NSW Farmers front fuel roundtable
NSW
Farmers advocated for the state’s agricultural sector during a NSW Government
roundtable discussion on the ongoing fuel crisis.
Association
President Xavier Martin said it was important to bring the rural experience in
front of senior government ministers to reinforce the need for urgent action.
“The
NSW Government has shown leadership on this issue, and we have strongly urged
ministers to make sure that food supply and production is a central component
of a broader crisis response,” Mr Martin said.
“The
need for urgent action from state and federal governments is vital to ensure
that agriculture has access to critical farm inputs including fuel and
fertiliser.
“Despite
the messaging that there is enough supply in the system, this is not the lived
experience of many across rural and regional NSW who are facing daily decisions
about how to use their remaining supplies.”
Mr
Martin said there were growing reports of service stations and depots running
out of fuel, limits on the amount of fuel that could be purchased at service
stations, bulk fuel orders being cancelled because they could not be filled,
bulk fuel distributors prioritising and rationing orders from particular
customers and instances where the price to receive fuel increases between
making an order and receiving delivery of it, even for existing orders made
prior to the conflict.
“NSW Farmers position on this is absolutely clear, the
state and federal governments must ensure there is a guaranteed supply of
diesel for agriculture as a priority,” Mr Martin said.
“This conflict in Iran is
more than two weeks old now and farmers around the state continue to be
disappointed that the Australian Government is dragging its heels on action.
“Energy Minister Chris Bowen
released five days’ worth of diesel out of the reserve late last week, which is
nowhere near enough, but sadly it is a significant percentage of our onshore
stocks.
“The fact that we went
through a global pandemic and an escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and
did nothing to increase our stockpiles is, frankly, shocking.”
Mr
Martin warned without a reliable supply of diesel at a realistic price point,
farmers of all commodities would need to make tough decisions about their
operations, impacting Australia’s food and fibre supply.
“The
impacts of this will be far reaching and long-term for farm business viability
and rural communities,” Mr Martin said.
“Discussions
like we had around the table in Sydney are important, but they need to be
followed up with swift and decisive action.
“Regulatory intervention cannot be off the table, and state and federal governments
must remember the central role farmers play in underpinning our food security.”
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has established a Critical Response Taskforce in response, so if you are unable to access the fuel required for essential farm operations, please email details of your situation to [email protected] and CC [email protected] so we can keep track of it as well.
Please include where possible:
• Your location
• The type of fuel affected
• The impact on your farm operations
• Any immediate or flow on consequences
Media Contact:
Stephen Mudd | 0429 011 690 | [email protected]