The Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association held its annual general meeting in Launceston this week.
It ratified the appointment of two new directors, Marcus McShane and Brian Stewart, to replace retiring directors Di Fowler and Brett Hall, who, respectively, had represented the wool and meat commodity councils on the board.
The new board then re-elected Alan Davenport as vice-president me as president.
I made the point during the meeting that, given the time and effort we all put in, it would be patently obvious to anyone that we were not doing it for the money.
We took the attitude several years ago that we could not take an increase at that time and, in fact, in the past 12 months directors have taken a voluntary drop in pay.
Normally, I wouldn’t raise this as a matter of public discussion in a newspaper column but too often we overlook the time and dedication that volunteers and their ilk contribute to our society and, in this case, our industry.
As someone in the audience paraphrased JFK: “We shouldn’t be asking what the TFGA can do for us but what we can do for the TFGA.”
We have worked long and hard to build our reputation and profile – today it is called our brand – and we will not give it away lightly.
The TFGA board is resisting signing a memorandum of understanding with the industry’s peak body, the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF), which is trying to muster support for a single national farming identity.
Frankly, we have yet to be given an adequate explanation from the NFF about how the TFGA would fit into such an organisation without jeopardising the brand and profile it had so carefully built. Watch this space.
The strength of the TFGA has been that it is close to its membership and we have been with them through thick and thin.
Today the farming landscape here is changing. It’s becoming more intensive and more diversified. There are more cows in the paddocks than ever before; there are more paddocks carrying cows than ever before. Look around, there are pivot irrigators everywhere. At last, more and more of our farmers can count on water when they need it.
By the year 2050 our farms have to contribute $10 billion a year to the overall economy, $10 billion a year towards Australia’s food security and the growing world demand for commodities. That’s a big ask. We need everyone onside.
I told the annual general meeting that we had had some big wins:
the review of the Primary Industry Activities Protection Act 1995, which establishes at law the right of a farmer to continue their farming activities without unnecessary interference;
we are back inside the tent on forestry;
the dam approval process has been streamlined;
we have a new loan system similar to HECS to assist primary producers to develop their businesses, particularly in the early years, the start-up years. We have a $10 million low interest loan scheme to do just that
the Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme has been extended to include a subsidy for exports. Now we have to ensure that those added benefits reach our pockets and not the new owners of the Port of Melbourne.
Lobbying and advocacy is a continuing process. The issues may change but the need for integrity on our part is a constant. We are pledged to maintain that.
THIS ARTICLE FIRST APPEARED IN THE TASMANIAN COUNTRY ON 3 JULY.
TFGA president Wayne Johnston
