GRAINGROWERS (GGL) will not be lobbying either way in the debate over the wheat marketing act, after its members failed to reach consensus in a recent forum.
Subscribe now for unlimited access to all our agricultural news
across the nation
or signup to continue reading
The organisation, which is aiming to increase its grower advocacy role, with a view to becoming the peak body for national representation for growers, took the issue to its quarterly forum, a meeting of the state farming organisations that are working with GGL and individual growers from the states that are not, and found it could not reach consensus.
The recent quarterly forum was the last under the auspices of GGL and will now be transferred to the NFF’s national grains policy council.
GGL general manager of grower interests Georgie Aley said the decision had been taken not to enter the debate surrounding amendments to the Wheat Marketing Act.
Initially, GGL came out and spoke in favour of doing away with Wheat Exports Australia and the port access code, which is the major bone of contention with the Act proposed by the Federal Government.
However, groups such as WAFarmers, which this year forged an alliance with GGL, have traditionally been pro-regulation, although their public policy is now in line with GGL’s.
Neither party, however, is currently lobbying hard on the Act, according to Ms Aley.
Meanwhile, those behind Grain Producers Australia and its push to retain some regulation remain committed to their stance.
VFF grains group president Andrew Weidemann, said his organisation was ‘rock solid’ behind GPA.
“The issue has to be clear, we are all for some form of self-regulation in terms of port access, but there has to be some sort of incentive for companies to comply exterior to a purely voluntary code.”
The NFF is expected to have a big say in terms of determining which way the farming lobby swings on the matter.
Industry insiders say a meeting this week in Sydney was aimed at forging a united stance from the disparate elements within the industry in terms of wheat marketing.