Proposed conditions for live sheep exports to the Middle East during September and October 2019
The NFF supports the continuation of a sustainable live sheep export industry that is accountable and delivers positive animal welfare outcomes. The live sheep export trade is critical to many Australian farmers and regional communities and makes a significant contribution to the broader Australian economy. Australia is a leader in the global live export industry […]
Election 2019: Farmers seek a partnership approach to animal welfare
Ensuring animals are treated humanely is a priority concern for Australian farmers, and this election the National Farmers’ Federation is calling for the next federal government to work in partnership with industry to deliver continued welfare improvements. Earlier today, Labor’s agriculture spokesperson, Joel Fitzgibbon released a six-point plan for animal welfare. The National Farmers’ Federation […]
Submission on Ruralco Holdings Limited (Ruralco) proposed acquisition by Nutrien Ltd (Landmark)
Any situation in which a single firm dominates the market for a particular agricultural input is likely to give that firm excessive price-setting power. If farmers and agribusinesses have limited or reduced access to alternative sources of inputs, it increases the ability of the dominant firm(s) to raise prices in the knowledge that their customers […]
Election 2019: New Government must expedite IA-CEPA ratification & commit to 'going further' on trade
The National Farmers’ Federation says one of the first acts of a new Government must be the ratification of the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA). Bringing the signed trade deal to fruition is among the key priorities of the NFF this federal election. NFF CEO Tony Mahar said the ratification of IA-CEPA and the […]
Submission to the Government of New Zealand Regarding the Expansion of the Protection of Geographical Indications under the EU-NZ Free Trade Agreement
This submission addresses four areas of concern regarding the proposal to extend New Zealand’s system for protecting GIs and on which our objections to the extension of GI protection are based. These are: 1) The close economic and trade ties that bind Australia and New Zealand that make any changes to New Zealand’s system for […]
Draft Pest Risk Analysis for Cut Flower and Foliage Imports – Part 1
The NFF reviewed the draft Pest Risk Analysis prepared by the department, and recorded significant concerns about the biosecurity risk posed by the current import arrangements for cut flowers and foliage. We are particularly concerned about the lack of information provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of new import conditions and to demonstrate how non-compliance is […]
Live Sheep Export Heat Stress Risk Assessment (HSRA)
The NFF supports the continuation of a sustainable live sheep export industry that is accountable and delivers positive animal welfare outcomes. The live sheep export trade is critical to many Australian farmers and regional communities, and makes a significant contribution to the broader Australian economy (more than $250 million in 2016-17). Australia is a leader […]
Review of Unfair Contract Term Protections for Small Business
The NFF considers protections for small businesses against unfair contract terms in standard form contracts crucial to addressing the structural inequalities between small farm businesses and larger businesses that generally possess the resources and market power to secure contracts that reflect their preferences. To this end, the NFF recommends that breaches of section 23 of […]
Potential ACCC “class exemption” for collective bargaining
While the NFF considers markets to be the primary arbiter of agricultural supply and demand, government regulation is needed to enable competition in parts of the agricultural supply chain where competition did not previously exist. Consequently, the NFF considers a “class exemption” for collective bargaining a potential way to address the structural inequalities in bargaining […]
Review of Regulatory Capability and Culture in the Regulation of Live Animal Exports
The NFF and its members remain committed to the future of Australia’s live export trade that meets the world class animal welfare standards set by our livestock producers and all reasonable Australians. It is clear that objective measurements such as mortality do not provide a full picture of the success of a voyage and we […]