The Goulburn Murray Irrigation District Water Leadership Forum has pointed to the northern Victorian agricultural sector, which produces a large share of the national milk pool, a fifth of all vegetables and nearly half of the country’s eggs, lamb, apples, tomatoes, canola oil, wheat and cereals.
“Figures provided to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Agriculture Inquiry into Food Security in Australia noted that northern Victoria produces an extraordinary amount of the national food supply,” forum co-chair Andrew Mann said.
“Our region sends the equivalent of 500 million litre cartons of milk to Sydney and Brisbane annually, and even more is exported around the world.
“We produce nearly 60 per cent of Australia’s pork and bacon, more than 80 per cent of grapes for eating and winemaking, and 90 per cent of the national peaches, nectarines, and apricots.
“If water continues to be taken from the region, it is the equivalent of bulldozing 17,000 hectares of orchard.
“It will drastically change the food production landscape and undermine the supply of affordable fruit and vegetables that Australians rely on.”
Former State Member for Shepparton and co-chair of the forum, Suzanna Sheed, has called on the Federal Government to stop stripping water from food production at a time when Australians are already struggling with the cost of living.
“This policy will directly hurt regional communities, reduce food production, and ultimately impact all Australians through higher food prices,” she said.
The criticism comes following accusations of secrecy by the VFF and NFF over the buy-back deals.
Forum member David McKenzie has slammed the announcement of up to 100 Gl of additional water buybacks from large corporate holders, calling it very concerning and questioning the government’s lack of transparency.
“Where is the transparency? This is a massive, single-market-distorting deal, and there is no clarity about where the water will come from,” Mr McKenzie said.
“Will it be sourced from the Upper Murray, below the Barmah Choke, or the Goulburn River? Which state is going to bear the brunt of this?
“The outcome is that water managers cannot begin to plan for the changed usage patterns that will likely affect irrigation next season.
“There is no clarity on whether this new water can even be delivered, especially when the Goulburn River is already at capacity.”
Mr Mann warned the implications of these buybacks for northern Victoria would have serious consequences for food availability and the cost of food across the entire country.
“According to Victorian Government modelling, the impact on irrigation districts will be devastating,” he said.
Ms Sheed said the GMID Water Leadership Forum was particularly concerned about the impact on the dairy industry and milk production, warning the Labor Government of the broader political consequences of their water buyback strategy.
“The government should be aware that several major milk processing factories are located in Labor-held seats in Melbourne,” she said.
“Not only will jobs be lost in regional areas, where the vast majority of milk processing takes place, but also in key metropolitan Labor or marginal seats that are already highly vulnerable in the upcoming federal election.”
23°C