply chain…
This submission addresses the Terms of Reference relating to trade with specific reference to Australian grain, pulse and oilseeds exports. While the submission focuses on Australia’s key export markets, it…
GrainGrowers welcomes the opportunity to provide a submission in response to the Agricultural machinery: After-sales Markets Discussion Paper and Purchasers of agricultural machinery survey.
Grain farmers are stewards of more than 20 million hectares of Australia’s land, and consider the economic and environmental sustainability of their properties as paramount. Having good legislation framing conversations,…
A collection of letters to the grains industry that request responses regarding the research report 'Gains in grains: Is Australia producing the most profitable quality of wheat?'.
GrainGrowers is disappointed in the approach USYD has taken to present the research findings to the public and feel that the current media hype surrounding glyphosate has been used to…
GrainGrowers welcomes the opportunity to provide comment on the proposed use of glyphosate in the product Roundup Ultra Max Herbicide for use on barley (except malting barley).
GrainGrowers welcomes the opportunity to provide a first-round submission to Pulse Australia regarding the pulse standards review 2020/211. We have not commented on each individual section specified in the Call…
The following submission responds to the administration and evaluation of the Future Drought Fund along with outlining what GrainGrowers' views on areas necessary for building the economic, environmental and social…
In November 2019, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) notified the public that it has commenced a reconsideration of certain neonicotinoid active constituent approvals, product registrations and associated…
Another review is underway by the Australian Government into the Research and Development Corporations system. GrainGrowers’ has stated RDCs need strong governance, accountability and a well demonstrated value to levy…
GrainGrowers has provided a response to the Future Drought Fund draft plan. GrainGrowers believes the program should be used to accelerate activities or practice change that wouldn’t happen without it.…
GrainGrowers supports the target of $100 billion growth in Australian agriculture by 2030 and considers Government has a role to ensure policy settings are appropriate and undertake strategic investments and…
The Department of Agriculture is proposing to expand the use of property identifiers (commonly referred to as PICs) to include the major plant production sectors. This will include properties that…
The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has released an issues paper outlining an intention to harmonise the QLD, NSW, VIC and SA Grains Harvest Management Schemes (GHMS). To effectively respond…
The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has recently announced the review of a number of chemical active ingredients important to agriculture. The APVMA is reviewing critical agricultural (including…
GrainGrowers' has made a submission to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) regarding Viterra's application to be exempt from the Wheat Port Code. GrainGrowers' submission emphasises the organisations existing…
GrainGrowers strongly supports the South Australian Government’s plans to lift the moratorium on growing Genetically Modified (GM) Food Crops across the mainland. For many years, South Australian farmers have not…
The European Union is an important market for the Australian grains industry, valued at over A$1.1 billion, driven primarily by the export of Australian canola for use in the European…
Read in full the presentation from Luke Mathews, General Manager Policy and Research to the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties Inquiry to the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA)
China’s anti-dumping investigation against the Australian barley industry is continuing and the potential outcomes remain uncertain. The investigation commenced on 19 November 2018, with the final decision due prior to…
Australia and Indonesia signed the long-awaited Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA) in Jakarta earlier this year. IA-CEPA secures new access for Australian feed grains and this new market is…
GrainGrowers and Grain Producers Australia welcome the commencement of the levy payer register for the Australian grains industry. Please read the joint statement from Brett Hosking, GrainGrowers Chairman and Andrew…
Further to recommendations in 2018, that Pulse Australia amend the Defective Tolerances applied to No.1 Domestic faba beans to be more consistent with the other faba bean standards, GrainGrowers has…
GrainGrowers has written to the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources on the matter of the importation of grains and grain products into Australia and has asked the Department to…
As part of the APVMA’s ongoing spraydrift consultation, GrainGrowers provided a submission to supplemental comments on the APVMA’s approach to spray drift management – Stage 1. GrainGrowers and its National…
GrainGrowers provided a submission to the GTA Standards committee. Key issues raised by GrainGrowers include: (1) changes to ANW2 standards; (2) nil contaminants; (3) manual vacuum sampling; and (4) moisture…
GrainGrowers supports the need for a commonwealth strategy for drought preparedness and resilience (as outlined in the Taskforce consultation paper February 2019), and recommends an additional priority area called “Enhance…
GrainGrowers has written to the Australian Government today reaffirming we do not oppose the importation of grains or processed grain products, as long as biosecurity is not compromised. Australia’s long-standing…
GrainGrowers welcomes the opportunity to provide a submission to this inquiry into the independence of the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA)...
GrainGrowers encourages the Government to support preferential trade agreements with capacity building initiatives that create opportunities and capture values for Australian grain exports. Preferential trade...
GrainGrowers supports the need for the National Gene Technology Scheme, however for continuation and improvement in its operation, national consistency is essential.
GrainGrowers outlines improvements required to the GTA Standards. Key issues discussed by GrainGrowers include: (1) standards database and statement of standards; (2) snail tolerance in barley; (3) feed barley name…
GrainGrowers is recommending better protections and, where necessary, remedies for farmers under the Australian Consumer Law. This includes: - an increase in the dollar value of goods which are covered…
GrainGrowers welcomed the current Joint Standing Committee on Treaties inquiry into the TPP-11 agreement, saying that the TPP-11 was a positive step and will help boost prices for Australian grain…
GrainGrowers believes New Breeding Techniques (NBTs) should be excluded from regulation if the outcomes they produce are similar to, or indistinguishable from the products of conventional breeding.
GrainGrowers recognises the need for Trading Standards to reflect the requirements of domestic and export markets and supports: - Revision of the tolerance for snails in barley to 1 snail…
Members have reported a significant variation in grain sample discrepancies across many receival sites in the 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons. In particular, there is reported to be significant discrepancy in…
GrainGrowers encourages the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources to ensure the efficiency of its internal operations, given any charges imposed on industry directly impact the international competitiveness of Australian…
In relation to the APVMA's proposed approach, GrainGrowers supports the need for: - reasonable buffer zones, - clearer label instructions, - the use of spray drift reducing technologies and tools, and…
GrainGrowers supports enduring profitability as the key driver of the GRDC strategic plan, and the associated investment in the five identified priority areas - yield, price, on-farm and post farm-gate…
GrainGrowers is opposed to a separate mechanism to consider Genetically Modified (GM) contamination as it is likely to compromise a farmer’s ability to choose to grow Office of the Gene…
GrainGrowers seeks a subcategory of regulations for plant breeding that exclude certain new technologies from regulation, based on the outcomes they would produce, to enable plant breeding sciences to advance…
GrainGrowers believes that the Port Terminal Access Code (the Code) is necessary to support fair and transparent access to port terminal services and should be retained. It must continue to…
A national, comprehensive and practical Class 1 Notice is essential for the grains sector: it will reduce red tape and can facilitate industry efficiency within an appropriate risk management framework.…
GrainGrowers strongly believes that decentralisation and the relocation of agencies can provide benefits to agricultural industries and regional Australia. Successful decentralisation can only be achieved if all appropriate infrastructure is…
The ability to access gene technology is essential for the continued development and growth of the grains industry in Australia. GrainGrowers believes that access to gene technology is necessary for…
With Australia's total grain production worth $17.3 billion at the farm gate, and total agricultural production forecast to be worth $63.8 billion in 2016-17, the grains industry's ability to compete…
Although Indonesia is Australia’s largest export market for wheat, valued at $1.3 billion per annum, the current grain trade is almost exclusively for flour milling purposes. GrainGrowers estimates the underlying…
There is a significant freight task associated with moving, on average, 45 million tonnes of grain produced each year to market and this involves transport by both road and rail…
GrainGrowers is not opposed to the acquisition of InterGrain by AGT from proceeding (with certain undertakings) as it will provide long term stability to barley breeding and will preserve essential…
Digital farming is the next frontier of gains for the Australian grains industry. However, the true developmental opportunity will only be realised once it is underpinned by reliable and cost-effective…
GrainGrowers supports a review of the existing Visual Recognition Standards Guide, recommends easy access to the Standards Database, and supports the development of a national procedure for an oat varietal…
GrainGrowers strongly believes that relocation of agencies may provide benefits to agricultural industries and the broader public, but this must be considered on an individual basis and supported by a…
GrainGrowers priorities for all trade negotiations are tariff elimination and removal of all quota barriers on all grains and all grain products; that agreements include measures to minimise the risk…
Whilst not opposed to the acquisition of InterGrain by AGT on the basis that it will preserve essential germplasm in Australian breeding programs and that the market can support two…
Australian wheat exports to Indonesia are valued at $1.3bn annually, accounting for more than 20% of Australia’s total wheat exports. Indonesia is a growing market, with its total wheat imports…
GrainGrowers supports the exclusion of certain new technologies from regulation on the basis of the outcomes they produce, which would therefore see organisms exluded from regulation as GMOs if the…
GrainGrowers supports the permit application from Grain Producers Australia to allow the use of glyphosate on barley (except malting barley) as a harvest aid and for weed control, and that…
The Trans Pacific Partnership group of nations includes two of Australia’s top 5 export grain markets, which in total account for approaching 20% of Australia’s grain exports. If the Trans…
GrainGrowers supports ASICs position, as without exemptions that are currently in place for grain pool operators, significant inefficiencies would be introduced to the grain pool market. Grain pool operators would…
GrainGrowers offers several solutions-based recommendations, including implementation of a 19 per cent tax rate for backpackers on every dollar earned, superannuation not be paid to backpackers, an Agricultural Apprenticeship Scheme…
Regulations around agriculture need to align with the long term objectives of the industry. Any regulatory reform that assists in sensibly reducing the costs of production and getting grain to…
New hazard labeling requirements will this will impose additional obligations on agricultural chemicals that already comply with comprehensive labeling requirements that reflect rigorous risk assessments, which are undertaken by the…
GrainGrowers supports the use of levy payer information by Representative Organisations for the purpose of engagement and consultation, and encourages the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources to consider opportunities…
Regulation in Australian agriculture as it currently stands is unduly complicated, duplicative and overly burdensome. As a result, we have a situation where agricultural productivity is being restricted by the…
If Australia does not join the TPP, countries who do join the TPP will be afforded the benefit of more efficient supply chains, and the benefits that our industry has…
GrainGrowers recognises the value of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research's work for facilitating development in the Indo-Pacific region. However, there is room to add further value be ensuring…
This submission provides feedback on the following improvements to the Farm Management Deposit scheme: a doubling of the deposit limit for FMDs from $400,000 to $800,000; the removal of legislative…
This submission addresses the Terms of Reference for the Committee’s inquiry into the role of technology in increasing agricultural productivity in Australia, including: improvements in the efficiency of agricultural practices…
GrainGrowers supports the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement. The deal is extremely important to the grains industry because of the preferential tariff access achieved for other important Australian grain exports. The…
GrainGrowers provided comments on the consultation, including the CRIS provides inadequate explanation and no quantitative evidence for the need to increase fees and charges; despite opportunities for efficiencies, overall fees…
GrainGrowers outlines the significant benefits of ChAFTA will be heightened if: ChAFTA comes into force sufficiently ahead of other trade agreements with China; technical barriers/SPS measures do not replace tariffs…
Our submission outlines that 55 per cent of growers responded to GrainGrowers' recent technology survey that their mobile speed and coverage was marginal, poor or non-existent; and 75 per cent…
GrainGrowers is supportive of an enhanced trade environment between Australia and India because: India has a large and growing population, with increasingly Western diets; Indian grain supply can be variable…
GrainGrowers recommendations include the development of Tax Policy needs to address and reflect the circumstances of farm businesses, in particular the volatility associated with agricultural production in Australia and the…
GrainGrowers supports the National Farmers Federation submission, including the need to re-balance Competition Policy settings to ensure the proposed Foreign Investment Framework adequately addresses issues arising from consolidation and possible…
GrainGrowers considers there will likely be insufficient competition to warrant exemption under the two applications, and recommends that exemptions be reserved until the successful initial operation of the Bunge facility,…
GrainGrowers is supportive of 16 of the policy solutions, identifying five of these in recognition that not all approaches can be pursued immediately. The submission identifies that the issue of…
62 per cent of respondents to GrainGrowers preparatory survey to the submission indicated that they want the levy to remain the same. GrainGrowers recommends a regular review of the levy…
In order to support the Bill, GrainGrowers seeks greater involvement of the grains industry representative bodies. The Department of Agriculture International Grains Council (IGC) representative should report back to industry…
GrainGrowers makes several recommendations to address the need for coordination and oversight of the system to deliver greater benefits to stakeholders, noting that this will not be achieved if left…
GrainGrowers supports the findings of the Productivity Commission's report and concludes that a code of conduct regulating the export of bulk wheat from Australia is leading to a more competitive…
GrainGrowers supports the introduction of a mandatory code that can adjust to competition levels and vertical integration with a pathway to full deregulation within a five-year time frame.
GrainGrowers examines the critical issues of competitiveness in the supply chain, which are attracting private capital, future productivity and competitiveness, supply chain competitiveness, enhanced access to high-value markets, and internationalisation…
GrainGrowers recommends improvement in breeding research lag times, the formation of a technical advisory committee, that End Point Royalties are reflective of the yield and price received for a variety…
GrainGrowers' encourages the Government to reinstate funding for ABS Stocks data and provides a recommendation for funds held in the Wheat Industry Special Account.
GrainGrowers proposes five themes to be incorporated into the Australian Farm Institute's Research Agenda. These are Productivity of the Grains Industry and Future Returns; Importance of Traceability from the Farm…
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Australia asked GrainGrowers to contribute to the development of country strategies for Japan, China, Indonesia, India and South Korea, as mandated by…
GrainGrowers supports the production of a Visual Quality Charts Booklet that highlights defects for all grain types, and recommends changes to the Weed Seed Categories and Tolerances; review of the…