Cheap food imports imperil Australian farmers

Tasmanian farmers today pleaded for shoppers to continue to support local fruit and vegetable producers in the light of new data showing elevated imports of processed food into Australia.

The Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association was commenting on latest trade figures showing a $119 million increase in imports of processed fruit and vegetable products in the last two years, the bulk of it from New Zealand.

“This now seems to have established itself as a long-term trend,” TFGA chief executive Jan Davis said today.

“We are facing fierce competition from cheap imports just at the time when people should support local producers. Cheap imports create market pressure for our growers to reduce their costs and accept slimmer margins; but there is only so much you can bear before it becomes uneconomic.”

“I know that most consumers are driven by price and that is all very well, but the stakes are high when the livelihoods of Australian growers are threatened,” Ms Davis said.

“They are tightening their belts; they seek every opportunity to reduce their input costs so they can compete, but the playing field is not level.

“If the Australian Government is going to continue to open the door to imports from cheaper producers, people with fewer restrictions on the quality and means of production, Australians will eventually have a high price to pay.

“All we ask is that the government sets an example to Australian consumers and that is to support local farmers,” she said.